Tobacco Documents Online

Countermeasures Development Program

Abstract

In this speech, Richard Corner (public affairs executive for Philip Morris Europe's Lausanne, Switzerland office) explains the global tobacco industry's "Countermeasures Development Program." Corner defines "countermeasures" as "the words we use to describe our responses to the attacks made on us." The "attacks" to which Corner refers are a more widespread public understanding of the dangers of smoking, a subsequent rising tide of public opinion against smoking, and a natural fallout of this shift in opinion: the proliferation of smoking restrictions.

Corner repeatedly stresses the tobacco industry's need to sway public opinion back towards the reinforcement of smoking behavior, saying, "We must assist the smoker. Our customer is out there in the real world...He's not certain what is socially acceptable. We must reassure him and assist him..."and "[W]e must begin now with countermeasures directed towards the general public: We must also have countermeasures going directly to the antis, we can no longer ignore them."

He describes the industry's need to counteract public health authorities, saying "We must INFLUENCE THE PUBLIC DIRECTLY. WE MUST DISCREDIT THE ANTIS" and "We must...go out and directly influence public opinion" because "the antis are talking directly to the public." Corner adds that the industry "has had to start directly attacking the antis with countermeasures...[because] the public is beginning to accept education and restrictions."

He adds,

Corner describes the industry as being in a "STATE OF WAR," its "countermeasures" as "weapons," and "scientific fact" as "ammunition" for those weapons, saying "we must produce a continual supply of this AMMUNITION."

This document shows that the tobacco industry recognized public health authorities' success in reducing tobacco use, perceived the success as a threat and then worked to counteract this success. It also shows the industry worked to reinforce smoking behavior as society had begun discouraging it. The speech also demonstrates the disingenuousness of the industry's "common knowledge" defense, revealing that the industry actively worked to combat the natural results of the spread of "common knowledge" about its products.

Fields

Quotes

[From Page 2, Bates No. TIMN0156509]:

During the course of this Conference, someone made the remark that the most emotive work in the English language is the Big "C" for Cancer. That may be true. But during this conference the most often quoted word in the English Language has been the Bit "C" for Countermeasures...

Countermeasures are the words we use to describe our responses to the attacks made on us. ...

What are the kinds of countermeasures that have been undertaken?...Perhaps there are five basic varieties that the industry as Associations have taken.

First of all, there is the lobbying of people who make laws. The most basic kind of countermeasures, the most traditional and the one that is most widespread.

We also lobby the bureaucrats, those who are entrusted with translating laws into regulations.

We have seen countermeasures that are designed to mobilize the Tobacco Family, and the word "Family" here is used with the widest connotations.

We have seen some excellent examples of countermeasures designed to win referendums.

We must also speak directly to public opinion. Before we are able to talk to lawmakers, to talk to regulators, to talk to ourselves, but now we must go out and directly influence public opinion.

And here is the slide that Dennis [Durden, VP of RJR] produced illustrating the confused world that is today, in which the antis are talking directly to the public: The public is questioning the industry, and we must begin now with countermeasures directed towards the general public: We must also have countermeasures going directly to the antis, we can no longer ignore them: And meanwhile with restrictions coming up from government, we continue lobbying countermeasures with government: And between government and the antis, it is hard to tell the antis from certain branches of government. That's the reason why the industry has had to start attacking the antis directly with countermeasures. And finally, there is another nuaance that the public is beginning to accept education and restrictions. So this is today's world--and this is why we need more and vigorous countermeasures and why we need innovation.

When we consider new countermeasures, what kind of things do we need to do? We need to strengthen the family, we need to have a strong base and if we cannot stand up and speak for ourselves, nobody is going to do it for us.

We must assist the smoker. Our customer is out there in the real world...He's not certain what is socially acceptable. We must reassure him and assist him...

We must INFLUENCE THE PUBLIC DIRECTLY. WE MUST DISCREDIT THE ANTIS. We should take the fight we have and the challenges we are facing as an an industry and LINK THEM TO MAJOR PUBLIC CONCERNS: for example, freedom of the indiividual in the face of increasing government interference in his life.

In these slides showing the priorities in Social Acceptability as seen by the Working Party, we come to the NEED FOR NEW COUNTERMEASURES...

[From Page 11, Bates No. TIMN0156518]:

But in developing countermeasures, I believe we mustn't forget that A STATE OF WAR DOES EXIST, and although the Churhillian aphorism "In defeat defiance," might seem to some a little too strong for us, then perhaps we can borrow from Mohammed Ali, so that we "Dance like a butterfly--sting like a bee."

Countermeasures are weapons, or combinations of weapons. Because weapon systems are usually custom-desinged to meet the needs and to match the capabilities of their users, WHO is going to use it? What's its job going to be?

...Our AMMUNITION is FACTS. Good, solid facts. Scientific evidence. Opinion supported by scientific arguments. Sustantiated views. Findings from objectively carried out research. Information and evidence gathered from throughout the industry and pulled together in position papers on the vital subjects. We must produce a continual supply of this AMMUNITION.

...Weapons, ammunition, guiding our aim, Targets. That's if you like, our countermeasures development arsenal.

There is a saying in the USA just now: "Where there's smoke--there's Califano." Maybe, we will be able to say in the not too distant future: "Where there's a fight, when there's a problem, there's ICOSI with the Associations."

That' is not all gloom and despondency. I think I can illustrate by telling you how "something funny happened me on the way back from the last SAWP meeting in London." On the plane to Geneva, the passenger next to me was smoking heavily. We got chatting and it turned out he was the Bongladesh representative to the World Health Organization. I declared my interests and we talked about the World Health Organization, and he said, "You know, in the organization we all have our special intersts, our domains--and as you can see...mine is not Smoking and Health.'" The moral being...they aren't all baddies.

Since the tactics were changed from the direct attack on the smoker to the campaign to make the smoker and smoking socially unacceptable, we have been witnessing what seems to me to be the ENCIRCLEMENT OF THE SMOKERS. The enemy has been going 'round and behind of him infiltrating his family, his friends and his colleagues at work. And restricting the possibilities he has of using our products.

We must stop this encroachment. We must help the smoker to break out. And to do this, we look forward to collaborating in the closest possible way with the Associations to develop the most effective countermeasures--the most efficient weapons. And we do want to work with ALL the Associations.

Company

Tobacco Institute

Author

Corner, Richard ¹ (PM Europe, Public Affairs Exec., Lausanne (Switzerland))

Served as Deputy Secretary General of INFOTAB c. 1986. He worked on smoking and health problems in Europe.

Recipient

Joint Meeting National Trade Associations - ICOSI

Region

Global

Type

SPEECH/PRESENTATION

Litigation

Minnesota AG

Named Person

Durden, C. Dennis (VP of RJR Industries, 1984, TI Communications)

Director of RJR Corporate Public Affairs, 1975, Dir. of Public Affairs Council, 1977, VP of R.J. Reynolds Industries, 1984. Served on the Communications Committee for the Tobacco Institute, 1977 (while an RJR employee).TI Communications

Operation/Project

Social Acceptability

Industry efforts to counteract the decline in social acceptability of smoking worldwide.

Countermeasures (Efforts by global tobacco indsutry to restore the social acc)

Through ICOSI, the global tobacco companies worked in concert to undermine public health education about tobacco use, reverse the declining social acceptability of smoking, slow quit rates and preserve smoking as normal and accepted human behavior.

Organzing National Manufacturers Associations (NMAs)

Named Organization

World Health Organization (Concerned with global public health)

International organization concered with public health worldwide

International Committee on Smoking Issues (ICOSI)

Was formed to address and reverse the global decline in social acceptability of smoking occurring in the 1970s Consisted of the major tobacco manufacturers worldwide, was created to deal with the global decline in social acceptability of smoking. ICOSI was created

Philip Morris

National Manufacturers Association (Defense groups for cigarette companies worldwide)

In places around the world where these associations did not exist, the tobacco industry created them to help defeat public health efforts around tobacco.

Tobacco Family (The tobacco industry and all its tobacco-related allies)

Includes tobacco farmers, industry employees, employees of related companies, retailers who sell tobacco, members of sales forces of these related allies, etc.

Subject

Common Knowledge (The industry's defense that "everyone knew" the dangers of s)

Defense the industry uses in personal injury cases

Social Acceptability (Social acceptability of smoking)

The industry fought the decline in social acceptability of smoking through public relations campaigns, legislation, etc.

Countermeasures

Strategies & tactics the industry used to counter public health efforts to control tobacco

social influence

social policy

smoking attitude

smoking restriction

industry activity

industry influence

industry response

industry recommendation

industry sponsored conference

industry strategy

industry terminology