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Anthony Fauci’s NIAID funded institute that trained researchers at Wuhan lab that housed fatal aerosol-borne viruses, reveals leaked email

Bearing the subject line 'China BSL4 labs', the email written by James LeDuc reminded Dr. Anthony Fauci about their earlier correspondence regarding collaboration with the Wuhan lab's Biosafety level four (BSL4) facilities.

A new leaked email conversation between Dr. Anthony Fauci and James LeDuc showed that the US National Institutes of Health funded an institute that trained researchers at the Wuhan lab’s biosafety level four facility, reported The National Pulse. While Fauci is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), LeDuc is the Director of Galveston National Laboratory (GNL) funded by NIAID.

The relationship between Galveston National Laboratory and the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) is established through a 2017 email conversation between Dr. Anthony Fauci and James LeDuc. The email showed how GNL, funded by NIAID, was directly involved in training Chinese scientists at the Biosafety level four (BSL4) facilities. Importantly, these facilities deal with viruses that are spread through aerosols/can cause deadly diseases in human beings.

Bearing the subject line ‘China BSL4 labs’, the email written by James LeDuc reminded Dr. Anthony Fauci about their earlier correspondence regarding collaboration with the Wuhan lab’s Biosafety level four (BSL4) facilities. He had highlighted how the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Harbin BSL4), Directors of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Wuhan BSL4), and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Kunming BSL4), had agreed to visit the Galveston National Laboratory. LeDuc also mentioned the importance of ‘building collaborations’ and opportunities to meet ‘important leaders of China.’

Email correspondence between Dr Fauci and GNL Director

The email read, “In follow up to our brief discussions at the UT meeting regarding collaborations with the new Chinese BSL4 labs, the US National Academy of Sciences will be hosting a meeting here at the GNL Tuesday, 16 Jan to Thursday, 18 Jan 2018 with counterparts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Wuhan BSL4), the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Kunming BSL4), and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Harbin BSL4). Each of these labs has been constructed and they are about to begin operations.”

Screengrab of the email bey James LeDuc to Dr. Anthony Fauci, image via The National Pulse

It further read, “The directors of each of these 3 new labs has agreed to come to Galveston, as has George Gao (if his schedule permits) and about 6-8 other accomplished Chinese scientists. The meeting will focus on a balance of science and operations with the goal of building collaborations and ensuring that the new labs are exposed to US best practices in safety and security. I’m wondering if you would be interested in joining us.”

“This is not a “command performance” so no pressure is intended, but it would be a good opportunity for you to meet and interact on a personal and informal basis with these important leaders of China. We expect about 10-12 senior Chinese and a comparable number of senior US scientists from outside UTMB, plus several UTMB folks. I will be hosting a dinner at our home on Tuesday evening to facilitate informal discussions. Let me know if you’re interested and we can work to accommodate your schedule—again, no pressure. Happy to chat if you like,” read the concluding paragraph of the email.

Screengrab of the email by Dr. Anthony Fauci to James LeDuc, image via The National Pulse

Dr Anthony Fauci received the email on the same day and forwarded it to one ‘NIAID OD AM’ with the message, “Let us discuss.” However, on the following day, the NIAID director told James LeDuC that he could not attend the meeting due to conflicts with his existing schedule. “Thanks for the note and the invitation. Unfortunately, that week in January, 2018 is all tied up for me and so I regrettably will not be able to come to Galveston. Thanks for thinking of me. Best regards, Tony,” the email by Dr Gauci read.

Screengrab of the email by Dr. Anthony Fauci to James LeDuc, image via The National Pulse

Wuhan lab’s research on deadly viruses was funded by the US under Anthony Fauci: Book

A new book, which was released last month, claimed that the United States funded the research of WIV on ‘deadly viruses with pandemic potential’. The book titled, ‘What Really Happened in Wuhan: The Cover-Ups, the Conspiracies and the Classified Research’ is authored by award-winning Australian journalist Sharri Markson. Published by Harper Collins, the book delved into a ‘secretive project’ that the US-funded at the Wuhan laboratory in China. Daily Mail reported that the contentious lab was being used to create a database of ‘lethal viruses’.

In March 2018, career diplomat Rick Switzer along alongside US consul-general Jamie Fouss discovered that China had initiated its own version of the Global Virome Project (GVP). The objective of the project was to detect all the viruses with ‘pandemic/epidemic potential’ on planet Earth within 10 years. It was supposed to be a collaborative effort among the international community and not just limited to Chinese scientists. During their visit to WIV, the duo found that the Chinese scientists were conducting experiments with complete disregard to safety practices and no US surveillance.

The Chinese version of ‘GVP’ was being led by virologist Shi Zhengli. In April that year, Rick Switzer sent a cable to the US State Department highlighting how the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Switzer pointed out how the research work included experimentation with Coronaviruses. “NIH was a major funder, along with the National Science Foundation of China, of Sars research by the Wuhan Institute of Virology…In the last year, the institute has also hosted visits from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation, and experts from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston,” the cable read.

According to Daily Mail, the laboratory technicians at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were trained by the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston while National Science Foundation conducted workshops with 40 scientists from China and the United States. Despite the training and funding, only a limited number of US researchers were given access to the facility. The information came to light from one of Switzer’s cable wherein he mentioned how WIV clarified that there would be ‘limited availability of domestic and international scientist

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