A. Background
In April 1984, the United States Government announced with great fanfare that government scientists had discovered the virus that was the cause of AIDS, had discovered a method for growing the virus, and had invented a blood test to detect antibodies to the virus. Officials and scientists of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) described these claimed accomplishments as "a triumph of science" and "another miracle" added to "the long honor roll of American medicine and science."
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The investigation touches on matters of scientific truth, of institutional integrity, and of national honor. The fact that these issues had their origins a decade ago in no way diminishes their contemporary significance, particularly considering that in some quarters, a cover-up of apparent misconduct has persisted to the present day. The very persistence of the questions concerning the U.S. Government's claims, as well as the actions of U.S. Government officials in defending those claims, demonstrate compellingly that until the Subcommittee investigation, major questions remained unresolved. This report addresses those questions.
B. HHS/NIH's Sorry History of Misconduct Investigations
The 2 1/2-year investigation by the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations focused on the following issues:
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