Publishing research allows other scientists to verify the conclusions and keep unfounded ideas from leaving the research labs. Later when Gallo's article was published, the evidence was less than conclusive. There are no such documents. HIV is also the only existing virus believed to cause a group of diseases known to be caused by other viruses and bacteria. When a person tests positive for HIV, it is not a test for the virus itself but for antibodies to the virus, and the test is not able to distinguish between HIV antibodies and a multitude of other antibodies.
Many conditions can lead to a false positive result, including flu shots, hepatitis, and pregnancy.
Unfortunately, a combination of circumstances stifle unfettered inquiry. Those who study the virus most often make a living from it and when careers and reputations are at stake, critical voices can be muted in the interest of maintaining a comfortable status quo. I am not a medical professional, and I am relatively new to these questions, but I am convinced that those who have tested HIV positive and those sick with AIDS are being done a disservice by not having all the information available to them. I would say that we are all potentially gullible, and that only a free flow of critical information allows us to avoid this and make positive, responsible choices in our lives. The article also insinuated that our desire to see critical facts about AIDS brought before the public could cause fans to abandon safe-sex practices.