Anne Landman's Collection
Mobilization Manual How to Develop A "Grass Roots" Political Organization
Abstract
This early tobacco industry grassroots organizing manual uses the themes of war, army, freedom and patriotism to motivate "tobacco family" members to serve as "Minutemen" to "provide [the industry with] the ammunition to defeat our opponents." ("Minutemen" refers to soldiers in the American Revolutionary War, who were called "Minutemen" since they were ready to fight the British on short notice.) The manual gives instructions on how to "recruit a 'Ready Reserve,' as an army of citizens ready to act at the direction of the [Tobacco Institute.]" Its sections have titles like "How to Recruit Your Minutemen" and "Appointing District Commanders": "Your District Commander is responsible for...staying in touch with his Minutemen so that after a call to action goes out, he is able to give you weekly reports regarding the activity of his troops."
Silhouettes of a Davy Crockett-like character holding a musket appear on many of the pages.
An organizational chart shows that smokers' rights grouped are linked back to a "Command Post" staffed by a Tobacco Institute area manager. "Minutemen" were to act as "the eyes and ears of the organization" and report back to the "Command Post" on any smoking and health bills, social movements, law or action that could affect the tobacco industry.
This document demonstrates that history does indeed repeat itself, as in United States post 9-11, the themes of freedom, war and patriotism are once again being widely used by public figures, elected officials, retailers, corporations, etc. to try and motivate people to act a certain way, buy a certain product, etc.
Fields
- Notes
Thanks to Ray Goldstein for directing Doc-Alert to this document.
- Quotes
[From Page 10, Bates No. 0000296344]
The charts on the following pages show the structure of the tobacco industry support system...You alone with the representatives of the retailers, vendors, distributors, and others where appropriate (such as growers, unions, and restaurateurs) will for a steering committee whichi will act as the "communications center" for the organization. In this position the committee will be receiving its direction from the command post and will be sending back information gathered at the local level. We're asking you to organize the wholesalers in your state -- to develop a network of "Minutement." As in the American Revolutionary War, your Minutement are only brought into action when they're needed. The rest of the time they will be a "ready reserve."
- Company
- Brown & Williamson
- Author
- Presumed corporate author, Brown & Williamson
- Recipient
- Tobacco industry field employees/state tobacco association executives
The purpose of the Institute was to defeat legislation unfavorable to the industry, put a positive spin on the tobacco industry, bolster the industry's credibility with legislators and the public, and help maintain the controversy over "the primary issue" (the health issue).
Enforces laws against false and deceptive advertising, including ads for tobacco products. Ensures proper display of health warnings in ads and on tobacco products;collects and reports to Congress information concerning cigarette and smokeless tobacco advertising, sales expenditures, and the tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide content of cigarettes.
M. Hurst Marshall was a TI Vice President. (Source: NM Tobacco Companies Personnel List). As of 12/1/93 and until at least 2/97 [was Director of Government Relations for RJRT Region 3 (which covered California, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, S. Dakota, N. Dakota, and Wisconsin) [Sources: TI16470711/0712, RJRT fax from Gov't Relations dept., and RJR 518230245, 1997]
Wanted to create the appearance of a massive, upset electorate becoming vocal and active to oppose public health smoking restrictions, tax increases on cigarettes, etc.
Document Images
~IVllkr~rN MOKVZrII~ON
• i n ralliF[||l .....
MOBILIZATION
, MANUAL,
How To Develop
A "'Grass Roots Pol't'cJ Or~;atlization.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
RREFACE
CONCEPT OF THE ORGANIZA ~YON
WRITING A LETTER TO A
LEGISLI TOR
HOW TO WRITE LETTERS 2"0 TIIE
ED,rTOR
IGVOWLEDGE OF TIlE ISSUES
6MEDIA RELATIONE
REBUTTALS TO ANTI-TOBACCO
EDITORIALS
8 EDUCATh'~G THEPUBL[C
CONCLGSION
~c
PREFACE
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Since 1955, ~hml the Federal Trade Commission first told cigarette rnanuf,tcturcr~ to make
no health inl~rences in t~eir adverrisements we. as citizens. ~s constllllers, arid .qs part of the
"tobacco ~mily" have, through our silence, allowed the Go~elinnleni to restrict and ~gulatc
our per~(~nal and professional rlghls.
We ¢at~ no longer renlalll slheri Anti-smokhag forces haw o~atlized a sophisticated alld
ef feerive grass roots level canlpalgn gc3red towai~ "Ieglalatill g" u,~ oat of business. The
Amerh?ala
Cancer Socie~, ha ri~ latest and most ambitloas campaign, ~laie~ that "Since the U.S. Govcrtlment
hes already declared it to be ol~cial policy that smokhag is dangerous to health, it should.., take
the necessary measures to reduce smoking and sa~guartl ltle bealth of the public at tbe executive,
legi~tive and j u fli~i.'~ levels. Stat~ a~d h~I governments should be encouraged to do likewise."
The purpose of this mammal is to present a ~let~l~d of orgahazhag a simple grass mot~ level
citizens campaign. We have been on the delusive ~r too long. Om¸ campaign, then, is not designed
sirllply to de~Ild o~lrselves agahist ~bese antl-smoklrtg ~l'ces, bdt rather to enable us to
}Jec~tTle as
orgarllZed, as ha formed, a~ vocal, and as effective as they are.
The foundation of our organizational effort is being built by our two trade associations - the
Tobacco Institute (TI) and the Tobacco Tax C~,lu nci[ (TfC). They have beeu and will conthauc to
be fl)e voice of tile tobacco hadastJy.
To achieve these goals we must o~.anlze, mobiti~e, and mak~ our posit]on knowm Your role in
tile acldal, emellt of these goals alld itl the proset~,'ation of your ind~vidtlal alld prof~s~ha
lal rights
ks outlined in Chapter 1 of this nlailual. BaslcalPg, you slmuld
1. look a~d listen tbr legislative and social trends to restrict ~moklng;
2. commualcate what you see and hea~ to the TI/TTC fbr their proPessional appraisal and
determination of an appropriate response;
3. recruit a "Ready Reselve~' an anay of citizens ready to act at the direction of the TI/TI'C; and
4. draw on the extrusive maierial resources and experience of the T1/TTC for smokinp4'healfi~,
smokhag/couriesy, and smokhag/taxarion it* formation which will make us more informed, articulate,
and ef/hetlve members of ti~e tobacco family.
Collect rely, the industw is demandhag three rules of Pair play ha the determhaation of public
policy aflbethag tobacco products:
1. honesty in research
2. reasonable taxes
3. fairness to smokers
Our opponents have encountered some resistance at the Federal legislative l&,el. They have,
therefore, turned to State legkslattlres for support and, if thwarted there, to eo~miy and city
councils.
It is primarily at the state, ¢oul~ty and alty levels that restrictive smokhag legislation has
dramatically
and dangerously increased ha the past ton years. It is at these levels ~tmt the industry mast
urgently
needs your active support.
The state iegislat or, the county or city cOL~llcihllai1 has many issues to consider, many problems
to ca~lfront. For us to get his a~tention, we must p~t together a broad-based grass roots
organization
that, if throu~ no mea~s other than sheer l~pet!tion and the e fl~r t/of ~m inlbrmed and vocal
constJt~ellcy, assures us of a fair hearing. Our opponents, such as ASH and (;ASP. learned that
lesson a long time ago. It is tn~e that file squeaky wheel gets the grease. It's also true thet
anyone
ha tbe position to affect our industry will ~isten if/when we say something and know what we're
lalkha~ about, i~0
.q
Your job is not a lobbyhag effort. The TI/TTC have that rest:o¢~sibltity. Your job, ir~ part,
is to ,%1
be the "eyes and eara" of the indust~ and to or~nize support troops who wil~ be ready/o %1
mobilize, to intelligently make the ind~stry's position k~own to governmental decis on makers
You will be a critic~ part of a "Communications Network." Tit~ TI/T FC are and will continue to
be the "Command Center."
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[t is alsr~ yonr job to educate the l~b[ic ~d~out the tobacco industry. Too often the public bus
nllscenceptions r~gardJng tl~¢ gua~ ~f our induslry. Few potpie lmdcr~tand tile economis tmllact
of the J~ldustry. Fewer yet know of th~ time alld rn~ney invested by tile indust~ to ir, l~rov¢ th~
qu~it~' ~!f li~ ~lr ~1 p~'llple. And s~ii] fewer kilow that t!le tobacco indt~slry speod~ m~ ino~cy
on research irt~;o the causes of cancer, e~plly~na and hearl disease' than all privat~ healftl
fc~u~datioris
combined inclodillg The Ameri¢~l~ Cancer Society wtlose avowod ai~n is to lobby, the (.'ongre ~ to
ptlt
us (rot of businc~s. We llave :~ stor5' t~ tell. We do ourseise~ :uld ~r industry a dis~e~ice by
llot lolling it.
The TI/TTC will be your principal rcsonice in tl~s edu~at~ona! process. They have years of
e×periei~ce arid volumes of timelS, il~ formatiou oi~ sm~king/h~alt h, srm~kfag/courtes¥, and
smokin~
taxation is~cs whic~ are availabl~ tt~ you ilpon request, ~l'he T~]TI!C will mssJst you il~ ~he
process
of odllcat]ng others.
3he tobacco ind~lsiry has hlsforically sat back and watcIled W}l~ie all leve~ of go'¢emnlent
have
passed laws w]lictl lll~ld e o~r products ~llor~ ~Xbal~ive alid ew~n balll~d Jl~ solne~ specil~¢
places.
Sti~[ worse, hldu~t~ oppo~lents have tried to ii~Lke smoking ~t~cia~ty unacceptable, to ~duce
smoke~s
to s~c~md<la,;s citizen~, to make them feel guilty e~oyfag sometlri~g ~ey have ~ery right to e~ioy.
We as an ~ndus~ry must t~nite. Our ~trateg~r is to orga~ize the tobacco ~nl[ly - growers,
distrJbutor~,
lnant/fdcturers, ~llOl~Sal~rs, i~ta~ers ~ til~ ~ million 8nlokers, alld atlyOlle ~lse CO~l¢~Illed
with
prese~ing the indJvldual freedom ~o speak o~t~ tot tile right of coilsumurs to purchase our products
at a fair price and to conlJnue to el~oy tl~ose prIidttcts, We ~1~ forming a narionwJde organization
• at carl ir~ore tllall b~[ance ~he ,~nt i-Sl~mkiitg grou[~s~ ~l~lpact o~ Our legi~attlr~. Each o~
yol~ is
being asked to l~ar tisipate in this o~an~zfag ef't~rt.
SVe h~ve prow~l fhat when working to, thor, We carl be ex~illely effeerive, ill ~ke pttst few
month~ we've beell actlv~[y invol~'od in s~veral camp.qig~s which have demonstr~kted iha~
effectiveness.
The Civil Aerolmutics Board (CAB) ask~l ~r public c(~mmcnts oil a ~r~po~d bal~ on p~l~e and
cigar smoking ~ aispfanes. ASH rallied its members to respond in favor of rile ban aJ~d ~uggesied
that fh~ CP~B prohlbit all smoking on Iri~ncs. Th~ T[, sLlpported b~' the industry, went ~nt~ action
with p~it/ons for smoker~' rigl'~ts at 50 a~rports across tile comit~r, W~thto one week 130,000
sJgrlatores w~'rc collec[~d, Tke~ a~ pe~pl~ we can now calf t~p~-I to wr~t¢ ~heir Cong~ln~ll or
State Rep~sentatives when another ~1 lhr,'at arises. But, ~ke organisatloJ~ of 130,00~ is only
tl~e be~,inning.
Recently, the TTC mo~d f~)rward to unite tl~e industry in New York in supporting t~e Cittze~,s
Campaign Against Bootleg Cigarettes.
Witt~ the help of every level within t!~e ind~s~ and of concerned individuals outside th~
industry,
we will ~acceed i~ lowering the New York State cigarette fax and in elimJnatfag the New York City
tax. The pul~]i~ kickoff of the campaign was a press conferenc~ giwn by the CJtiz~ns C:m~pa~gu
Against Bootleg Ci~arette~ on March 3. 1977. Paul Curran. a former U.S. attorney an~ Chairman of
the Committee, told a Jarge ~roup of ~dlo. TV, and newspaper reporters ~t~at boofle~ing is lakil~g
over $100 iirillion per year from the State and ~Iy treasuries. Ft~r ther, he stated that t~e money
is
~naaci~g s~Lch orgatdzed crime operation~ as dnlgs~ toan sharking and gamblln~. Tba-~e facts arc
even
i~lc*i~ striking w~ell they're (lresen~od by I~ronrklent citizens who a~ not a part of the tob~tcco
family ~- who, ill fact~ mav riot eVe~l Shrike.
A sim~l~ press conference was held in Albany, and others fa Buf~klo, Rochester, a,~d Syracuse.
A co~[ac~ program i~ umlerway t¢~ build li~ts ~f New Yorkers who agree wJ~h LI~ and who'll t~Ii
their ~rds ~1 e~cis!ly their Icgi,~a',ors.
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The New York Cattlpaign and the CAB petition drive a~e ex;mlpIes of tile hi~ld of or~,al~ization
we need ~.o protect ~llloke~' alght~ itatlollwldc. The org~alzat fo:l r~quirc~ th~ ui~iffeation of
~ll
:uld the stuokcrs them~l~'~s. This llTlificd ~'ffort, with ewry ill,tuber of til~ ~ob~1¢¢o ~tllily
p~rtl-
c~pa~rlg, i~ :l sti!p-by-~l~p ~tT/p~ligll Jllv(llvfo g Ih(" ntot ~tioll~ ~2thlc~ ~ foil~
rtT~l'tljtrl2~ nt~ ~Ild
iwv~31¥~m~rtt of ~adh ~egl~l~l~L
A!~t~-~llok~ng for¢~ have r~ot, however, linfi~d their ~f~rt~ t~ restrict smokin~ li~rough
leglala~on and increased Federal ~gtll~t or~, ~gci~cy con troll. A1~ ASI~ rlewal~ier cited a r~cen~
dec~alon made by a judge in ~t~ ~a~st~rt3 st~tc ~'r~ffh'mJ~g [b~¢ principl_e tha~ 'an el~pk~ee has
a
r~t to w~ in a safe cnviron~ncnt'," and th~i "this right c~n and should be enforced hy ~r,
inj!l~.~:~fon a~in~t all ~nlokii3g if necessary." Th~ ca~e involved one empfoyce ~!i~lg ~1i~ ttg~i~
st
her elnpfoyer~ a large ¢omp~.lly, artd set a legal preeedellt which add~ ~Ill eil~ireiy new
dlnlenalon
to the fe~ot~'~es avail,thl~ to OLLr Oppotlellt~. If Ozlc pe~s~ltl c~n C,qU~ so m~lch potential
damage fo
the tobacco J~dus~t~5~, the need for a t~ni~t~, i~lf~lnlcd. ~:~1, ~d itlvolved tobacco ii~dtlstry
'0~co1~/~ ~'4¢I1 more ~s~nti~L
hi order to uni~'V otlr efforts, l~ow~ver, ~e need your h~lp. 'l"h~ wholesale tobacco people
must be o~:mi,~ed un,Acr your leadership to u~fite behind t~e efforts of th~ Tobacco I~tit ~e
zu~d tlle Fobacco Tax Council ~o ~]ght l:rop~l~d rest~ctfon~ o~l 1~ and ~ur ct~stoll~ers ~ad to
educate th~ public a~ large about our thdt~stry. In addltlon~ y~u <a:~d your support troop~ need
to assum~ hie vit~ role of the eye~ ~l'.d .~r~ o~ focaI tobacco legi~l~tio~ trod public ~erttiment
in
yo~t¸ state.
The criti¢~I ~eed for ~uch ,~ ~Jisclplhlt'd orgalli~atioilal s~ru~:t~lre ~econles apparent in
c$~ing
In 1976, ~ b~ll ta ~strict smoking in p~hlic builJin~ was ~r~troduced in the upper hlltl~ of
a state feglalathre al~d ~hould have b~'~l do~:~cd to c~irl~ d~at. A~ th~ in~li~l ¢ol~mi~ce
ill,ring,
however, the r<lol~l was ~lfed with 25 propo~l~llts of ~he ~cgislatio!i. Five of those p¢o~l~
re~i~ed
i~ fevor of the bilI. No one opp~al~g the bill w~ pr~se~t. No on~ h~d wr~ttev, or called a alngIe
conlmittec menth~r e×pressfeg olrgo~km ~o the ~ilL Th~ onl~ t~ilnl~ny th~ n~er~b~r~ heard w~
tllat of th~z bi~l'~ :Mvocates. Th~ comte![tree vo~cd ull~nh~lot~slp for ~lc b~ll. It then p~s~ed
the
Sen~tte 43 to 3.
I~ ¢o~a~t, a u~it~d inditer Iy thi~ p~ar r~h~d the t~io~/~, growers, aud oliver ~itJ~ g~'o ~
it~
Virginia ~o te~t~ agaiJlst four cigarette t~:~ i~erease bill~. As a ~'ML ~11 fottr were defe~te~
i:l
Eq ~ally spectacular i~ tile ca~ of a recent ~moking restriction ¢~rd~ai~e i~1 Pit tshu~h, an
',all-out effort on the p;trt of ~hc '['| to mobilize a!l o~'Jls re~otl~t,s ~ indu~trg personnel,
medical
ex!~ert~, restaurateurs, th~ pt~blic. ]llis effort ~llted fo a~ ~wrwheh'alr~g dcfe~t ~f th~
proposed
ord~m~ce, arm a s~ni~c~nt ~ictory fo~ the fo~acco ~ndustry ~d proponents of i~dividual rights. And
identical situations hml~ been repeated with incr~ tsh~g freqt~,ency when a united, disclpl~ined
industry" has joined forces under the le aderal:ip of the 'lq? or TTC.
The~ is v.o questio~ that we m~Ist organize. Tl~erc is no que:{tio~; that we have sup;~ort
outside
the illthistr3, as well ~s within. The enly qt~e~tfons which rt, mai~ to be answered alld which we
are
now }~ddr cssing are:
1. b~w do we organize?
2. wllom lfo we orgallize? m~d
3. i~ow do we hoth effectively use a~d support the existh~g industry associations?
Who are our potelltial support troops? TII~ peop!c wbo i~ill coilstltote o:ir grass roots stlpport
program a~ the metnbers of y~tlr a~sociation, yotlr distributol~, their spouses, theii" ~icnds,
thelr
employees~ ~md their ¢tlslome~. Equally importanL anyone they kno~v: Who smokes;
Who is ~:onccnled about unrcaslmable~ ci~a~tle ta×es;
Wh~ would pre~r ~oi m bo intimidated wtl~,n he lights up;
Who loses profits on tobacco prodttcts if uil~ir lcglslatior, is pas~d;
Who feels l~is ind~iduaI r~hts thrvate~ed by i~tcre~sed ~ ernn~ent regt~lation.
T~s n/allua[ i~ a '~[Iow to" course of action w~li¢!~, wl~l tak~n~ ~ll ll()t only pr~scl~e our
pro~sslon~ llbcrt~s, b~d our personal I~edoms a~ well. Tl~e methed~ are time tes~d - t~ey work.
Yoa will n~t be asked to do the impossible. You ate simply 5cJng asked to take t!~e steps outli~cd
ill this m~mt~al. Witl~ your act~w ~uppor~ ~md th~ cooperatiop, of tile re~t ~f tile tobacc~ ~n~ily,
we ca~, ~1 t'act~ effcetiw~ fight back.
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THE CONCEPT
OF THE
ORGANIZATION
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THE {. ONCEPT OF TIlE ORGANIZATION
A. Pt)RPOSt OF TIlE ORGANIZATION
The tilbacce industry ~upport system is de~i:,lled to protect th: industry l~'c~nl tlto,.~ ttlat
thleaten t~ tk.stroy i~ - tlitotlgh legJsIatio~l, through tile coufls, or through c[~brts to it.duly
in fiLls'nee public ~etltinlent. T~ make this sy,~tem Inor~' et'fccllvc w~' infest add to it
an~)til~r
dimel~sioll - the grass roots support. Nt~ inat tcr how much I<~bbying or ~'ducatlon of legislators
is c;!rli~'d out under tile atlspices f~# file hllh',stry trade assodations, nothhlg has as mudl
iinpaet
as tile ~ oi,:c <~" th;~t kgisbtor's ow~l ct~11stitttcncy - tl~e llt4)ple ~ilo lJve hi his/her
di!drict. The
TI and TTC, thcrefor~~, are recruithg you - the state association cxa'utive - ~o cntlst the
wlMes;~lers ill your slate to join wilh :ill scgnl~,~lt~ of tile tobaa:o t~!llilg - to organize a
statewide grass roots orgaifizatlon, II has two p!'ilnary goals. First, to let y/xJr r~prt,
s~,ntatives
on th~ ciiy, county, stale m~d federal iew'ls hear tha indtlstr~'~ pl)sJi~OllS whc'r~ asked t<l do
so
t)y thv, TI and 1TC Second, to becon~e the eyes and e;u's ~)I tile in[lustiy o~ the Ionl level.
By reporting tll~, possibility of a l~artic~lar attack <)l~ tl~e indusi~', you will t,c providir, g
tile early
warnit~g to i~ead it o['{\ By king prepared to act in concert with other segn~ents of the induatty,
you wiIl be providing tile an)lnunition to dell:at our opponents,
B. TI{E ORGANIZATION STI~IJCTI.iR[;
The charts on the Mlowing pages show the sila~ctltre of the t&aceo i~ldu~try support system.
The Tobacco h~stitute and the Tobacco Tax Coullc~l, the two indus,5, associations supported
t~y the mallufactur~'rs, are responsible fl~r monilofillg alld tlackillg kgislation, [avcsuits and
oilier possible thrcat~ to the industry. They eaci~ employ peopIc wllo ]lave the specific
responsibility
for a llU[ll bl:r of states - ill tlze case of T[, ~rea tnal~ager5, for TTC, i'eL:~ol~al legislative
dkcctors.
Yot~ along with tile representatives of the retailers, l,¢llclors~ di:;trlb ~tors. ~md other~
where.
appl'Opfiate (S[Ich as grow~'rs, Uiliolls ~md t'eslataateL~iS/ w~ll fuml a sleeting coillltlltte¢
whJoIi
will acl :~ the "comml~nications center" for tl'e orga~fization, h~ this pos,ilk!n the com~fittee
wilt
be Icceivb/g its dlrecti~l~ from the comlnaud post al~d will be sending back inlbrlnatlon gatllered
z~t ti~e loc:d level. We're asking you to orgatllze the MMe s,alers in your siate- t~l develop at
network
of "Minule~n~'n? As hi the Amcdca~l Rew:4ntionary War. your Mh~utemcn arc otlly brought into
action wlxei1 they'l~ needed. The ~t of tile tinle they will tie a "ready reserve!'
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