ATTACHMENT 6

   
                  BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY
                   ASSOCIATED UNIVERSITIES, INC.
                         UPTON, L.I., N.Y.
                        TEL: YAPHANK 4-6262


Dr. Charles L. Dunham, Director
Division of Biology and Medicine
Atomic Energy Commission 
Washington 25, D.C.

Dear Chuck:

                  

     I sent you a letter of appreciation for the splendid
assistance given us by various group on our mission.  In the
present letter I thought I might bring up some of the things that
happened on our trip.

     Things went very smoothly a far as support was concerned. 
Unfortunately, things began popping with our arrival at Eniwetok
and was followed by a slight fallout.  This seriously
contaminated our LCU for our purposes as we found on arrival at
Rongelap the following week.  With the best of intentions the
crew had painted the deck just prior to our getting the steel
room on board, sealing in activity.  We later used acid solutions
and finally had paint remover flown in from Eniwetok and were
able to get the background in the steel room down to about one-
fifth of what it was to begin with.  We could see the peaks of
activity in the Rongelapese and, even though the background was
undesirably high, we hope to quantitate the amounts.  There were
some peaks which we have not identified in addition to the
prominent cesium and zinc peaks.  We counted about 100 people. 
We hope to be able to compare the ones that lived on Eniaetok
from those on Rongelap and a few that had more recently moved
there from Ebeye.  It is unfortunate that the Eniaetok people had
been living on Rongelap for the month prior to our arrival since
it is the radioactive body burdens of people living on this more
contaminated island that is of most interest.  Fortunately there
apparently had been only slight additional fallout on Rongelap
atoll from the present tests to date.

     On arrival at Rongelap we found Mr. Neas and Dr. Hicking
from Majuro and Major Ritchie from the Task Force there in regard
to various claims made by the Rongelap people.  It is indeed
unfortunate that the rehabilitation of these people had to be
disturbed by the test series.  I am afraid more claims based on
this situation will be forthcoming. The only claim which our team
was responsible for was the uprooting of two coconut trees used
as mooring by the LST in March.

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006183
     I found that there was a certain feeling among the Rongelap
people that we were doing too many examinations, blood tests,
etc. which they did not feel necessary, particularly since we did
not treat many of them.  Dr. Hicking and I got the people
together and explained that we had to carry out all the
examinations to be certain they were healthy and only treated
those we found something wrong with.  I told them they should be
happy so little treatment was necessary since so few needed it
and most of them were healthy, etc., etc.  Perhaps next trip we
should consider giving more treatment or even placebos.

     During the above meeting the question came up about eating
coconut and land crabs.  I must confess I didn't know there was
any difference between the two.  When I told them they could not
eat the coconut crabs, they were a little peeved since they had
been told by the weather station people that they could eat them. 
It seems they depend on these crabs for food to a greater extent
than I had suspected.  Perhaps we can re-evaluate this problem in
the light of the more recent analyses being made by the
University of Washington group.  Would samples from Arbar Island
to the west be radioactively acceptable?  This problem should be
clarified for the people.

     I spoke to Dr. Hicking about the health aide situation and
he agrees to try and place one aide on Eniaetok and one on
Rongelap.  About 50 people normally live on Eniaetok, some 12
miles distant.  I told him AEC would pay the salary of the extra
health aide.

     Mr. Neas brought up the subject of the $5 a day charge made
by the Navy for hospitalization at Kwajalein.  I told him I would
ask you to see if the Navy would waive this charge until the
people got back on their feet economically and after this time,
only charge the usual Trust Territory hospitalization fee ($1 a
day, I believe).

     I say the DISTAD representative of Ebeye, Mr. Umhoefer, and
asked him to see if the usual monthly visit of the practitioner
(Dr. Iaman) from Ebeye could be carried out regularly. Apparently
the activity associated with the test series has somewhat
curtailed the use of Navy planes for this purpose, but should be
rectified at the end of the tests.  I also asked that Dr. Iaman
send me regularly a report of any serious clinical conditions
seen on Rongelap and summaries of cases admitted to the
hospitals.  The importance of radio communications between
Rongelap and Ebeye and Majuro in regard to emergency medical
situations was discussed at Rongelap with the health aide and the
radio operator.

     I was most pleased to see Mr. McKenzie, the agriculturist
from Majuro, at Rongelap.  He is instituting a vigorous program
in planting of important food plants there.   I understand one
agriculturist will be present on Rongelap at least half time to
implement the program.  This program is of extreme importance in
view of our finding in March a group of children with night
blindness probably resulting from vitamin A deficiency.

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     I am most appreciative of the fine spirit of cooperation on
the part of the Trust Territory and Navy in our mutual problems
concerning the Rongelap people.

                         Sincerely yours,
                         Bob
                         Robert A. Conard, M.D.
                         Head, AEC-Navy Team
                         Marshallese Surveys

RAC/hlb


cc:  Dr. L. E. Farr
     Dr. D. Bruner  
     Mr. Maynard Neas
     Dr. A. Hicking
     Mr. R. Umhoefer
     C.O. Naval Station, Kwajalein
     Cdr. I.V.King, NMRI

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