Many of his harshest critics during the worst of that time became soft-supporters, eventually morphing into diehard fans after a decade or so. I do wonder, in hindsight, how much of that was due to his social skills and politicking ability. Like with the WHO, these large groups of scientific or medical professionals usually end up being led not by the most well-rounded or logical of them, but those who are best at hobknobbing and social manipulation.