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Clerk of the Marshall Islands Ni Majuro, Marshall Islands I wish to acknowledge on behalf or Secretary Andrus, th \ receipt of the certified copy of Resolution No. 15 li.D,:1 of the Nitijela, ‘A Resolution requesting the Government of tile United States of America to Immediately conduct a radiological survey in the Marshall Isiands.” I feel constrained to point out that paragraph 4 of this resolution makes a very broad and sweeping statement, that as far as I am aware of, is not borne out by recent radiological data. This is the statement, “Whereas, recent radiological data, accumulated by the United States Government indicates an extraordinarily high incidence of . apparently radiological induced physical disorders among Marshallese residents, outside what was originally thought to be the range of contamination caused by the nuclear explosions at Bikini and Enewetak; particularly, on Likiep Atoll and Wotje Atolln. Recently, when the Marshall Islands Political Status Delegation was here in Washington, it raised this queStion with respect to Likiep Atoll but the question rested not on “recent radiological data accumulated by the United States”, but rather on data collected by a Marshall Islands Likiep survey team and presented to the Department of Energy and to our Department by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs for the Marshall Islands Government, Mr. Anton DeBrum, at a rrieeting here on May 16, 1979. This Department and the Department of Energy assured Mr. DeBrum that priority attention would be given to the request that a medical surve be conducted of the people of Likiep Atoll. ENESTAVhABLE COPY We will discuss the other aspects of the resolution, i.e., the portions requesting a radiological survey of the Northern Marshalls, with the Department of Energy. It appears to me that most, if not all, of this request may have been met by the recent radiological survey conducted on
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13 atolls in the TJorthern Marsh ails. The preliminary results of the Northern Marshalls Radiological Survey will be available by }lici-July. You may be assured that the Nitijela will receive copies of any report issued by the Department of Energy. In any event, both this Department and the Departnlent of Energy, have pledged to work closely with the new government of the Marshalls on the question of radiological matters and we will be in constant touch with local government Office of Territorial Affairs