AIR POUCH '¼•·· UNCIASSIFIED DO NOT TYPE IN THIS SPACE Security Classification ------P-RI-OR-IT_Y____ ·'7 fo J j5-t5t - ENll llmfflf N HB-lnm «lfJ JKMD1JMSMDmJmB UNITED STATES MISSION TO THE UNITED li TIONS FROM TO X · '1oo S6fl 350· 1 - - - L - - - 7'' '0 -- ' ----------' DESP NO USUN - New York Mi y 6 1954 THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE WASHINGTON DATE REF 2 ept ACTION Use Only REC D w D PT ' IVI - i oc R - 01 J- f P- Jv F OTHER $-f s-J j ° C 1- 5 - 3 0 5 SUBJECT I UN - UND - PETITION FROM THE NARSHA LLESE PEOPLE CONCERNI1U THE TRUST TERRITORY OF THE PACIFIC ISIANDS I II J '17 Transmitted herewith is a note from the SYG-tJN dated M1y 5 1954 enclosing a petition from the 1'13 rshallese People concerning the Trust Territory of the Paeific Islandso The SYG requests to be 1 informed of the date on which the petition is received by the Administering Authorityo MAYlOJ954 Enclosures lo Note from the SYG-UNo 20 Petition from the Mlrshallese People £COBP fl'i i - • L Hl i I I' JI r ' ' 11«mud • 1934 1 - --__ oIH mlfllfJsfME ff i ii'f_J · _I ____m_JC_IA_S_SI_F_·IED_i_ ___ - ' - us JJ V- 1 I '_ 1 fj REPORTER ACTION COPY - DEPARTMENT OF STATE t 1 ' The action office must return this permanent record copy to DC R files with an endorsement of action taken c 0 i i u- il I UNITED l JATIOI'S NATIONS UNIFS NEW YORK File No T PET 10 28 Petition from the Ml rshallese People The Secretary-General of the United Nations presents his compliments to the Secretary of State of the United States of America and has the honour to transmit a copy of the petition noted above concerning the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands The Secretary-General ·will be obliged if he mAy be informed of the date on which the petition is received by the Administering Authority 5 May 1954 April 2oth 1954 The United Nations From The l iirshallese people Subject Complaint regarding the explosion of lethal weapons within our home islands The following should not be misconstrued as a repudiation of the United States as our governing agency for the United Nations under the trusteeship agreement for aside from the complaint registered in this petition we have found the American administration by far the most agreeable one in our memory But in view of the increasing danger from the experiments with deadly explosives thousands of times more powerful than anything previously knovm to men the lethal effects of which have already touched the inhabitants of two of the atolls in the Mirshalls namely Rongelab and Uterik who are now suffering in various degrees from 11 1owering of blood count 11 burns nausea and the falling off of hair from the head · and whose complete recovery no one can promise with any certainty we the 1'hrshallese people feel that we must follow the dictates of our consciences to bring forth this urgent plea to the United Nations which has pledged itself to safeguard the life liberty and the general well being of the people of the Trust Territory of which the lil rshallese people are a pa rt The hrshallese people are not only fearful of the danger to their persons from these deadly weapons i n case of another miscalculation but they are also very concerned for the increasing number of people who are being removed from their land land means a great deal to the l itrshallese It means more than just a place where you can plant your food crops and build your houses or a place where you can bury your dead It is the very life of the people Take away their land and their spirits go also The l hrshall Islands are all low coral atolls with land area where food plants can be cultivated quite limited even for today 1 s population of about eleven-thousand people But the·population is growing rapidly the time when this number will be doubled is not far off The Japanese had taken away the best portions of the following atolls Jaluit Kwajalein Enewetak Mille Maloelap and Wotje to be fortified as pa rt of their preparation for the last war World War II So far only Imedj Island on Jaluit Atoll has been returned to its former owners For security reasons Kwajalein Island is being kept for the military use Bikini and·Eniwetak were taken away for Atomic bomb tests and their inhabitants were moved to Kili Island and Ujelang Atoll respectively Because Rong lab and Uterik are now radio-active their inhabitants are being kept on Kwajalein for an indeterminate length of time '' Where ne -t 11 is the big question which looms large in all of our n1inds o · _J - 2 - Therefore we the members of the Mirshallese Congress Hold ' ' Over Committee writers of this petition who are empowered by the Marshallese Congress to act in its name when it is not in session and which is in turn a group of members representing all the municipalities in the hrshalls due to the increasing threat to our life liberty happiness and possession of land do hereby submit this petition to the United Nations with the hope tbat it will act on our urgent plea Thus we request tbat 1 All the experiments with lethal weapons within this area be immediately ceased 0 2o If the experiments with said weapons should be judged absolutely necessary for the eventual -well being of all the people of this world and cannot be stopped or changed to other areas due to the unavailability of other locations we then submit the following suggestions a All possible precautionary measures be taken before such weapons are exploded All human beings and their ·valuable possessions be transported to safe distances first before such explosions occur b All the people living in this area be instructed in safety measures The people of Rongelab would have avoided much danger if they bad known not to· drin 'k the waters on their home island after the radio-active dusts bad settled on them c Adequate funds be set aside to pay for the possessions of the people in case they will have to be moved from the ir homeso This will include lands houses and whatever possessions they cannot take with them so that the unsatisfactory arrangements for the Bikinians and Eniwetak people sball not be repeatedo do Courses be taught to Mirshallese Medical Practitioners and Health-Aides which will be useful in the detecting of and the circu mventing of preventable dangers We would be very pleased to submit more information or explain further any points we bave raised that may need clarifications The Ms rsballese people who signed this petition are on the following sheets divided in the following manner The first group are members of the Mirshallese Congress Hold-Over Committee The second group are some of the many interested arsballese citizens The name of each person appears on the left hand side and his or her home atoll and occupation on the right hand side opposite the signature If m'ore signatures are needed we will promptly supply them The only reason we are not supplying more now is because to do so would mean a delay of some three months the time necessary to make complete circuit of our far-flung attolls and islands by shipo _J_ MEMBERS OF THE l HALIESE CONGRESS HOID-0VER COMMITTEE Home atoll 1 Ka bu a Ka bu a Occupation Ailingla ffila p District Judge M lrshall Is Kabua Kabua 2 Atlan Anien Atlan Anien Namu Teacher 3 Dwight Heine Dwight Heine· Ebon Suoerintendent o-f' Scl1e cl _ Mi r Is 4 Robert Reimers Robert Reimers Jaluit Businessman 5 C1 Dominick Carl Dominick Likiep 6 Namu Ermius Namu Ermius Aur M i leolap Wotje Senior Clerk Hir 9 AdrainisAiluk and Uterik tra tion 7 Henri Samuel Henry Samuel Joab Cousin maternal parrallel By 8 Businessman Jiblok Jiblok By 9o dical Practitioner Dorothy Ke sister 1 njuro Aisaia David Aiseia David By Dorothy K 1-'il gistrate Na iuro Atoll Mother 10 Amata Kabua Amata Ka bu a Ma iuro Teacher 11 Lazarus Simon Lazarus Simon H1juro Scribe_ _ H1juro Atoll and 100 other interested M1 rshallese Citizens