Diary Prequel Package — page 31

August 2, 2001 - Had meeting at NIH (Building 31, 7A-24 Conference room called by Richard Falkenrath of the National Security Council who is Ambassador to the Biological Weapons Convention. Present at the meeting were: John La Montagne, Thomas Monath (Acambis Co.- Vice Pres. For Research and Med. Affairs), Stuart Nightingale (DHHS), Robert Mikulak (Director, Office of Chemical & Biological Weapons Convention, Dept. of State), Carole Heilman (DMID/NIAID), George Poste, Matthew Meselson (Harvard), Margaret Hamburg, Joshua Lederberg. Purpose of meeting was to review a White Paper that had been put together as an internal document for President Bush. The President had just rejected signing the renewal of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) on the basis that it was unenforceable. Falkenrath was tasked with putting together a briefing document that was an expression of our interest in the problem, but was an alternative approach to the BWC. We crafted something that was a "high road" approach indicating that since we cannot enforce restrictions among committed users and abusers, then at least we can support biomedical research to provide better diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. At worst, even if it does not help with bioterrorism, it would be useful for mankind. August 9, 2001 - After much deliberation and soul searching, President Bush decided and announced that Federal funding would be allowed for research on embryo-derived stem cells. However, funding would be restricted to work on embryonic stem cell lines that had either already been established or were in the process of being established (i.e. the stem cells had already been removed from the embryo as of August 9, 2001). NIH (mostly in the form of Lana Skirboll) had canvassed the world and found that 60 such lines were in existence, many in the private sector. The lines were growing robustly and were established according to the 4 points that President Bush mentioned in his speech, i.e. they had to be in vitro fertilized embryos that fulfilled the following criteria: 1) informed consent; 2) in excess of clinical need; 3) not done as a result of financial inducement; 4) embryos not established for the purpose of research. The public response was that the far right felt that the President had betrayed his pledge not to fund research on embryonic stem cells. Several scientists felt that he had not gone far enough since he restricted granting of Federal funds for further (after August 9) use of embryos to derive stem cells. I felt that Bush went as far as he could go politically since on the one hand, if he disallowed any work on embryonic stem cells, the far right would have been happy, but it would not be a sustainable position for the general public. On the other hand, if he allowed the unrestricted use of embryos that had been established for in vitro fertilization (even though this was what I hoped he would do), the conservatives would have damaged him politically. In other words, I believe that he went as far as he could go. August 10, 2001 - Secretary Tommy Thompson came to NIH to hold a press conference to discuss the embryonic stem cell decision. He requested that I be with him on stage along with Claude Lenfant, Lana Skirboll, Ruth Kirschstein, and Audrey Penn (acting Director of NINDS). When he asked me to speak, I made a statement thanking him for his leadership (since he favored allowing funding all along) and also thanked the President for his courage in making a difficult choice, but one that will allow us to go