Presidential Remarks: National Institutes of Health Panel Discussion on AIDS

(Judge/ARD)
4.. July 16, 1987
6:00 p.m.
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
PANEL DISCUSSION ON AIDS
-WEDN ESDA Y,---J HLY
Thank you. As you know, generally, when I talk to a group
like this, I open with a joke or two -- to put all of us at ease,
get things rolling. I hope you'll forgive me if I skip that
today. I've just come from the ward you have here for children
who ~- AIAIDS. Let me just make a promise to those
children and all others who have contracted this disease. We
will -- I will -- do all that God gives us the power to do to
find a cure for AIDS. We will not stop, we will not rest, until
we have sent AIDS the way of smallpox a nd-phI.?
Those are words of resolve. Now I'd like to add a few words
of hope. One of the amazing stories of modern medicine is the
progress that we've already made against AIDS. I know this is
old news to you in this room. So many of the breakthroughs were
achieved right here in this building. But, for our friends in
the press, I thought I should put the speed of progress in
perspective. Just think that the day I was sworn in as
President, we didn't even know that AIDS existed. It wasn't
until 5 months later that the disease was discovered. But only
3 years after that, in a laboratory.__ _, -4. ae,
Dr. Robert Gallo isolated the AIDS virus. Within a year, a bloodys,
test was available. And now - A.Z.T., is also on'es-t&
the market,.. d! e here in this building, by Dr. Sam /4z tq

Broder, whom I met earlier this afternoon.
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