French Nuclear Testing

Rob Prince (PRINCER@MSCD.EDU)
Mon, 17 Jul 1995 16:41:41 -0600

Thought Hugh Jarvis' ideas on probing the impact of French nuclear tests
on the peoples/cultures of the S.Pacific worthy of comment. I know that
some work along these lines has been done in the past by the people in
the French peace movement some years ago. I do remember reading of the
contamination of fishing and pearl hunting grounds, with a certain rise
in sickness (cancer) rates for peoples concerned.

What about the possibility of delegation of US anthropologists with a
background in S. Pacific cultures making some kind of visit to the region
to investigate the tests' impacts on the inhabitants? Could such a delegation
be organized? Could it get the support of the AAA? I think it would make
an interesting project and one in which anthropologists could give their
own unique take on the situation in the testing area.

Rob Prince