[Letter to Colleagues from Peter Duesberg]

Peter Duesberg - December 24, 1991

page -5 -
and Members 1991)-not to preserve the status quo. It is in exactly this spirit
that I set out to suggest new directions for AIDS research, particularly in view
of the complete failure of the currently popular virus-AIDS hypothesis in
producing public health benefits. Pointing out deficiencies of the prevailing,
unproductive hypothesis and suggesting testable alternatives is the essence of
progress in the sciences. Despite the implied attitude of these latest three
reviewers, heuristic proposals do not require final proof.
Therefore, I request that my paper should be published without further
delay. I think it would be a gross violation of our Academy's principles of
neutrality and academic freedom, if I, as a member in good standing, would
be denied the same rights that all other Academy members enjoy. I thank
Bogorad for identifying the "few correctable errors and misquotes" and I will
correct these in the final draft of my paper. Since I see my paper just as a
constructive effort, but not as yet as a proven alternative to the prevailing
virus-AIDS hypothesis, I am also preprared to add a paragraph endorsing all
current efforts to prevent AIDS based on the virus-AIDS hypothesis.
In a letter to me from June 18 1991; regarding a previous draft of my
paper, Bogorad commented "I do recognize that your efforts to represent a
message on the pathogenic potential of psychoactive drugs is serious and
carefully considered." In view of this and the substantial drug-AIDS
correlations documented in this paper I am sincerely amazed why Bogorad
wants to censor my paper and thus a scientific discussion of the role of drugs
in AIDS now. Even a casual review of the data collected in my paper
indicates that drugs cannot be irrelevant to AIDS.
If Bogorad continues to refuse publication of my paper under these
conditions, I would like to be informed of how to appeal his decision and
would request that you inform the four anonymous reviewers you solicited
of Bogorad's decision, in order to obtain their support for my case.
Sincerely,
Peter Duesberg