A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it
answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.
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August 1, 2003 - Briefing at the White House. Two parts to the briefing. Jorge Tavel and Heather Wingard of CIA briefed on threat assessments and I briefed on Countermeasure Development. Present at briefing were: Carol Kuntz, Stewart Simonson, Andrew Hallman (CIA), Heather Wingard (CIA), Dr. McCreary (DHS), Bill Parrish (DHS), Parney Albright (DHS), Sally Stanfield (DHS), Ken Bernard (OHS), Jorge Tavel (OVP), Richard Falkenrath (for while, OHS), Julie Gerberding (CDC) Carol was very pleased with my presentation as I touched on all of the points that we had previously discussed with the Vice President such as genetically modified organisms, botulism, etc.
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August 1 - 21, 2003 - Summertime lull. Usual issues. Zerhouni pushing his "Roadmap" agenda . Few people can figure out what it really is and how it will be implemented. IOM report on the "Structure of NIH" came out. As usual, they commented on things that they were not asked to comment on. They pushed having greater resources in the Office of the NIH Director and having more "high risk" research to be managed out of the OD as well as trans-NIH research planned out of the OD. Seems like Zerhouni wrote the report. Also, and amazingly, they recommend 5 year term limits for IC Directors with the possibility of only 1 five year renewal.
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August 21, 2003 --I
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August 28, 2003 -- Showed General John Gordon (Director of White House Office of Homeland Security) around NIAID , i.e. Vaccine Research Center where Gary Nabel and I gave him a tour and also Building 40 with Brian Murphy. Gordon loved it and was quite impressed. With us were Stewart Simonson and Ken Bernard.
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2003-08-29 00:00
Anthony S. Fauci
August 29, 2003 -- Briefing of General Gordon in Situation Room of White House on update of biodefense efforts. DoD also briefed as did Parney Albright of DHS. I have a new friend in General Gordon. August 30 -- Sept.7, 2003 -- Usual stuff going on. Will return to WH to brief Gen. Gordon again since he asked about my concems where I had mentioned the gaps in Chem. and Rad. Biodefense during my last visit to the WH. Also, have been discussing with Bob Kadlec the possibility of going to Iraq with him to visit the medical people and establish contacts. Moral at NIH very low due to the lack of clarity of Elias Zerhouni as to exactly what he is
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Sept. 11, 2003 -- Briefed General John Gordon in the West Wing of the WH on our plans for Chem/Rad/Nucl countermeasure research. Also, the question of the "breakthrough" by Craig Venter in synthesized the Phi X bacteriophage in 10 days. DoE is selling this as a major breakthrough and the WH has reacted by wanting to restrict the research dissemination. I argued that this is important, but it is not a conceptual breakthrough, only a derivative improvement in technology that is already widely disseminated in Biotech companies and private scientists. I argued for transparency as well as cultivating a culture of responsibility among scientists by a RAC-type approach to this research. Present at the briefing was Gen. Gordon, Stewart Simonson, Ken Bernard, Fran Townsend (Deputy to Gen. Gordon and former CIA Associate Director). They loved the briefing. They want me to brief the deputy secretaries tomorrow and Andy Card next week.
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Sept. 12, 2003 -- Gave another briefing in the Situation Room of the White House to General John Gordon. Present were Ken Bemard, Carol Kuntz, Robert Card (Deputy Secretary of DoE), Ari Patrinos, Phil Russell, Larry Kerr, Harriet Meiers -- Deputy to Andy Card. Topic was the Craig Venter situation. I presented the facts and pushed for an NIH RAC-like approach and argued again for transparency and cultivating a culture of responsibility. Adjourned with Carol Kuntz to her office and discussed the anthrax threat and the capabilities of Al Quaeda in this regard. Will brief the VP within a couple of weeks on a progress report of biodefense at NIH.
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Sept. 17, 2003 -- Another briefing in the White House Situation Room for Gen Gordon regarding Venter issue. DoE did the briefing (Ari Patrinos) and I presented the proposal rwer back finally. of having the NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) serve as a mechanism to provide a "culture of responsibility" among scientists similar to what was done in the mid-1970s. At the briefing was the usual people - Gen Gordon, Ken Bernard, Richard Falkenrath, Carol Kuntz, several DoE people, WH communications people, etc. Decision was to put together a briefing for the Secretaries.
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Sept. 18 -19, 2003 - Went to NYC to give Plenary Lecture at the AIDS Vaccine 2003 meeting. While I was there, Hurricane Isabel hit Washington, D.C. and there was widespread devastation with major power outages (3 million people in DC, VA, and MD without power). Power not expected to be restored for at least 1 week.