Anne Landman's Collection
Note on A Special Meeting of the UK Industry on Environmental Tobacco Smoke, London. 880217
Abstract
These remarkable meeting minutes reveal Philip Morris (PM) as the ringleader in a global conspiracy to create and maintain a controversy about the health effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The project was conceived by Philip Morris, who later referred to it as "The Whitecoat Project," after the white coats that scientists wear. The project was implemented globally, and thus proved to be a tremendously expensive undertaking, albeit one that benefited the global tobacco industry rather than just PM. For this reason, PM arranged a 1988 meeting with their British counterparts to solicit financial help for their activities. The document states:
"Philip Morris presented to the UK industry their global strategy on environmental tobacco smoke. In every major international area (USA, Europe, Australia, Far East, South America, Central American and Spain) they are proposing, in key countries, to set up a team of scientists organized by one national coordinating scientist and American lawyers, to review scientific literature or carry out work on ETS to keep the controversy alive...Because of the heavy financial burden, Philip Morris are inviting other companies to join them in these activities to whatever extent individual companies deem to be appropriate." [Italicized emphasis added.]
The document lays out PM's clandestine method of recruiting scientific consultants for the project:
"...The [scientific] consultants should, ideally, according to Philip Morris, be European scientists who have had no previous connections with tobacco companies and who have no previous record on the primary [health] issue which might, according to Remes, lead to problems of attribution. The mechanism by which they identify their consultants is as follows: they ask a couple of scientists in each country...to produce a list of potential consultants. The scientists are then contacted by these coordinators or by the lawyers and asked if they are interested in problems of Indoor Air Quality: tobacco is not mentioned at this stage. CV's are obtained and obvious 'anti-smokers' or those with 'unsuitable backgrounds' are filtered out..."
The activities of the scientists were then carefully controlled and their results "filtered" by lawyers:
"Philip Morris then expect the group of scientists to operate within the confines of decisions taken by PM scientists to determine the general direction of research, which apparently would then be 'filtered' by lawyers to eliminate areas of sensitivity."
The document also implicates John Rupp of Covington & Burling as a key organizer of the project. (Rupp has been testifying this week in the U.S. Department of Justice case against the tobacco industry):
"Not only are Philip Morris active in the US (via John Rupp of Covington & Burling) and the UK and Europe (via David Remes), but other Covington & Burling lawyers have also been commissioned to coordinate PM's ETS activities in the Far East, Australia, South America, Central America, and Spain...
The minutes leave no doubt as to the purpose of PM's global ETS program:
"...It must be appreciated that Philip Morris are putting vast amounts of funding into these projects not only in directly funding large numbers of research projects all over the world, but in attempting to coordinate and pay so many scientists on an international basis to keep the ETS controversy alive. It is generally felt that this kind of activity is already giving them a marketing and public affairs advantage..." [Italicized emphasis added.]
Fields
- Notes
Previously posted in 2000, the links to this important document have been updated.
- Quotes
Notes on a Special Meeting of the UK Industry on Environmental Tobacco Smoke London, February 17th, 1988.
Present:
Mr. K. Williams, Mr. P. Brown, Mr. B. Prost - Rothmans Dr. H. Gaisch, Mr. D. Oxberry - Philip Morris Mr. M. Whittaker - Imperial Mr. A.J. Helmes - Gallaher Dr. S. Boyse - BAT Mr. D.H. Remes - Covington Burling, USA Dr. G.B. Leslie - Bioassay Ltd.
Summary
Philip Morris presented to the UK industry their global strategy on environmental tobacco smoke. In every major international area (USA, Europe, Australia, Far East, South America, Central American and Spain) they are proposing, in key countries, to set up a team of scientists organized by one national coordinating scientist and American lawyers, to review scientific literature or carry out work on ETS to keep the controversy alive. They are spending vast sums of money to do so, and on the European front, Covington and Burling, lawyers for the Tobacco Institute in the USA, are proposing to set up a London office from March 1988 to coordinate these activities. The countries in Europe where they have already been working are the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Scandinavia (via Sweden)...
Because of the heavy financial burden, Philip Morris are inviting other companies to join them in these activities to whatever extent individual companies deem to be appropriate. Presumably they expect interested companies to respond on an individual basis; it is perhaps significant that they did not hold this meeting through the Tobacco Advisory council. Although action on Environmental Tobacco Smoke is becoming vital to the industry, Philip Morris strategy is perhaps questionable in some respects e.g. involvement of lawyers at such a fundamental scientific level and disadvantages in perception of what will only be perceived as a "pro-industry" group of scientists.
Dr. Thornton had been invited to attend this meeting by Rothmans at their headquarters in Mayfair; in fact, the meeting turned out to be organised by Philip Morris...
... The aim of the meeting was for Philip Morris to present to the industry their global strategy on environmental tobacco smoke and how they propose to apply it to the UK. They apparently hoped both to inform the UK industry, out of courtesy, about what they were planning, and also if appropriate to marshall either financial or moral support for the idea.
Dr. Gaisch said that their strategy on ETS had been established in the USA at a meeting between Philip Morris and Covington and Burling, the lawyers acting for the Tobacco Institute of the USA....
The Philip Morris philosophy of ETS was presented. This appeared to revolve around the selection, in all possible countries, of a group of scientists either to critically review the scientific literature on ETS to maintain the controversy, or to carry out research on ETS. In each country a group of scientists would be carefully selected, and organised by a national coordinating scientist.
David Remes presented the approach of the U.S. lawyers, and said that he believed their function to be to act as intermediaries between the consultants and industry and also to indicate "areas of sensitivity" on ETS research. He was not prepared to elaborate on these areas of sensitivity or on the stage at which any filtering process would be carried out. He noted that in the USA, their strategy at first had been to meet short term "emergencies" by presenting teams of witnesses e.g. Witorsch, Gray Robertson. He did, however, acknowledge that this kind of roadshow would be unlikely to be acceptable in Europe...
...The [scientific] consultants should, ideally, according to Philip Morris, be European scientists who have had no previous connections with tobacco companies and who have no previous record on the primary [health] issue which might, according to Remes, lead to problems of attribution. The mechanism by which they identify their consultants is as follows: they ask a couple of scientists in each country...to produce a list of potential consultants. The scientists are then contacted by these coordinators or by the lawyers and asked if they are interested in problems of Indoor Air Quality: tobacco is not mentioned at this stage. CV's are obtained and obvious "anti-smokers" or those with "unsuitable backgrounds" are filtered out. The remaining scientists are sent a literature pack containing approximately 10 hours of reading matter including "anti-ETS" articles. They are asked for a genuine opinion as independent consultants, and if they indicate an interest in proceeding further a Philip Morris scientist makes contact.
Philip Morris then expect the group of scientists to operate within the confines of decisions taken by PM scientists to determine the general direction of research, which apparently would then be "filtered" by lawyers to eliminate areas of sensitivity.
Their idea is that the groups of scientists should be able to produce research or stimulate controversy in such a way that public affairs people in the relevant countries would be able to make use of, or market, the information...
...14. Not only are Philip Morris active in the US (via John Rupp of Covington & Burling) and the UK and Europe (via David Remes), but other Covington & Burling lawyers have also been commissioned to coordinate PM's ETS activities in the Far East,Australia, South America,Central America,and Spain...
Although the industry is in great need of concerted effort and action in the ETS area, the detailed strategy of Philip Morris leaves something to be desired. The excessive involvement of external lawyers at this very basic scientific level is questionable and, in Europe at least, is likely to frighten off a number of scientists who might otherwise be prepared to talk to the industry. Also,the rather oblique initial approach may appear to be somewhat less than honest to many scientists. In the past the industry (at least in the UK) has bad no difficulty approaching scientists directly. The idea of setting up a special group of consultants coordinated by one national coordinating scientist is also rather likely to frighten away scientists who would justifiably not wish to be associated with industry in this rather structured way or who would not wish to be part of what will inevitably be seen to be a pro-industry group, but who would be prepared to carry out exactly the same activities on an individual, and therefore less compromising basis...
...It must be appreciated that Philip Horric are putting vast amounts of funding into these projects not only in directly funding large numbers of research projects all over the world, but in attempting to coordinate and pay so many scientists on an international basis to keep the ETS controversy alive. It is generally felt that this kind of activity is already giving them a marketing and public affairs advantage, especially in countries in which,until recently, they have played a rather low profile.
- Company
- Philip Morris and British American Tobacco
- Author
- Boyse [Blackie, Pellow], Sharon, Ph.D. (BAT Head of Strategic Research; aka Sharon Blackie)Mgr. Smoking Issues, BATCo Corp. Affairs Dept 1994; Dir Applied Research B&W 2001.
- Region
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Named Organization
- Ici
- Imperial College
- Lor, Lorillard
- Lyon
- MRC
- RET
- RJR, R.J.Reynolds
- Roemans Inst
- Rothmans
- Sunderland School of Pharmacy
- TI, Tobacco Inst
- Tobacco Advisory Council (TAC) (Tobacco lobbying group in U.K.)Association of UK cigarette manufacturers
- Toxicology Unit
- Ucl
- Univ of Leeds
- Bibra
- Cardiff Univ
- Carshalton
- Center for Indoor Air Research (CIAR) (Industry formed/funded air research organization)Nonprofit organization funded by the tobacco industry. CIAR was formed in March 1988 by tobacco companies "to sponsor "high-quality research on indoor air issues and to facilitate communication of research findings to the broad scientific community."
- Covington & Burling (Tobacco Industry law firm)Tobacco industry law firm. Was involved in organizing the Whitecoat Project.
- Gallaher Limited/Gallaher Tobacco Limited (Irish tobacco co controlled by American Brands)Sells Benson & Hedges, Silk Cured and Berkeley cigarettes in the U.K. in 1991
- Hazleton Laboratories (Contract testing laboratories in the UK)
- Huntingdon
- Named Person
- Bridges, J.
- Brown, R.
- Butler, W.
- Clifton
- Clough, G.
- Cumming, G.
- Daniels, J.
- Faccini, J.
- Gaisch, Helmut W. (PM Europe Science & Technology President)Director and Principal Scientist, Tobacco Science and Technology, Fabriques De Tabac Reunite, S.A., (1987). Helmut Gaisch was an attendee at Philip Morris's 1987 Operation Downunder Conference, held to determine a new strategy the company could take on the issue of ETS. (PM's "Accommodation" strategy was borne from this conference). Gaisch worked to thwart ETS regulations in Europe using data from INBIFO. He was a Philip Morris European scientist, Head of Laboratories, FTR/Philip Morris Europe. Member to Tobacco Advisory Council (TAC), 1987.
- Helmes, A.J.
- Large, B.
- Leslie, G.B.
- Levy, L.
- Luno, F.
- Nicholls, P.
- Perry
- Remes, David H., J.D. (Lawyer, Covington & Burling, USA)Tobacco Industry Lawyer.Covington & Burling is an international law firm. D. Remes was based in Washington and worked on the ETS International Consultant Program.
- Rhodes, C.
- Robertson, John Graham "Gray" (ACVA Atlantic Inc. Indoor Air Polution consultant)1994 Long time ventilation consultant for industry. Proposed as a consultant to comment on Federal OSHA proposal on workplace smoking. See @healthy_buildings_intl
- Roe, F.
- Rupp, John P. (TI Communication Committee, Covington & Burling lawyer)TI Communication Committee
- Schroter, R.
- Smithers
- Sullivan, F.
- Thornton
- Wheatman, D.
- Boyse [Blackie, Pellow], Sharon, Ph.D. (BAT Head of Strategic Research; aka Sharon Blackie)Mgr. Smoking Issues, BATCo Corp. Affairs Dept 1994; Dir Applied Research B&W 2001.
- Brown, P.
- Frost, B.
- Oxberry, Daniel (Rothmans Corporate Affairs Director)1989 UK
- Whittaker, M.
- Williams, E.
- Xxralph
- Type
- REPT, REPORT, OTHER
- Litigation
- Ppla/Produced
- Subject
- secondhand smoke strategy (Corporate strategy to deal with ETS issue)
- secondhand smoke
- research activity
- industry activity
- industry influence
- industry research scientists
- industry response
- industry sponsored research
- industry strategy
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