Diary Prequel Package — page 53

te House today: August 26 - Sept. 5 - Much discussion about pre-emptively attacking Iraq to neutralize them before they use or get capacity for "weapons" of mass desctruction. This is pushing our HHS team to be ready to vaccinate the USA population. Our plan for "staged" smallpox vaccination of immediate first responders to broad first responders to voluntary vaccination of general public is ready to go. We are waiting for word from the White House to roll out the plan. Sept. 6, 2002 - Two meetings at the White House today: 1) Meeting in Executive Office Building (EOB_ in OMB's Robin Cleveland's office with Robin, Gary Edson, Joe O'Neill, and Mark Dybul. We presented our reenforced implementation with a beautiful computer model of accessibility to central medical centers (CMCs), primary, secondary and tertiary clinics in Uganda as a prototype. Robin was still not entirely satisfied with the presentation since she was hung up on quarantees that this plan would work given failures in previous endeavors in these countries. She and Gary also wanted to flesh out the computer model on India, Mozambique and Guyana. We will go back and try again. Next meeting likely will be with Josh Bolten. 2) Meeting in EOB with General Bruce Lawlor (deputy to Gov. Ridge of OHS), Col Kadlac (OHS), and Col Gerald Parker of Ft. Detrick for me to present to Lawlor the NIAID plan for research including collaborations with DoD and facilities at Ft. Detrick. I presented the NIAID Strategic Plan and Research Agenda. It was a great meeting. Lawlor was extremely impressed and highly supportive. We promised to work together and he offered to help in any way possible. He is a tough, nice , straight shooter. His background is that he commanded a tank battalion in the Gulf War. Sept. 17, 2002 - Another meeting at the White House on the President's AIDS initiative. This time I presented the program to Josh Bolten in his office in the West Wing. Also present were Gary Edson, Jay Lefkowitz, Terrell Halaska, Mark Dybul, Joe O'Neill, Robin Cleveland, Kristen Silverberg, Carol Thompson. We are definitely moving along. Clearly Josh wants to do it. He thoroughly liked my presentation. The problem will be OMB and the question of where we are going to get the money. Issue also is if the President accepts it, when can we announce since the budget for 2002 has not even been settled and 2003 has virtually decided. We want to announce soon since WHO and other organizations are dancing around the question of an implementation strategy and we do not want to President to lose the leadership edge. Josh asked OMB (Robin) to work out a budget scenario and get back to him. They also will elevate it up one more notch to Andy Card, Condolezza Rice and Mitch Daniels. We will meet again soon. Sept. 18, 2002 - Briefed Secretary Thompson about the upcoming smallpox vaccination policy and role-out. Also present were Julie Gerberding, Stewart Simonson, Michael Osterholm, Jerry Hauer, Les Crawford, Ann Agnew, Terrell Halaska, etc. We are advancing towards the 3 stage policy that ultimately would allow voluntary vaccination for anyone who wants it.