I didn't read the article, but I competed during that era and know many of the athletes and a lot about what was going on. I doubt the article has any info I don't already know. The late 70s and 80s was a complicated time period. I don't have time to write much right now, but I will say there was a lot of grey area U.S. athletics and not so grey with the Eastern Bloc countries which were kicking our butts at that time. The Eastern Bloc athletes were flat out doping in every sport; they had organized doping programs and were getting incredible results.
To the best of my knowledge, very few U.S. athletes (runners) were injecting themselves with anabolic steroids and/or receiving doping assistance from any of the NGBs. There were 2 or 3 occasions were athletes were alerted if you are doping, you need to stop and the likelihood of getting caught at a particular meet. The '83 PanAm games was one of those occasions. Several U.S. athletes avoided the PanAm games testing, most of them because they knew they were taking something, but they weren't sure if it was legal or illegal. A lot of them, mostly throwers spread the word that if you are taking any type of vitamin or supplement, you should avoid the test. Most of the track & field athletes that were doping, mostly sprinters and throwers, were taking some type of OTC amphetamine. A lot of non-U.S. athletes avoided the test as well. The U.S. was late to the EPO/blood doping scene, which had been going on in Europe and North African athletes who trained in Europe since the early '70s and earlier than that in other sports. It was over a decade later before blood doping showed up in the USA running community and even then, only a top athlete with money and connections could blood dope. EPO was not the issue for U.S. athletes during the 80s. - Unfortunately and I'm very sad to say it, perhaps some of the world's most respected European athletes from the early '70 to late 80s, probably blood doped. The European middle distance juggernaut ended in the late '80s, around the same time an EPO test became available. Perhaps some U.S. athletes blood doped during that time period, but if they did, they kelp it really quite and probably weren't doing if correctly because the USA was getting killed in middle distance during that time period.
During the time period the article is likely referring to, the U.S. antidoping effort was new and banned substances were added and dropped from the list every couple months and by the time you got the updated list, it could be only a few days before a competition that found out your sup was banned. (This is before the internet and email) There were athletes openly taking substances they bought at the local vitamin or health food store or being sold by another athlete stating it would make you run faster, it was legal and all of the top guys were doing it. The USOC and USATF was well aware of the murky (as in unclear) doping situation is the U.S. in the mid-80s, provided some assistance in making athletes aware of upcoming testing and overlooked some non-steroid positives. Not good of course, but the NGB were well aware of their poor legal footing if they busted a high profile athlete as well as being aware of the fact that the top athletes the U.S. would competing against from Eastern and Western Europe were doping.
I never doped, never had a close relationship with anyone who was knowingly doping, but I knew athletes who were almost certainly doping and most of them were European. A very close friend of mind who never doped, but was presented by a coach she briefly trained under with the opportunity to dope. She was told no matter how talented and hard she trained, she will never beat the athletes who were doing. And, this coach knew all about the state sponsored doping programs in Europe. Everything has to judged in its era. Knowing all of the athletes you will be competing against from Europe are doping is kind of like calling a broke person who keeps a bag on money they found on the street a thief. Well, keeping the money does make them a thief, but at least their situation is understandable.