Tobacco Documents Online

May 19, 1980 Miss Dana Wells 1149 Cambridge Lane Bridgewater, NJ 08807 Dear Dana: Thank you for giving us your candid reaction to our products and our advertising. We appreciate the opportunity to furnish you our viewpoint. We consider smoking to be a custom for those adults who derive pleasure from it. We believe that whether to smoke or not is a decision that s hould be freely made by individuals who have reached the age of mature judgment. Accordingly, our adver- tising is directed to adult smokers and not to younger people. Our models are chosen for their ability to attract the viewers' attention and for their compatibility with each brand's target image. The notice on cigarette packs to which you refer is not a statement made by cigarette manufacturers. It is required by law. The size of the lettering has been approved after care- ful consideration by the Federal Trade Commission. This agency has the responsibility for assuring that the warning notice is conspicuously displayed in accordance with the federal regulations. With regard to the lack of a warning on our Winchester little cigars, legislation enacted by Congress requires the warning notice only on cigarette pac?:ages, tie believe the general public has long been avare of the contention that smoking may be injurious to health. We also believe, however, that until scientific research can establish what really causes the diseases with which smoking has been statistically associated, the warning notice now required on cigarette packages and in all cigarette advertising is discriminatory. ~

Miss Dana Wells Page 2 May 19, 1980 To help you understand the position of our industry with regard to the tobacco-and-health issue, I xm enclosing a publication entitled "On Smo}:ing" prepared by The Tobacco Institute in Washington, D. C. Sincerely, T. 1:. Cahill Public Relations Department TJ:C:pi Enclosure ~