Tobacco Documents Online

TO:( TOM FRANKOVIC FROM: A. J. STEVENS xcJ OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT May 23, 1979 The Honorable Joseph A. Califano, Jr. The Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Washington, D. C. 20201 Dear Mr.•Secretary: I refer to your letter of April 26, 1979. } For many years Lorillard has avoided directing the appeal of its advertising to young persons. That undertaking began in the mid-1960's with the voluntary adoption by the major U.S. cigarette manufacturers of the Cigarette Adver-. tising Code and was the result of the Industry's own initiative -- without the involvement of Government. Lorillard continues such avoidance today. Almost ten years ago, on July 22, 1969, the then- Chairman of the executive committee of the Tobacco Institute, speaking for Lorillard and the other major U.S. cigarette manufacturers, advised the Consumer Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee as follows: "With respect to cigarette advertising in [non-broadcast] media, it is the intention of the cigarette manufacturers to continue to avoid advertising directed to young, persons; to abstain from advertising in school and college publications; not to distribute sample cigarettes or engage in promotional efforts on school and college campuses; [and], not to use testi- monials from athletes or other celebrities who:might have special appeal to young people..." A DIVISlON OF LOEWS THEATRES, INC. 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10019

C The Honorable Joseph A. Califano, Jr. May 23, 1979 Page 2 Since the mid-1960's when depicting models in advertis- ing, it has been Lorillard's practice to use only models who are 25 years or older. Everyone, including Lorillard, agrees that children should not smoke. However, to our knowledge, nobody knows why children begin to smoke, including experts in the field. One portion of the recently-released HEW Report of the Surgeon General on Smoking and Health, at page 16-12, indi- cates that: "The following variables influence the decision to smoke: peer pressure, best friends who are smokers, parents who smoke, adolescent rebellion, imitation of adult behavior and misconceptions concerning the risks of smoking." The Report identifies "social pressure and imitation of peers or family members who smoke" as being among the major variables contributing to initiation of smoking. Mass media advertising makes an easy and tempting target, but its influence is uncertain. Again, according to the 1979 Surgeon General's Report (pages 17-5, 17-6): "Smokers depicted in films and television as well as cigarette advertising which tends to portray smokers in interesting and exciting environments suggest that attractive, desirable people tend to smoke. This would logically be expected to influence children and teenagers much as the media and adver- tising affect the behavior of adults. Yet, the relationship between exposure to the mass media and the initiation of smoking is difficult to isolate fr= the other concurrent influences to which the child is exposed. In fact, a variety of psychosocial influences may interact to influence some children to begin smoking,."

The Honorable Joseph A. Califano, Jr. May 23, 1979 Page 3 Lorillard is strongly of the view that cigarette ad- vertising is a competitive instrumentality of the free market system. We utilize it in a manner intended to persuade adult smokers to switch from one brand to another. We neither direct the appeal of our advertising to children, nor do we encourage them to start to smoke. In sum, Mr. Secretary, we do not advertise to children and do not intend to do so in the future. Respectfully,