State and Local Strategies of the Tobacco Industry
RESPONSE TO CAB'S SMOKING RULE PROPOSALS
Abstract
Informs that "the Civil Aeronautics Board [CAB] has invited public comment" on a proposal to restrict smoking on aircraft. Asserts "our objective is to maximize public opportunity to urge the Board to maintain the status quo." Continues "we will achieve our objective with these steps:" 1) publish the results of a poll showing 83% are satisfied with current regulations; 2) "contract for passenger intercepts at air terminals to obtain signatures on a petition to CAB"; 3) obtain member company [of Tobacco Institute] comments to file with CAB; 4) Issue Tobacco Action Network (TAN) alert "to evoke a new round of personal comments"; 5) provide material to members to form basis for comments; 6) provide Members of Congress with information; 7) address a letter to "each outside director of each airline" from Tobacco Institute president seeking personal comments; 8) visit executives of trade associations to learn organizational positions, to obtain further information, and "to explore cooperative activity"; 9) begin "a steady rollout of personalized computer letters to executives at all levels of the tobacco industry" to urge comments. Includes discussion of "Informational Requirements" and "Additional Projects."
Fields
- Named Organization
- AIR TRANSPORT ASSN
- AIRPORT OPERATORS COUNCIL INTL
- AMERICAN ASSN OF AIRPORT EXECUTIVES
- BROTHERHOOD OF RAILWAY AIRLINE STEA
- CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD
- CONGRESS
- Covington & Burling (Tobacco Industry law firm)Tobacco industry law firm. Was involved in organizing the Whitecoat Project.
- INTL AIRLINE EMPLOYEES ASSN
- TAN, TOBACCO ACTION NETWORK
- TI, TOBACCO INST
- TOBACCO WORKERS UNION
- Recipient
- COMM OF COUNSEL
- COMMUNICATION COMM
- EXECUTIVE COMM
- STATE ACTIVITIES POLICY COMM
- Named Person
- TOOHEY,B
- WOODSON,W
- XXTARRANCE
- DONNELLY,RH
- CHILCOTE
- KAPUSKI,E
- STUNTZ,S
- Author
- KLOEPFER,W JR
- TI, TOBACCO INST
- Subject
- Airlines
- Government Agencies
- Industry Front Groups
- Industry Strategies
- Labor Unions
- Law Firms
- Restrictions
- Surveys
- testimony
- Tobacco Industry Employees
- tobacco use
- Trade Associations
- Advocacy Groups
Document Images
THE TOBACCO INSTITUTE
1875 I STREET, NORTI-IINEST
WASHINGTON. DC 20006
202/45i-1800 * 800/424-9878
PUBLIC RELATIONS DIVISION
September 30, 1983
MEMORANDUM
GL
RI,D
TO: MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE OF COUNSEL
MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
MEMBERS OF THE STATE ACTIVITIES POLICY COMMITTEE
FROM: WILLIAM KLOEPFER, JR.
SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO CAB'S SMOKING RULE PROPOSALS
The Civil Aeronautics Board has invited public comment between
now and November 7 on its proposal to prohibit smoking on shorter
flights (an hour or less, or two hoursor less) and on smaller
commercial aircraft (60 or fewer seats), to prohibit pipe and
cigar smoking on any commercial aircraft, and to require special
seating provisions for passengers who may show written medical
evidence of a substantial susceptibility to physical ill effects
from breathing tobacco smoke, or a smoking prohibition in the
presence of passengers with illness or symptoms that airline
personnel may think are the result of smoking exposure.
This is an outline of Th.e Institute project to respond to these
proposals. It has the concurrence of counsel and The Institute's
senior staff. While I believe we are prepared to cover the major
bases, your comments and further suggestions are earnestly
desired. -
Our objective is to maximize public opportunity to urge the Board
to maintain the status duo. We will achieve our objective with
these steps:
1. Publish the result of our poll, in which we sampled
1,000 frequent fliers in a random telephone survey and found 83
percent satisfied with current regulations.
2. Contract for passenger intercepts at air terminals to
obtain signatures on a petition to CAB to refrain from further
rulemaking. Petition signers would specifically object to pro-
posed prohibitions. (R.H. Donnelly was our contractor in an
earlier similar effort, obtaining 130,000 signatures in one week
in 1976).
3. Obtain member company comments on a draft statement to
be filed with CAB on November 7.
4. Issue a TAN Alert to evoke a new round of personal
comments addressed to the docket.
5. Provide our members with material on which to base
appeals for comments to the docket from employees, shareholders,
suppliers and subsidiaries.
6. Provide Members of Congress with information on which
they may wish to address comments to the docket.
7. Send a personal letter from The Institute president to
each outside director of each airline, seeking his or her per-
sonal comment addressed to the docket.
8. Visit executives of the Air Transport Association, the
American Association of Airport Executives, the Airport Operators
Council International, the International Airline Employees
Association, and, with the assistance of the Tobacco Workers'
Union, the Brotherhood of Railway, Airline and Steamship Clerks.
Purposes will be 1) to learn the position and any action to be
taken by the organization; 2) to obtain further information
regarding impact on operations and passengers of the proposals,
and 3) to explore cooperative activity.
9. Begin a steady rollout of personalized computer
letters to executives at all levels of the tobacco industry to
urge their comments to the docket.
INFORMATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
1. Our contractor, Tarrance, will immediately supply our
public opinion survey report which will be the basis for
publicity. Susan Stuntz and Bill Toohey will prepare required
publicity materials.
2. I will obtain a proposed airport interception contract
and, with C&B, prepare petition language.
3. Covington & Burling will submit our draft formal
statement to members of the Committee of Counsel for their
comments.
4. Walter Woodson will prepare documents required by the
TAN director to prepare, clear and issue a TAN Alert. These will
include an "all-purpose," single page issue summary.
5. Walter Woodson will draft materials and appropriate
transmittals to aid member company participation.
6. Howard Liebengood will be furnished by my division
with any materials he needs for Congressional information pur-
poses.
tors.
7. I will draft the Chilcote letter for airline direc-
ADDITIONAL PROJECTS
1. We contemplate preparation and clearance, after
November 7, of Institute "reply comments" to the CAB.
2. Anticipating CAB's conducting later an oral argument,
we will cooperate with Counsel and Federal Activities in identi-
fying potential witnesses including possible outsiders. (For
example, I feel the Board should hear from Ellie Kapuski, the
stewardess in "Common Sense" who speaks persuasively from years
of experience against federal intervention in airline manage-
ment).
3. Recommendations will be forthcoming regarding possible
cooperative efforts between TI and other interested organiza-,
tions.
4. We expect to issue several news releases (our poll at
the outset, our formal statements to CAB at the end, and other
news "pegs" such as impact data and other measures of public
response as they become available).
mss
