San Francisco Chronicle - MONDAY December 4, 1989
Randy Shilts

The French AIDS researchers at the Pasteur Institute and their American counterparts at the National Cancer Institute searched for the virus with "a spirit of scientific cooperation and a free exchange of ideas," according to this Official Truth.

These words are recorded in the official chronology of the search for the virus, published in a major scientific journal and signed by the two lead researchers, Doctors Luc Montagnier of the Pasteur and Robert Gallo of the NCI. This is also the version uttered at every international AIDS conference and confirmed by journalists every time they refer to Montagnier and Gallo as "co-discoverers" of HIV.

This Official Truth is satisfying because it conveys the reassurance that dedicated scientists set aside selfish concerns of ego and ambition to serve the higher interests of humankind. It's comforting but -- at least in the case of the race to find HIV -- this version bears no relation to the facts.

UNPLEASANT REALITY

The real story of the discovery of the AIDS virus reads more like a scientific rewrite of a "Dallas" episode, complete with episodes of forgery and deceit, megalomania and back-stabbing, political intrigue and high-powered science -- all of it cast with some of the most stellar names in the galaxy of medical research.

This uglier truth was underscored in the world of AIDS last week with the publication of a 16-page special section in the Chicago Tribune. It documented every sordid twist and turn in the frenzied backstage battle between Gallo and Montagnier over who deserves credit for the virological discovery of the century.

The 30,000-word Tribune story, by national correspondent John Crewdson, failed to gain much notice in the mainstream press outside Chicago. The basic allegations inherent in the story -- that Gallo may have literally taken a French-discovered virus out of a Pasteur test tube, grown it in his lab and then claimed it as his own discovery -- have been reported in several other publications over the past five years.

DETAILED LOOK

What made the Tribune article stand out was the extraordinarily detailed -- and harrowing -- look it offered into modern medical research. In scientific circles, researchers spent much of last week passing around reprints of the article and chortling over the details it revealed about the unscrupulous maneuverings of its principals, particularly Gallo.

According to the account, Gallo purposely derided the French discovery of HIV in 1983 while he blundered into a wholly misguided course of research. Then, when it was clear that the French had indeed discovered the cause of AIDS, he attempted to obscure the French accomplishments and unscrupulously upstage the Pasteur at every pass, so that he -- and not Montagnier -- would go down in history as the man who discovered the AIDS virus.

Lab records apparently were altered to make it look like Gallo had made research breakthroughs long before he actually had, according to the Tribune's Crewdson, who writes that Gallo often lied and seemed willing to go to any lengths to capture the Nobel Prize.

GALLO'S DENIALS

After the article's publication, Gallo once again said he did not steal the French virus, although he conceded to the Associated Press that the Parisian microbe may have slipped into one of his own test tubes by accident. NCI director Samuel Broder could offer only the weak defense that the story was water under the bridge and that it did not deserve retelling.

The story, however, does deserve retelling, not because of what it says about Gallo but because of what it reveals about the world of science.

The sad truth is that Crewdson's account will not come as much of a surprise to most scientific insiders. The basic plot of this tawdry tale has generally been well-known among researchers for several years. That's what makes the story even more troubling.

Gallo did not face professional censure and ignominy among scientists for his unseemly behavior. Instead, he has been awarded just about every major scientific prize in the world. And he still holds the title of "co-discoverer of the AIDS virus," even though Montagnier clearly discovered this microbe a year earlier and mounting evidence suggests that Gallo's only accomplishment was to pilfer, by accident or design, the French-discovered virus.

A STAKE IN THE LIES

Just about everybody in science, it seems, has a stake in not facing the unfortunate facts of this story.

The U.S. government, which employs Gallo, won't be slapping his hand. Gallo provided valuable political currency to the Reagan administration in 1984 -- a presidential election year -- when he announced he had discovered the AIDS virus. Then, as today, the administration could trot out the eminent scientist to answer charges that it wasn't moving against the disease.

Because of this, Gallo wields substantial power within the governmental research establishment that bestows billions of dollars in grants to researchers around the country. That's why other scientists don't talk too openly about Gallo's behavior. Many will privately admit they just don't want to threaten their grants.

The scientific press should come to the rescue in this situation, but it has been strangely silent as well. It wants the prestige of scientific articles written by or quoting the eminent American "co-discoverer of the AIDS virus."

Ignoring misdeeds, therefore, serves just about everybody's immediate self-interest. What's lost, however, are broader interests: To turn a blind eye to unethical behavior among researchers is to participate in the corruption of science.

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1989. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

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