HISTORY OF THE PEOPLE 



23 



the Pacific Cratering Experiments (PACE) project and were 

 sponsored by the DOD and related agencies. PACE had 

 commenced with small explosions and was projected to 

 culminate in several multiple ton detonations of high explo- 

 sives and one final 500-ton blast. It was hoped that this 

 series of experiments would help to provide a better 

 understanding of many of the effects of the tests of the 

 1950s. The f)eople of Enewetak, represented by their 

 MLSC lawyers, invoked the provisions of the National 

 Environmental Policy Act, and they filed suit in the Federal 

 District Court in Honolulu in September. At Ujilang, PACE 

 scientists explained their project, claiming that it would 

 cause no long-term damages. The people listened politely 

 and responded with a brief but very firm statement. In 

 essence, they stated: "PACE is evil, and we will do what- 

 ever we can to prevent it." The magistrate gave an elo- 

 quent speech which reflected the people's values and 

 feelings. 



I do not know if you have made an attempt to compare 

 your sense of values, you who live in America or else- 

 where, with ours. You live with gold and money and we 

 have to depend on land and whatever life we can find on 

 land and in the water. Without these, we are nothing. We 

 do not have to explain further that Enewetak, with what- 

 ever land resources and whatever marine resources it has, 

 is our homeland, and seeing that you understand this, we 

 do not know why you continue to insist to do these things 

 on Enewetak, when for us there is really nothing else to 

 look forward to. For this reason we must continue to ask 

 that you refrain from proceeding with this program. PACE 

 is no good . . . Enewetak has undergone severe damage. 

 There are islands that are missing. There is a considerable 

 amount of land that has been destroyed. The question then 

 comes: Has not Enewetak done enough for your testing? 

 We do not know who you will take this message 

 to — perhaps you will take it to Washington or the Depart- 

 ment of Defense — but, the point still remains that we feel 



Fig. 5 Official ceremony returning Enewetak Atoll to its former inhabitants. Enewetak Atoll, Sept. 16, 1976. From left to right, 

 seated at the table, are Oscar DeBurum, then District Administrator of the Marshall Islands; Binton Abraham, Iroij (Chief) of the 

 liEnewetak, now deceased; Thomas Lacy, Brigadier General, U. S. Air Force, then Field Commander, Defense Nuclear Agency; 

 Peter Tali Coleman, then Deputy High Commissioner of the Trust Territory of the Pacific and later Governor of American Samoa; 

 Joannes Peter, Iroij (Chief) of the riEnewetak; Hcrtes John, magistrate of Ujilang Atoll. [Photo by Janet Lamberson.] 



