A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it
answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.
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Oct. 24, 2001 - Called to emergency meeting at DHHS. Thompson in a very concerned state of mind; asked for my help and counsel. We now have reliable intelligence that the USA will be hit with a major bioterrorism attack within the next several days (from present to Oct. 31). He appointed me in charge of all vaccines. It was clear that the CDC was not responding adequately. I was amazed at the disconnect between that CDC and DHHS and the lack of responsiveness of the CDC to the Secretary. I have lost confidence in their capability of responding to any bioterrorism attack, much less a major one that is being predicted. Thompson wants to move all responsibilities away from CDC and put them in DHHS office with me in charge of vaccines. I encourage him not to dismantle the CDC, but to try and fix it. If Jeff Koplan does not cooperate, then fire him. I will prepare a vaccine report for anthrax similar to the one that I prepared for smallpox (see above).
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Oct. 25, 2001 -- The Miller/Stolberg article appears in the NY Times. I come out looking good. All stories break that the Daschle letter anthrax is of the highest grade and almost certainly was made by and/or stolen from a country and not made in someone's backroom lab.
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Oct. 25-28, 2001 -- More cases of inhalation anthrax (5 in Washington, D.C. among postal workers.). Media frenzy. I appear on every major network show including Meet the Press on Oct. 21 and This Week with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts on Oct. 28. Several newpaper editorials in L.A. Times, NY Times and Washington Post (Charles Krauthammer) calling for me to be put in charge of the Bioterrorism effort and response. Major concern is still the clash of the CDC style of doing things without letting DHHS or anyone else know about it and then having mixed messages get out with the style of Tommy Thompson who reverts to the Governor of Wisconsin mode which is to trust a small group of inner circle people and run things from his office. I have become one of these inner circle people. However, I am very concemed that this clash of styles between the CDC and DHHS is very destructive. I am working with Stewart Simonson (Thompson's confidante) and Mike Osterholm to try to get the CDC and the rest of the DHHS to work in harmony so that we can be effective and so that we do not look like a bunch of disorganized incompetents to the rest of the world. It is very frustrating for me.
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Oct 29, 2001 -- More calls by the Press and others for me to be by Gov. Ridge's side for White House Press briefings. Received call from White House that Ridge wants me at the press conference at WH tomorrow. First case in New Jersey of cutaneous anthrax in woman who had no direct connection with postal service. Possibility of contaminated letter from Hamilton Township post office going to her home or place of employment. The plot is thickening!
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2001-10-30 00:00
Anthony S. Fauci
Oct. 30, 2001 -- Give press conference at White House. After conference, met at the office of the Nuclear Threat Initiative with former members of the USA Army bioterrorist team and others. Frank and frightening discussion about the nature of the material (anthrax) that was used in the Daschle letter. For some reason, the CIA and the FBI are not making public (probably for forensic reasons in tracking the perpetrators) the true nature of the threat. In short, this material is of the highest grade even better than our bioterrorist experts have made. They feel that only a highly skilled person could do this. That person could get material in small quantities and do the work here. If the person has large amounts, he would have to have special facilities or would have to have gotten it from a rogue state or covertly from USA . People at the meeting were: Richard Spertzel, ay others; also on sm. No new cases. Stewart Simonson, Michael Osterholm, Margaret Hamburg, C.J. Peters, William Patrick, James LeDuc, Phil Russell, Les Caudell, Co. Edward Eitzen.
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Oct. 31, 2001 - NYC "outlier" women dies of inhalation anthrax. Still no connection with postal cases. Could this be an outlier of the existing paradigm or the sentinel case of an entirely new paradigm? Did major media today with The Today Show with Katie Couric, Grand Rounds at NIH covered by all networks, CBS Evening News, Jim Lehr Newshour, etc.
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Nov. 1, 2001 - Had extraordinary briefing of Democratic Senate Caucus on bioterrorism. Present among others were Sens. Lieberman, Daschle, Boxer, Mikulski, Cleland, Hollings, Wellstone, Jeffords, Biden, Wydan, Levin, etc. In all there were about 30 senators. They were extraordinarily complimentary to me for my public leadership on bioterrorism, calling me an "American hero", a national treasure, etc. I thoroughly briefed them. They felt strongly that I should lead the nation's efforts. I politely suggested that I prefer my present job.
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Nov. 2, 2001 - Important Senate Hearing of the Labor, HHS Subcommittee chaired by Tom Harkin. Also present were Sens. Spector, Byrd, and Stevens. Hearing on smallpox. I was able to communicate to Specter that NIAID was not allowed to put in a request in the $1.6 billion supplement of DHHS for bioterrorism. In other words we needed $153.7 million additional to the PB, but we were not allowed to submit for the supplement by OMB. I "busted" the budget by telling Specter after the Hearing what we needed. He promised to put it into our appropriation.
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Nov. 3, 2001 - There was a spoof on me and Attorney General Aschroft on "Saturday Night Live". No new cases of anthrax. Kathy Nguyen case in NYC still a mystery.