“Good afternoon,” she told the world, “Ladies and gentlemen, first, the probable cause of AIDS has been found—a variant of a known human cancer virus.” She pointedly added, “Today we add a new miracle to the long honor roll of American medicine and science.”12 Heckler’s participation at Gallo’s press event was important stagecraft because it gave the imprimatur of NIH’s institutional gravitas to a theory that had not been subject to peer review.
