There is no spin in this book.  Just the words on the page as they were spoken by Dr. Thompson and what they mean in simple logic.  I must confess that there were times when I read the words that I felt physically ill.  These were American scientists, not some goose-stepping Nazi doctors.  And yet the emotional and intellectual distance between the goal of protecting the public's health and not wanting to disturb the vaccine program was so vast I wondered, what had become of their humanity?  How did they convince themselves that is was in the "public interest" to lie about the vaccine injuries that showed up in the data?  I consider the scientific method to be one of the signature achievements of the human race.  How could these scientists so blatantly disregard it, knowing the misery they would visit on millions of children and their families?  If this is how the "best and the brightest" among us act, I question whether we as a species deserve to have a future.

This is Dr. Thompson in his own words on the guilt he carries for his participation in these acts:  Dr. Thompson:  Here's what I shoulder.  I shoulder that the CDC has put the research ten years behind.  Because the CDC has not been transparent, we've missed ten years of research because the CDC is so paralyzed right now by anything related to autism.  They're not doing what they should be doing because they're afraid to look for things that might be associated.  So anyway, there's still a lot of shame with that.  So when I talk to a person like you who has to live with this day in and day out, I say well, so I have to deal with a few months of hell if all this becomes public, um, no big deal.  I'm not having to deal with a child who is suffering day in and day out.  So that's the way I view all this.  I'm completely ashamed of what I did.  So that's that. (Page 37)

Dr. Thompson comes across as a man who realizes in the depths of his soul the unspeakable crimes in which he has taken part.  He does not pardon himself for these actions and neither will I.  Confession is good for the soul and it appears that Dr. Thompson wants to unburden his sins.  That has the potential to help millions, and for that, I am grateful to Dr. Thompson. What jumps out to me in their conversations is that Dr. Thompson KNEW this information would eventually come out and he was ACTIVELY aiding Dr. Hooker in that effort.  Dr. Hooker is reaching across the chasm of an unspeakable crime to aid Dr. Thompson in an attempt to recover some small part of his humanity and atone for his actions. 

After the four transcripts, Barry sums up the importance of these revelations: The CDC and the Institute of Medicine went through a charade of investigating the vaccine schedule to see if vaccination had anything to do with the increase in autism.  Rather than looking at all vaccines and the schedule as a whole, they purported to investigate ONE vaccine (MMR) and ONE vaccine component (thimerosal).  Based on this superficial review, they declared in 2004 that the entire vaccine schedule was safe, and then thwarted additional research into vaccine safety going forward, as stated in the 2004 IOM Vaccine Safety Review. (P. 109)

Barry does an excellent job laying out the questions raised by these tapes.  He first addresses the importance of the tapes, the potential next steps for policy makers, and how we can ever get the truth when those in public health openly state that protecting the vaccine program is their #1 priority?  He talks about conflicts within groups like Autism Speaks and the CDC Foundation, and how the enormous amount of revenue given to the nightly news broadcasts by pharmaceutical companies (estimated to be 70% during non-election periods) can be trusted to honestly cover this issue.  This is a slim, elegant book which can be read in a few hours and has the potential to change the minds of a lot of people.

I know there are those who believe our victory will arrive (and effective treatments) when we get the truth about what has happened to our children.  The truth is necessary and no victory can come without it.  But in addition to truth, we need understanding, compassion, and true engagement.  I fully accept and embrace the idea that the worst offenders must face criminal charges and jail time.  An example must be set for scientists who peddle lies, just as we would jail heroin dealers who traffic in death and misery. 

But there is a larger group of individuals in the scientific community as well as the general public who must be engaged, because they will determine so much of our future.  People will demand answers about how this terrible tragedy could have been allowed to take place.  How is it that a small group of government researchers were able to completely shut down any real investigation of autism?  Read this book to find out, then help spread the word.  This is a book which I expect people to buy 5-10 copies and distribute them to your pediatricians, your school administrators, and friends or family who have doubted you.  Pester them until they have finished.  This is the time to be a nag.

In their search for truth, author Kevin Barry, and Dr. Brian Hooker show that our greatest weapon against the lies of pharma and the medical establishment is honest human compassion.  The words of those who have helped perpetuate this tragedy are more damning than anything we could ever write.

You can purchase the book at Amazon and other bookstores.

Kent Heckenlively is a founding Contributing Editor to Age of Autism.