Tobacco Documents Online

NEW YORK TIMES New York, New York May 27, 1962 Two Agencies Stody Cancer-Smoking Tie years hadi been that the evi- The first agency,, the Federal Trade Commission, has ordered one of its bureaus to draw up a report to help it decide wheth- er cigarette companies shonld be compelled to include in their advertising a warning about thc possible health hazards in ciga- rette smoking, The second, the Public Health Service, is preparing a report for President Kennedy on the medical evidence linking., smok- ing and cancer. The President called for the medical report after having been questioned on the subject at' hiss news conference on Wednesday. At that time, he avoided a reply .but promised to give an answer if the question were asked'again at his next conference. Find' It a Cause A spokesman for Public Health Service said today that the agenl;y's position for several Specfai'lhThr New York.Tlin _. WASI•TINIGTON„ May 26- months. We are very active right now and we are in; con- Two Federal agencies are pre- tact wih~ Public Healh." paring reports dealing with the Mr. Jacques said he thought possible connection betwen ciga- that interest had been stimu- rette smoking and certain kinds lated by legislation proposed in of cancer. Congress and by findings and. actions abroad. Early this spring, a team' from the Royali College of Physicians in Britain reported that "cigarette smoking, is a cause of lung cancer."' The Danish National Society for Combating Cancer also is- sued a report. affirming a link between smoking and cancer. This month the Italian Gov- ernment banned alll forms of tobacco advertising. The' Gov- ernments of Britain and Den- mark also have been urged to take steps to curb, cigarette smoking. Senator Maurine B. Neu- berger, Democrat of Oregon, has introduced~ a resolution to establi'sh a' commission that wouldistudy the effect of smok- ing on health, Representative Paul' A. Fina, Republican of the Bronx, is sponsoring legislation to require cigarette packages to state the nicotine and tar content of the product. These developments have brought a sharp decline in the prices of tobacco shares in the . United States and Britain in dence indicated cigarette smok- recent weeks. ing was a principal cause in' An order of the Federal!Trade. *he increase of lung cancer. . Commission, requiring, cigeratte .nat will be the position in companies to write a health ~e report p;epared for the caution into their advertising ~e u would be, a novel application of P* .sident, the spokesman said. an old principle. Products such However, he added; the report~. as insecticides. fertilizers and also will point out that there epoxy, glue are required to carry are possibly other cancer-.,such, cautior.s, causing agents„ including air The commission and industry committPes often work ouu in- pollution, formal understandings on ad- The tobacco: industry insists vertising. '. . that the link between smoking Another coui•se is for thee and cancer or other disease has commissiom to issue a formaU not beem proved.It says that order giving the respondent air pollutiom is a much likelier thirty days, to eor..ply. cause. This usuall-: leada to a period Some time ago the Federal of negonation. It may result in Trade Commission asked its an order less stringent than Jacques, bureau director, said he expected to have the report ready in a few days. An,v action the commission takes,"w'ould be dependent on what the scientists, the doctors, say;" Mr: ,Iacoues said! "Our orders would~ reflcct Bureau of IndustrY Guidtrncr for a report on cigarette' ad- vertising practices. Bryam H. oril inally planned, or it mayy lead to litigation imm the United States Court of Appeals, which has the authorityy to supportt commission orders or dismiss them. In postponing an answer to the query at his news confer- ence this week the Presidpnt said: "The--that matter is sensitive ~ their fflndings." .`,e eKplained. enough~ and the Stock Market'~ "The intensity of our looking ' is in sufficient difficulty with- into this has varied over the out my giving you an answer ycacs. We are always looking, w•hich is not based~ on completee at it. There has been much information, which I don'.t have,more actiNit'y in the last few, and therefore, perhaps we could -I'd be glad to respond to that question in more detail next week." Unit'ed States health officials have become increasingly out'- spokem in recent months im their views about' possible links between smoking and: disease. Causal Factor Found Dr. Michaeli B. Shimkin, as- sociate director for field studies of the National Cancer Insti- tute, said this sprin¢ that: it had been proved cigarette smoking was one of the causes o_* 'rng cancer. ur. Kenneth M. Endicott, di- rector of the National Cancer Institute, test'ifted~ at a' House. Appropriations subcommittee in'February: "The Public Health Service believes that the evidence re-. garding cigarette smoking as a major cause of lung cancer is sufficiently strong to just'ify an intensive educational cam- paign " The tobacco industry was` described, last week by Seere-- tary of Commerce Luther H: Hodges as an "$8,000,000,000 industry, contributing to the support of millions of Ameri- cans, and serving an estimated 70,000,000 domestic customers," He said that tobnrco "touches the economic. soeial and politi- cal li_e of, all AMPricanri:" V HERALD TRIFUNE New York, New York May'29, 1962 Kennedy Gettin~ Data on S'moking .'-1\iill Lunra , 'anceC WASHINGTON 4AP',. A summary' of eurrentmc:ii- cal' data dealit:;; with possible rel,tionsflip betv een :;rnok;n,; and lung, cancer is bein;; t„ e- pared for President Kenncdj-. . The summary will' also cou- tain quggestions as to: «•ha. shuuld oe dotj:'; including a: pos- sible new look at the Nvhale pictnre, a Public Health Scr\ ie official said yesterday. The officialisaid the summary was being prepared at the rv- quest of the Department of Health. Education and Welfare: of which the service is a unii. and presumably had been re- quested by the White House. President Kennedy said at his press conference last week that he might be able to answer a question abotit t'he situation at a later conference. The White House announced yesterday there will not be a conference thts week.