[Letter to Alexander Sloan from Jon Cohen]

TO: SURGEON GENERAL ALEXANDER SLOAN c/o TROY HORRISBERGER
FROM: JON COHEN
October 29, 1992
Dear Lt. Gen. Sloan,
I am writing a story for Science magazine about an Army inquiry
of Lt. Col. Robert Redfield of the Walter Reed Army Institute of
Research. The inquiry follows the recent congressional
appropriation of $20 million to the Department of Defense for the
large-scale testing of one company's therapeutic AIDS vaccine.
Though Redfield has stated he had no role in that legislation--
and I have reported as much--questions arose regarding his role
in the human testing of that vaccine. Specifically, I believe the
inquiry will address whether Dr. Redfield has misrepresented data
when making oral presentations of trial results.
I have been told that you or your office had an interest in
seeing such an inquiry take place. My questions to you are as
follows:
1. Did you call for this inquiry?
la. If so, why?
2. If you did not call for this inquiry, were you contacted about
it?
_2a. If so, when and what did you say?
___ 3. Do you believe this inquiry is necessary?
__ 3a. If so, why?
4. Currently, DoD AIDS research funds go to the Army, which runs
the tri-service program. Would you like those funds to go
-directly to Navy?

-4a. If so, why?
4b. If so, do you suspect that this inquiry, if it finds a lead
Army AIDS research at fault for presentation of data, might have
an effect on how funds are distributed in the future?