Memo to the President, Subject: Return of the Bikini People (Attach: Draft Announcement)

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To: The President fl Subject: Return of the Bikini People In 1946 the United States removed the yeople of Bikini from their . . atoll in order to permit it to be used for atomic testing. These people, originalJ..yabout 150, were ultimately settled on Kili island in tine and has no lagoon, but have retained an in.terisedesire to return to Bikini. In early 1967, at my request and that of Trust TerritoryHigh Commissioner Nor’wood,the Atomic Zoergy Commissionmade a special survey of the atoll in order to determinewhetinerradiation levels were such as to enable yeo@e safely to live on its islands. Followingthis intensivesurvey of . tineatoll.and a review by a special coxmzitteeof consultants, an affim~tive conclusionwas reached. Attached is a copy of the special committee’s report which states t’nat“. . . Bikini Atoll, site of more than 20 nuclear tests between 1946 and 1958, is once again safe for human habitation.” At my request, the SecretaryOY Defense has pushed ahead with a syecial. me that return of the people to Bikini is compatiblewit’ntlho~erequirements. , The Defense Departmentmay wish to install.some umanied detice~, such as radar towers, and on a limited scale sta=ior.personnelon the atoll, hut re-establishmentOY their norriiallife on the etoll.

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an i?;tensivestudy of the atoll soil, water and plants and had been made in 1964 as a The survey team noted of animal 12fe. The last previous survey part of contizuia~studies of the atoll since that vegetation on tineislands of the atoll io dcnoc and that the populationsoi’Yirdc and the marine life of the lagoon win-elarge. However, the coconut trecc which arc the basis of human life and the economy of coral atolls had been destroyedduring the tests. The densityof the new vegetationhas lar~ely checked their recovery. The results of the survey have been armlyzed‘Gya special committee of consultants. The consultantsconcludedtint: repatriation of the Bikini people do not o?fer a significant,! threat to their health and safety.” Althoughthe consultantshave judged the radiationlevels on the atoll now to be acceptable,they made several recommendationsfor reducing exposureeven further. These recommendationsinclude: Bi’kinifor the present and cover the village area with a layer of coral rock to reduce furtherthe low,levelof ratiakion from tinesoil; f crabs> which form a part of the diet of Pacific Islamders; “ (3) Rmovethe radioactivescrap uetalwhich stiUremins on some ~ of the islandsnear the test sites; and

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that they do not, in dose than predicted. initiatedon Emu island “oecau~eof its very low contsminat:m level. We would propose to toJlow the recomemiatiom of the consultantsin developinga resettlementyrob~au. A COPY o? their report is attached for your information. Return Of the Bikini ~eople canno: be immediatealthoughwe should take immediatesteps to legin their return. A comprehensiveplan mst be developed;any remaining sources of major contaminationrmoved; the crops; and new housing and commnity f.zcilivies“euilt. We propose to do this with the active p~~ici~ation of the Bikini people in both tileplanning and executionstages. It will, however, also require the active cooperationof the Departmentof Defense,the Atomic Ener&y Comrlssionand, in seeking funds for the resettlementproject, the Our tentativetime table calls for few weeks to ask the BilKinipeople in the planning stage. The second atoll to select those sites requiredby the High Commissioner within the to none a group of their leaders to step is an on-isiand survey of tine the locationof the new village. At i-hissiage, it is expectedthat the prelidihary resettlementplan will he dr~i%d witlnthe Bikini leadership participating. Tne visit to 3ikini should take Qace of August or in early September. During the fall the in tke last “&f

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Dependingupon the avaiia-oilityof =I&dz, the initial contingent of returneesnight be settledwithin z yezr. in the meantime, 13iMni workers would be enga&ed in clearin~,ylanting, and buildinz activities. Return of all of the 13ikiniansnow 155viATon Kili might be accomplished a much longer period. Tne atoll.is now virtuaUy devoid of edible or economic@urts and a feeti’ngprogram will be required until subsistence foodcropsreach adequate levels end commercialcrops come intO production. providing food, drink, seven years for newly planted coconutsto ‘oecome coconut is essentialto life on a coral atoll, the sole source of cash. There is attacheda dra~. annou..ccneritre~amiing the proposed resettlement of the Bikini people. Bikini and the desire of the people on Kili to return has recently been in the news and Yiere cor:tinuesto be widesprea~interest of the decisionth& the Bikini people can and will be relocatedon.their

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To: The President fl Subject: Return of the Bikini People In 1946 the United States removed the yeople of Bikini from their . . atoll in order to permit it to be used for atomic testing. These people, originalJ..yabout 150, were ultimately settled on Kili island in tine and has no lagoon, but have retained an in.terisedesire to return to Bikini. In early 1967, at my request and that of Trust TerritoryHigh Commissioner Nor’wood,the Atomic Zoergy Commissionmade a special survey of the atoll in order to determinewhetinerradiation levels were such as to enable yeo@e safely to live on its islands. Followingthis intensivesurvey of . tineatoll.and a review by a special comzitteeof consultants, an affim~tive conclusionwas reached. Attached is a copy of the special committee’s report which states t’nat“. . . Bikini Atoll, site of more than 20 nuclear tests between 1946 and 1958, is once again safe for human habitation.” At my request, the Secretary OY Defense has pushed ahead with a syecial. me that return of the people to Bikini is compatiblewit’nthoGe requirements. , The Defense Departmentmay wish to install.some umanied detice~j such as radar towers, and on a limited scale sta=ior.personnelon the atoll, hut re-establishmentOY their norriiallife on the etoll.

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an i?;tensivestudy of the atoll soil, water and plants and had been made in 1964 as a The survey team noted of animal 12fe. The last previous survey part of contizuia~studies of the atoll since that vegetation on tineislands of the atoll io dcnoc and that the populationsoi’Yirdc and the marine life of the lagoon were large. However, the coconut trecc which arc the basis of human life and the economy of coral atolls had been destroyedduring the tests. The densityof the new vegetationhas lar~ely checked their recovery. The results of the survey have been armlyzed‘Gya special committee of consultants. The consultantsconcludedtint: repatriation of the Bikini people do not o?fer a significant,! threat to their health and safety.” Althoughthe consultantshave judged the radiationlevels on the atoll now to be acceptable,they made several recommendationsfor reducing exposureeven further. These recommendationsinclude: ., (1) RestrictM.vin.gareas to the major islands of Eneu (Enyu)and Bi’kinifor the present and cover the village area with a layer of coral rock to reduce furtherthe low,levelof ratiakion from tinesoil; f crabs> which form a part of the diet of Pacific Islamders; “ (3) Rmovethe radioactivescrap uetalwhich stiUremins on some ~ of the islandsnear the test sites; and

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that they do not, in dose than predicted. initiatedon Emu island “oecau~eof its very low contsminat:m level. We would propose to toJlow the recomemiatiom of the consultantsin developinga resettlementyrob~au. A COPY o? their report is attached for your information. Return Of the Bikini ~eople canno: be immediatealthoughwe should take immediatesteps to legin their return. A comprehensiveplan mst be developed;any remaining sources of major contaminationrmoved; the crops; and new housing and commnity f.zcilivies“euilt. We propose to do this with the active p~~ici~ation of the Bikini people in both tileplanning and executionstages. It will, however, also require the active cooperationof the Departmentof Defense,the Atomic Ener&y Comrlssionand, in seeking funds for the resettlementproject, the Our tentativetime table calls for few weeks to ask the Billinipeople in the planning stage. The second atoll to select those sites requiredby Bmeau of the ~B-@et. the High Commissioner within the to none a group of their leaders to step is an on-isiand survey of tine the locationof the new village. At i-hissiage, it is expectedthat the prelidihary resettlementplan will he dr~i%d witlnthe Bikini leadership participating. Tne visit to 3ikini should take Qace of August or in early September. During the fall the in tke last “&f

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Dependingupon the avaiia-oilityof =I&dz, the initial contingent of returneesnight be settledwithin z yezr. in the meantime, 13iMni workers would be enga&ed in clearin~,ylanting, and buildinz activities. Return of all of the 13ikiniansnow 155viATon ‘Kilimight be accomplished a much longer period. Tne atoll.is now virtuaUy devoid of edible or economic@urts and a feeti’ngprogram will be required until subsistence foodcropsreach adequate levels end commercialcrops come intO production. providing food, drink, seven years for newly planted coconutsto ‘oecome coconut is essentialto life on a coral atoll, the sole source of cash. There is attacheda dra~. annou..ccneritre~amiing the proposed resettlement of the Bikini people. Bikini and the desire of the people on Kili to return has recently been in the news and Yiere cor:tinuesto be widesprea~interest of the decisionth& the Bikini people can and will be relocatedon.their

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The President annoa~cedtoday that plans are underway to return : the people of Bikini to their houe atoll h t-heMarshall Islands. A special committeeof e~ert consultants MS reported to the Atomic Energy Commissionthat Bikini Atoll, site of uore than 20 nuclear tests ~ between 1946 and 1958, is once again safe for human’habitation. The Defense Departmenthas reported after a s~ecial study that the re’hrrnof the people is consistentk-ithsecurity requirements. There will be a continuingreqpireaentfor t’heuse of some sites on the atolL . and there nqy be a need for L=fense I!epariaentpersonnel to be stationed on the islands fron time to time. Tnese uses will not prevent the return of the ~eople nor the re-establistiat of their normal way of Bikini Atoll is a ring of 26 corai islands}25 miles low and 15 miles wide, on the north~:esternfringe of the NkrshaU islands. Before 19k6j when the Bikinianswere moved to @e way for nuclear tests, about 150 ~ersons lived on the atoll. They moved first to Rongerik Atoll and Bikini as their lived on Kili in the southernMarshall Islauds. is now about 300 and a total of about 500 ~eople the dense overgrowthof the islands and the lack substantial.quantityof foodstuffsgrowing on the atoll, au extensive j) cleari~ and replantingprograu will be required. In addition,housing and communityfacilities,such as a school, dispensary,and a water collectionsystem, will he needed lefore the Bikinians can return ‘horn “

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and the execution stages ~f the rcsettlem~t program. Conaissionerof the Trust TerritoryY&s ‘~eeaaskei to request the Bikini people to name a group of their leaders to work with Tmst Governmentin developinga com.prehensivereset’~ment plan. This work is scheduledto begin TJith a visit to the atoll within the ney~ few weeks by a team composedof Btilni representatives>end Perso~el from the Trust TerritoryGoverrxmnt,the Defense and Interior Deparixmltsand the Atomic Energy Commission. It is the Lntent of Vne United States and the TYust Territory Gove-ent to work with the Bikini people in builting a modern and mdel comuni@ on *heir atoll.