Nuclear War and Environmental Catastrophe

^{Appendix 5} Marshallese Medical Records in Hands of Gensuikin, July 27, 1976

Robert Conard’s dispatch below seems to validate Nelson Anjain’s concern that interest in the medical affairs of the Marshallese people revolved around tightly controlled record keeping. Most significantly, the letter discloses an alliance formed between those who were exposed to radiation through nuclear bombs and those exposed through nuclear weapons testing.

July 27, 1976

Dr. James L. Liverman

Assistant Administrator for Environment & Safety

Division of Biological and Environmental Research

Energy Research and Development Administration

Washington, D.C. 20545

Dear Jim,

On July 26th a Mr. Murakami, reporter for the Japanese newspaper Asahi in Washington, D.C. called about a story he had received from Japan that some 66 of our Marshallese medical records had been copied and were in the hands of the leftist anti A-bomb group (Gensuikin) in Japan. It was his opinion that they would get a doctor or doctors to review them (presumably in criticism of our examinations) to be used at the anniversary meetings of the Hiroshima bomb next month. I asked how they had gotten the records and he suggested that it may have happened in conjunction with the recent visit to Japan of the two Rongelap young men though he also thought Japanese from that group may have visited the Marshall Islands. I told him we had nothing to hide, but were disturbed about the unethical nature of obtaining the records. I also said that the records in the Marshall Islands were not complete but that we had much more extensive records on all individuals on our examination list at Brookhaven. I answered several questions for him concerning our findings and treatment of the Rongelap people and outlined our examination programs (annual surveys, semi-annual hematology checks and quarterly visits by our resident physician stationed at Kwajalein). He asked why Japanese were barred from visiting the Islands. I told him the only incident I know of was the aborted visit of a Japanese “medical” team (mostly reporters) that had occurred in 1971 due to lack of proper credentials. I told him we had had Drs. H. Ezaki and I. Kumatori from Japan visit us on past surveys and suggested he contact them or the Radiation Effects Research Foundation if he wished to get bona fide Japanese medical opinions about our surveys.

I am sending a copy of this letter to Dr. LeRoy Allen at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation and request that he let us know about any Japanese publicity which may pertain to this matter.

RAC: im

cc: Dr. LeRoy R. Allen

Dr. Bond

Dr. Cronkite

Source: Marshall Islands Document Collection, US Department of Energy