Clinton’s AIDS Day Meeting

I was quite disappointed and somewhat surprised by your characterization of President Clinton’s World AIDS Day meeting with six young Americans living with HIV (Dec. 2).

To commemorate World AIDS Day, the President chose to meet for 35 minutes with six people who are living with HIV. He wanted to hear their perspective on the epidemic and seek their advice on ways to combat the spread of HIV, particularly among young people. This was one of more than two dozen separate World AIDS Day events involving Administration officials.

This meeting was well-publicized and was followed by a press conference featuring those who had met with the President. Yet The Times described the meeting as “low-key” and “virtually secret.” Neither characterization is true. The meeting was on the President’s calendar and the press conference was placed on the Associated Press “Daybook” for Dec. 1. In addition, on Nov. 29, my office informed a Times reporter of the meeting and the press conference and offered an opportunity to profile the two individuals from the Los Angeles area. A Times reporter was present at the press conference and talked with the young people and their families.

The President’s meeting was, indeed, a private one. This allowed each of these remarkable young people to share their personal experiences with the President in a candid manner. The information they provided will be invaluable to the President and his Administration as we seek ways to stem the spread of HIV among adolescents. The President recently directed me to prepare a report for him on that topic.

At a time when 200 Americans are being diagnosed with AIDS every day and 100 Americans are dying of this insidious disease each day, it is imperative that the President hear directly from people who are affected by this epidemic. It is also important that the American public know that the President is actively involved in the effort to combat AIDS and HIV. World AIDS day was just one element of this response.

PATRICIA S. FLEMING, Director, National AIDS Policy, The White House