ALASKAN Eskimos and American Indians were fed radioactive iodine at the height of the Cold War, but the project leader denies it was to learn how well American soldiers could survive in the Arctic.

US Senator Frank H Murkowski has called for a federal investigation, stating, "There was no evidence to suggest they knew what they were receiving, nor was there any follow-up."

But Kaare Rodahl, who headed the project and now lives in Norway, contends the Eskimos and American Indians were fed the pills because they suffered from a thyroid disease caused by iodine deficiency. However, in an earlier interview with CNN, Rodahl was quoted as saying US military officials were concerned about whether American soldiers could survive in case of a clash with the Soviet Union in the Arctic.