Tobacco Documents Online

M E M O R A N D U M TO : FROM: DATE: Mr. Kloepfer Paul Knopick November 5, 1981 1981 You might remember a little story in The Washington Star in September 1980 saying that the Mormon Church had purchased a huge tobacco farm in Kentucky, outbidding Texas oilman Nelson Bunker. We were curious whether that Church would actually grow to- ba$co on its land, or lease the allotment for others to grow to- bacco. That question remained unanswered for quite a bit; the final answer is that the Church is not raising tobacco, does not lease the land for tobacco growing, and will not even allow the barns to be used for tobacco. It is clean on this issue. At first, the Church did intend to sell the two allotments on the farm for dark-cured tobacco, and possibly to lease the two burley allotments. Had it done that, it would be earning money from tobacco. I am confident it gave this a second thought (pos- sibly because of my phone calls) and decided the likelihood of adverse publicity was not worth it. That closes this. PK/gd Attachments T105390216

September 23, 1980 MEMORANDUM TO : Mr. Kloepfer FROM: Mr. Knopick Mormons in Kentucky grow tobacco; others earn money by leasing tobacco fields. The Mormon Church, at the moNent, does not plan to grow tobacco on the Hopkinsville, Ky., farms, the sale of which was mentioned in The Washington Star. It is obvious that, in some way, though, it soon will be earning money from tobacco. Ray Glenn, farm editor of the Kentucky New Era, Hopkinsville, told me that Mormons, as individuals, raise tobacco. The local Mormon "bish- op, for instance, raises tobacco, Glenn says. Robert Fears, a Mormon and the attorney in the farms sale, also told me that Mormons raise tobacco. The farms in question, almost 1,000 acres, contain two allotments to grow hurley, two to grow dark-fir'ed tobacco. One hurley allotment is for 6,451 ibs., approximately 3 acres. The other is for 6,150 Ibs., again about 3 acres. The dark-fired allot- ments are for 10.LI and 14.26 acres. The allotments were purchased along with the farm, according to a woman who works for the local Agricultural Stabilization & Conservation Service. The hurley allotment has been leased in recent years; the dark-fired allotment was not being used. Fears, who says he is taking his orders from "Salt Lake City," says tobacco will not be grown on the farm. TI05390217

"T~e Mormons choose not to smoke," he says. But "we don't condemn tobacco, that's too strong. Some people in our church grow tobacco. We're not trying to tell the world not to smoke." Fears says the Mormons plan to sell outright the dark'-fired allot- merit in the ~pring, the time of year when such a sale is allowed. He doesn't quite know what to do with th~ burney situation as yet,.but he realizes that if the allotment is leased, the church still, annually, would be earning money from tobacco. The allotment cannot be sold with- out selling the farm. The farm property itself is being leased to a local farmer, to raise wheat, corn, soybeans. cc: Anne !>uffin T105390218