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asked the industry to agree to a number of proposals
in the smoking and health field which would be referred
to late~ in the talk. The industry had decided to play
for time on the grounds that the proposals would need
much consideration and had not, in fact, written to
the Minister until shortly before the October election
when the Minister was engaged in canvassing in his own
constituency. This letter merely stated the industry's
willingness to meet Ministry representatives to discuss.
the proposals and, in fact, no meeting took place until
4th February this year, when Dr. Owen and his officials
met T.A.C. No conclusions were reached at this meeting
and the industry, in fact, offered no positive
concessions except on one or two minor matters. By
the beginning of April, Dr. Owen had clearly lost
patience with the industry and he then made a statement
in the House of Commons in which he said that the
industry had been resistant or unco-operative with
regard to the various proposals which he had made to
them. He also pre-empted the negotiating situation
over the new health warning wording by stating that J
the publication of tar and nicotine results would,
in future, carry the following wording:- "Warning:
Smoking causes lung cancer, bronchitis, heart diseases",
and that he had asked the industry to use this warning
in future on packs and advertisements.
About a month later, on the 12th May, a debate
took place in the House of Lords in which an extremely
efficient attack on smoking and the industry was made
by Baroness White supported by Lord Wells-Pestel and
others. Both this debate and the previous Commons
statement by Dr. Owen received tremendous press and
television coverage. Furthermore, over this period
two extremely damaging television programmes entitled
"Dying for a Fag" were produced, on the second of
which Dr. Owen himself appeared and was highly
critical of the industry. The programmes sh~ed
horrifying lung cancer operations and attracted
considerable attention in the press. The industry
had refused to nominate a representative to appear
on the programmes and so did individual companies.
The producer of the programme then appeared at the
Imperial Annual General Meeting and attempted,
unsuccessfully, to obtain an answer from Imperial as
to why it had not been willing toappear on the
programme.
J
Concurrently with all this publicity, N.S.M.
Limited, the I.C.I./Imperial substitute company, was
being pilloried in the press and electronic media for
its N.T.M. cigarette experiments on beagles. At
least 70 M.P.'s signed a motion in the House, -~
organised by the Anti-Vivisection. Lobby, and some 0
two million members of the public are estimated to 0
have signed petitions.
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In all these circumstances, there were not many ~-4
critics of the tobacco duty increase imposed by the
Chancellor in his budget. Co
BATCo document for PFSFC 2 March 1999

--7--
As will be clear from the above, the industry has
never in its history been in worse odour than it is
at present and the credibility and integrity o~ T.A.C.
is now at stake. Moreover, the situation was considerably
worsened by the totally unsatisfactory T.A.C. meeting
with the Ministry of Health officials on the 24th April
when the industry showed that it was divided on
Dr. Owen's proposals and was unwilling or unable to
make any positive concessions. As a result, Mr. Macadam.
wrote to the No. l's of the other four companies on the
29th April, informing them that B-A.T. regretfully would
have to consider leaving both the T.A.C. and the T.R.C.
unless the industry could decide on positive concessions
it would be prepared to make, since B-A.T. was not
prepared to be associated with bodies which would have
lost the respect of the public and the Government unless
the industry changed its attitude. Immediately following
this letter, Messrs. Stewart Lockhart and Sheehy visited
the recipients to emphasise to them personally B-A.T.'s
views. Mr. Macadam, who was by then in the U.S.A.,
also spoke on the telephone to Mr. Hugh Cullman of
J
Philip Morris to point out to him that his U.K. company
were acting against industry interests in their attitude
over sponsored racing cars.
Imperial and Gallaher then met and produced a
paper for T.A.C. which outlined the points on which
they were prepared to make concessions and also the
points on which the industry must stand firm and
insist on legislation if necessary. A T.A.C. meeting
then took place on the 21st May and the following
conclusions were reached on the proposals which
Dr. Owen had made:-
(a) Tar qroups on packs
T.A.C. would offer to print tar groups on
the tear-tape in spite of the legal reservations
it had. Individual companies could qualify the
wording for legal reasons if they so desired.
(b) Reduced wordinq of health warninq
T.A.C. would offer the following wording:
J
(c)
"Warning byH.M. Government. Smoking is dangerous
to your health."
If Dr. 0wen insisted on no Government
attribution or on the inclusion of diseases in
the warning, T.A.C. would refuse and make it
clear that he would have to legislate.
Television advertisinq of ciqarillos (rod made0
cigarette style products) O
T.A.C. would offer to withdraw from the
advertising of cigarillos on television. ~-j
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BATCo document for PFSFC 2 March 1999

(d) Free samples
• T.A.C. would offer to confine free samples
to:~
(i)
Person to person distribution (by
Company representatives or retailers).
(ii)
Personally addressed mail to known
adults.
(e) Advertising Standards Authority cigarette
advertising code
T.A.C. would accept the amendment proposed bl
the Ministry with one or two exceptions.
(f) Cinemas
T.A.C. would offer to remove cinema adverti
from all films except "X" films from which child~
were totally excluded in any case. ("X" films
represent 46% of total films shown).
Philip Morris alone refused to accept this.
(g) Sponsorship
T.A.C. would agree with the Ministry code
of practice for sponsorship.
Ch)
Imperial and Philip Morris are the only two
companies to sponsor racing cars. The former wou
agree to withdraw all names, symbols and insignia
from these and similar vehicles of other kinds.
Philip Morris, however, refused to agree to this.
Coupons
It was agreed that T.A.C. would offer to
reduce the two coupon brands in the high tar
group so that these brands came into the middle
tar group but no other concession could be made.
(i) Voluntary contribution to the Health Eduction
Council based on a percentage of advertising
expenditure
T.A.C. would not agree to this under any
circumstances and would make it clear to Dr. Owen
that he would have to legislate to ~h~-~ h~,
p opo l 100427751
During this meeting Philip Morris d~up~u a
completely maverick attitude. It stated that it
considered that the Imperial/Gallaher paper was
•
merely aimed at preserving the present U~K. market
status quo. Cinema advertising and sponsored racing
cars were most important to Philip Morris but these j
had ~t been included in the concessions made,
j
whereas coupons had been virtually omitted.
BATCo document for PFSFC 2 March 1999

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(6)
Since these concessions only affected small
shares of the market competitors, Philip Morris
reserved its right to go unilaterally to the
Ministry and to submit its own proposals. If the
T.A.C. made a submission outlining these concessions
the Ministry quoting Philip Morris by name as an
exception, Philip Morris would feel at liberty to
state its views to the press as well as to the
Ministry.
Mr. Stewart Lockhart, on behalf of B-A.T., then
said that if Philip Morris persisted with this
unreasonable attitude and if the industry could not
reach prompt agreement, B-A.T. might have to consider
taking the action indicated in Mr. Macadam's previous
letter.
A draft T.A.C. letter to the Ministry was being
cleared with the companies involved but it was not
known yet what Philip Morris's attitude would be.
It seemed likely they would submit a minority view.
It was reported that the Hunter Committee report
and guidelines were to be published on the 9th June
or shortly thereafter as a H.M. Stationery Office
publication. Further detailed information on this
subject would be made available at the meeting under
item 5 on the agenda.
WORLD TRENDS IN SMOKING
Mr. Sheehy tabled eight charts on various aspects
of this subject, and his comments on the charts are
attached as Appendix 'A'.
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BATCo document for PFSFC 2 March 1999

3. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
(a)
(c)
Comparison of smokinq with other health hazards
Lunq cancer rates in different countries
Mr. Widdup enquired, on behalf of Mr. Foley,
whether any data was available which permitted a
comparison of mortality statistics for lung cancer
with other causes of death such as road accidents,
heart attacks, cancer at other sites and other
diseases.
In reply, Dr. Green tabled some charts on lung
cancer rates in various countries, based on the latest
published W.H.0. Statistics up to 1970. Delegates
from Germany and the U.S.A. indicated that there were
more recent data available for their countries which
extended the findings to 1974, and, in the case of
Germany, showed a stabilisation in the overall
mortality statistics.
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It was pointed out that intercomparisons between
countries were not feasible for a variety of reasons,
including different standards of death certification
and attribution of the primary cause of death, variations
in the population distribution across the age groups
and so forth. Nevertheless, the W.H.O. figures were
probably the best data available.
How the data might be used was discussed and it
was suggested that it gave no support for the emotive
statements by anti-smokers that there was an "epidemic"
situation. Dr. Hughes offered to make available
studies by Dr. Kastenbaum, the statistician of the
Tobacco Institute. Mr. Widdup foresaw the danger that
a reduction in the incidence of lung cancer would be
attributed to lowering levels of T.P.M. and would
lead to increased pressure by anti-smokers for even
greater reductions in T.P.M. He, therefore, wanted to j
get lung cancer deaths put into perspective against
other causes of death.
The suggestion that each Company should collect
data for their own country and send it to the Centre
was qualified by the need to define the data to be
collected.
Although the industry is often attacked on the
social cost to the community in terms of days lost
due to illness associated with smoking, it was pointed
out that morbidity statistics, as opposed to mortality
data, are seldom available. In parenthesis, Mr. Pare
noted that in Canada, the social costs of alcoholism
and drug addiction were both rated greater than that
of tobacco.
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It was agreed that a number of causes of death
would be selected and the W.H.O. statisticis on these
would be collated and compared, and the data circulate~
BATCo document for PFSFC 2 March 1999

{b) Hiqhliqhts of recent external research
-
. %
Dr.-Felton reviewed this subject. Papers contxnue %
to appear on components in tobacco smoke which might be
considered hazardous. These included nitrosonornicotine C
(a breakdown product of nlcotine), vlnyl chlorlde monc~e~
and polonium-210. A suggestion that nic~ne correlated ~
Ilwithtum°rigenicityinm°use-skintests~~uire~
confirmation in a specific experiment~gaT~T~t~antlme,
T.R.C. had decided against publishlng'~esults it already
had obtained. The advent of league tables in Germany \
for carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen was noted and
attention was drawn to a recent publication in the U.K.
advocating a low tar/high nicotine cigarette. Work
aimed at defining a susceptible minority of smokers An
terms of the inducibility of a specific enzyme system
(AHH) was reviewed.
Reference was made to a recent lO-year follow-up
epidemiological study in Sweden which reiterated most
of the earlier findings of the association of various J
diseases with smoking, but, in addition, appeared to
demonstrate that pipe smokers had an equally high risk
of lung cancer as c~garette smokers ana zha~
%he same risk~as men, when the data-were balanced for
e~uai ~on~,pti~, i=vel~.
Although it is as yet unpublished, it was understood
that Wynder was about to claim that smokers in the U.S.A.
of low tar (not exceeding 15 mg T.P.M.) cigarettes who
consumed only 20 cigarettes a day over the last 15-20
years ran no greater risk of lung cancer than non-smokers.
Mr. Bryant and Dr. Stutzer confirmed that Wynder had
recently told them the same figure and he was said now
to be turning his attention away from lung cancer to
the association of nicotine with heart disease.
(d)
In connection with susceptible minorities,
Dr. Hughes reported that the project at Washington J
University, St. Louis, had failed to provide immuno-
logical evidence of such groups. Despite the claims of
Wynder, it was considered that lung cancer was still
an important subject in the U.S.A. partly because it
was easier to investigate than other smoking-associateddi
eases such as emphysema and coronary heart disease.
However, in Australia, it had been alleged that the
preoccupation of the industry with lung cancer was
to divert attention away from the bigger problem of
heart disease.
Dr. Hughes reported that independent medical O
scientists who published objective reviews of, e.g. C~D
passive smoking, were then subject to virulent attack
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by anti-smoking doctors. ~-4
Is there sufficient research on the association of
smokinq with diseases?
This was raised by Mr. McCarty and Dr. Hughes added
that the aim was to develop work to break the casuality
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BATCo document for PFSFC 2 March 1999

(e)
(f)
It was said that T.R.C. did not do much defensive
research and that it was difficult to find any U.K.
medical" researchers prepared to undertake such w~rk
or even to work on the susceptible minority concept.
Thls did not appear to be the case in the U.S.A. and
Australia.
It was pointed out that for very many people
smoking had positive benefits and that these should
be demonstrated. Mr. Widdup recalled that such a ....
review had been promised following the first conference
in Montreal and Professor Rand had agreed to undertake
it, but subsequently backed out. Mr. Ricard questioned
the need for further work on benefits of smoking because
the consumer was already aware of these. Dr. Green
suggested that more work was needed on why people smoked
and drew attention to the risk that nicotine might be
indicted. It was pointed out that considerable sums
had been expended in the U.S.A. and Canada on the
subject of smoking as a relief from stress. .
Hiqhliqhts of internal research
Dr. Green surveyed the Group progran~ne of biological
research, recalling that the main effort had been put on
mouse-skin painting. This would now be given credibilit~
by the Hunter guidelines which would call for such
studies. A parallel series of initiator/promoter tests
on mouse-skin would not be endorsed by Hunter despite
efforts by the industry to indicate its potential
importance. Progress had been made in the development
of inhalation tests and delegates would have an
opportunity of seeing this during the forthcoming
visit to Southampton.
Dr. Green then summarised the results of the
biological research programme (see Appendix 'B').
~~e possibility of'removing initiitors~rom smoke
was not considered feasible in view of their nature.
The belief that atmospheric pollution or previous
smoking history could have already caused initiation
underlined the importance which was attached to
promoters.
GroupR. & D. objectives in the smokinq and health
context
Dr. Green's paper, which had been precirculated,
was discussed. Dr. Hughes felt that the item which
read "Interpretation of Smoking and Health Discoveries"
created a difficulty in that it called for medical
~udgments for which the necessary background and
training was lacking. It was pointed out that
judgments had been made in the past in respect of
lowering tar deliveries and eliminating materials
which might be alleged to be hazardous to the
consumer. After further discussion, Dr. Green proposed
an alteration to "Commenting on Smoking and Health
Discoveries" and this was agreed.
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BATCo document for PFSFC 2 March 1999

(g)
(h)
Publication of bioloqlcal/product research
Mr. McCarty and Dr. Hughes sought the views of
the Conference as to the desirability of publishing
the results of sponsored biological research on
product modifications which may be highly positive.
While it was generally agreed that any reliable
scientific work should be submitted for publication,
it was felt that it would be a health claim, and
therefore improper, for the publication to be referred
to, even obliquely, in advertisements. Any reference
to the product development should depend upon the
media picking it up from the scientific literature.
Mr. Pare, in particular, counselled against using the
smoking and health issue as a marketing tool and
suggested that conflicting health claims between
competing companies would result in Government
intervention and the discrediting of the industry.
Mr. Macadam warned that, unless care was taken, the
introduction of non-tobacco materials into the U.K.
market could lead to a breakdown into a competitive
situation with claim and counter-claim. Dr. Stutzer
indicated that an unscrupulous competitor could
circlunvent industry agreements by arranging for the
publication of slanted reports. Mr. Sheehy suggested
that such advantages could be of a very temporary
nature, in that it would lead to retaliatory articles
and adverse reactions. The use of publications by a
manufacturer was a very questionable point.
Life expectancy of smokers
Mr. Widdup referred to published statements that
smoking a cigarette shortened a smoker's life
expectancy by iO or so minutes and said that Australia
were looking ~or authoritative data on this subject.
Although some delegates felt the validity of such :
data was questionable and the conclusions unjustifiable~
the crude arithmetical calculation was about right for
smokers of 20 cigarettes a day if the life expectancy
of smokers was about 4 or 5 years less than that of
non-smokers. It was pointed out that the position was
complicated by variations in consumption level and by
variations in smoking habit. Mr. Pare drew attention
to some Life Assurance companies which offered modified
rates for non-smokers and, while it was pointed out
that it was difficult to isolate the risk from smoking
from that of drinking alcohol and other factors, it
was agreed to seek data in this area from actuaries and,
perhaps, the Tobacco Institute statisticians and T.R.C.
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BATCo document for PFSFC 2 March 1999

4. EXTERNAL RELATIONS AND POLICY IN THE FACE OF CONSTRAINTS
AND THREATS TO THE INDUSTRY
"" (a) Social unacceptability
It was reported that the momentum of this trend was
growing in the U.S. The U.S. industry accepted that
action was needed, particularly in response to initiative"
taken by small local groups to influence State and
Municipal legislation in this field. The Tobacco Institut
Executive Committee had recently agreed to test two
advertising campaigns (attributable to the Tobacco
Institute), although no final commitment to them would be
made until the industry was satisfied that the tests had
proved satisfactory. The tests would be conducted under
controlled distribution.
The campaigns were as follows:-
(i) Magazine and newspaper advertisements based on
the historic contribution to the U.S.A by the
tobacco industry - the key note being "mother-
hood". Philip Morris was particularly keen on
this idea although other companies had
reservations.
(ii)
A campaign built on the recognition that
smoking is indeed a prominent social issue -
with advertisements on the following lines:-
(a) Conversations in which the views of the
"reasonable man" were expressed.
(b) Advertisements pointing to the excessive
. concern of Government to control people's
(c)
private lives.
"._J
Advertisements making the point that the
answer to the problem was common courtesy
rather than legislation.
In addition, the Tobacco Institute had hired a
young man and a young woman to talk about the smoking
problem to clubs and other organisations and to appear
on television programmes. Both these people were
non-smokers and attractive personalities. The line
that they took was in no way provocative: they merely
presented the other side of the question. So far, the
public had appeared to be very receptive to them and
the tobacco industry planned to engage more people
for the same purpose.
In areas where legislation was pending the Tobacco
Institute had also hired lobbyists to organise the
forces opposed to such legislation. There were eight
such lobbyists in all, each having responsibility for
100427757
BATCo document for PFSFC 2 March 1999

a geographical area, and to date they had quite a
good success record. It should be emphasised that in
all the above activities a conciliatory tone was
adopted and this was the first time that the industry
was publicly recognising that smoking could be
criticised on social grounds. In a related area a
woman in Texas had organised a "courteous smoking"
campaign, originally aimed at would-be legislators,
but now addressed to smokers and neutral non-smokers
in general, using the slogan "Smoke Friendly".
It was reported that in Germany the industry was
thinking on somewhat similar lines but they planned to
achieve results through articles and editorial comment
rather than paid space advertising. In this respect it
was fortunate that B-A.T. had very good relations with
the press.
Australia was facing a somewhat different problem
in that up and coming politicianb and administrators saw
smoking and health as a bandwagon on which they could
climb to make their reputations. As mentioned under
item 2 of the agenda, the industry was taking steps to
deal with this situation which was really a political
problem rather than a "grass-roots" movement.
This did not mean, however, that the "socially
unacceptable" issue would not emerge on a broader front
in the future.
In Canada social unacceptability was the biggest
single problem at present but it was not yet acutely
serious. The canadian industry was concerned about
the danger of causing back-lash by any action it took
and was watching carefully developments in the U.S.A.
arising from the Tobacco Institute's activities there. ~.
An attempt had been made to co-operate with the Ministry
of Health in planning a moderation programme but the
Minister decided that he could not involve his Ministry
in such a project because he feared that the programme
would only make people smoke more.
In the U.K. there was much evidence that social
unacceptability was becoming a major threat and it
was recognised that the T.A.C. would have to consider
very seriously what could be done about it.
It was agreed that B. & W. would submit to
Millbank, for circulation to all delegate countries,
a description of the activities of the two young
people 8ngaged by the Tobacco Institute, together
with newspaper reports on these activities, and that
when the test results of the two advertising
campaigns were available these should also be sent
to Millbank and circulated.
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BATCo document for PFSFC 2 March 1999
