Tobacco Documents Online

Messrs. H. C. Roemer, Jr. June I0, 1977 Max H. Crohn, Jr. F. H. Christopher Ron Sustana Subject: RJR Booklet "The Facts About Public Smoking" Dr. Melvin First of the Harvard School of Public Health has written Bill Shinn saying he is being subjected to so much pressure for being quoted by the tobacco industry as having said the Massachusetts Lung Association cancelled funding of the First-Hinds research project (on tobacco smoke concentrations in public places) that he would like to have a letter from Shook, Hardy & Bacon that would make it clear he had never said the Lung Association had cancelled the project. Bill Shinn said that Dr. First was probably overreacting, but his concern about being misquoted by the industry was a very real one. So much so that he had told Dr. Huber it might be necessary for him to withdraw completely from any further tobacco-and-health research. To prevent this from happening, Bill said that he would draft a letter to First to set his mind at ease concerning any industry misunderstanding of what, in fact, had been said with respect to funding by the American Lung Association. One of the statements that apparently caused so much difficulty for Dr. First is contained in the Reynolds booklet, "The Facts About Public Smoking." The paragraph in question, on page 16, after noting the Hinds-First study was funded by the Massachusetts Lung Association, con- cluded with the following: "When the researchers released the results of the study, the group cancelled further sponsorship. Bill would like for us to consider rewriting this paragraph so Dr. First would not have any reason to claim that he was misquoted. He suggested that the paragraph on page 16 be restated as follows: "After the study was completed, Drs. Hinds and First requested further support for other research, but the American Lung Association said no." B~II has said he was not hung up on his wording, and would accept any revision we would like to make. He said the facts were the research project funded by the Massachusetts Lung Association was completed. Also, there had been no objections expressed by the Association concern- ing publication. First and Hinds had submitted another research project to the American Lung Association with a request for funding, but they had been turned down. I asked Bill Shinn to send copies of Dr. First's letter to Jack and Max, and assured him that we would be agreeable to making the changes needed in the paragraph in question. Bill said he would hold up his letter to First until he heard from us. He would like to have 300 or possibly 500 copies of the revised RJR booklet so that it could be dis- tributed by The Tobacco Institute along with the other materials now being prepared on the "Public Smoking" issue. D/bt J.S. Dowdell