Himalayan Times (1954)

Ten

April 25, 1954

THE HYDROGEN BOMB TESTS and our task force personnel do

{(.■iiHliniittl from pafje

eat them at such times.

nut

Tim situation with respect to the T In tlle mattfr of indemnifying the

23 Japanese fishermen is" less certain due ''al,a,1.ese- °l" Government has informed

to the. fact that our people have not vet the -l!iVa"es6 GhwramMt that it is

been1 permitted by the Japanese aut'ho- I)re|,ar(e< to agrep. to reimbursement for

rities to make a" proper clinical exami. ^ tl,fanc'al assistance as the Japanese

nation. It is interesting to note, ' how'- Gowranwnt and our embassy m lokvo

ever that the reports which have recently |0lntly m"-V .find ~ary as an. interim

come through to us indicate that the "eaSl'r° '° g,ve *° \Ue P^sons mvojved

blood count of these men is comparable ^current medical care and family

to that or our weather station personnel. rellef' 'noludln<! «'"Pes.
Skin lesions observed are thought to be Witn r"P('<,t to the apprehension

due to the chemical activity of the con- lhat fal|-°llt radio-activity would move

verted material in the coral rather than toward JaPan 0" the Japanese current

to radioachivitv, since these lesions are 1 oan state that any radioactivity fall.ng

said to be already healing. ' The men lnto the test area would become harmless

are under continual observation bv Japi- w.,th'n a lew mile9 afler beinS Picked

nese physicians, and we are represented UP b-v, the3e <»"T<>ntS whu-h move slowly

in Japan bv Dr. Morton of the Atomic (,less than one m,]e l,Pr h,our ttnd ™°™an

Bomb Casualty Commission and Mr. »e completely undetectable within oQO

Eisenbud of the Atomic Energy. Com- miles or leM-

mission. A recent comment which 1 have

f - ' been shown has suggested that llin inci-

Fish Not Contaminated dent invo|ving the fall-out on inhabit.d

• With respect to the stories coneer- areas was actually a planned part of

ning widespread contamination of. tuna the operation. I do not wish to com-

and other fish as the result of the tests, ment on this .other th in to characterize

the facts do not confirm them. The' it as utterly false, irresponsibly and

only contaminated fish discovered were gravely unjust to the men engaged in

those in , the open hold of the Japanese th's patriotic service,
trawler. Commissioner Crawford of the Finally, I would say that one im-

V. S. Food and Drug Administration has portant result of the e hydrogen bomb

advised us: "Our inspectors found no developments has been the enhancement

instance, of radioactivity in any ship- of our military capability to the 'point

niepts of fish from Pacific waters. Ins- where we should soon be more free to

■ pections were undertaken as a purely increase our emphasis on the peaceful

precautionary measure. There is no uses of atomic power—at home and

occasion, here for public apprehension 'abroad. It will be a tremendous satis--

about this type- of contamination. faction to those who have participated

•- ' . • . , m this programme that it lias hastened

I should perhaps note that in the j*t ()a r
waters-around Bikini and Kniwetok in
certain seasons of .the year, almost all

fish caught . are normally poisonous as #
ii. result of feeding cn certain seasonally
prevalent microorganisms and the natives

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