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[Memorandum from Mr. Pepples to Mr. McCarty Regarding William Shinn's Statement Concerning the Value of the Council for Tobacco Research]

Abstract

Attaches Bill Shinn's statement regarding the value of Council for Tobacco Research to the tobacco industry. Notes two particularly valuable aspects of CTR: 1) "the direct legal protection derived by Brown & Williamson and 2) "the political and public relations advantage accruing to the industry." Comments on "the value of having CTR doing work in a nondirected and independent fashion as contrasted with work either in-house or under B&W contract which, if it goes wrong, can become the smoking pistol in a lawsuit." Discusses the legal problems Liggett is having regarding an application for a patent claiming to reduce the "tumorigenicity of the total particular matter" of tobacco. Acknowledges that if CTR did not exist, "the government and the American Cancer Society would be the only game in town." Enclosures are not included.

User-Contributed Notes

1. Public Relations Litigation Product Liability Congress research activity industry sponsored research mouse skin painting Smoking and Health

Fields

Type

Memorandum

Named Person

Gardner, William Ullman, Ph.D. (CTR Scientific Advisory Board grant reviewer)

Dr. Gardner worked for Counsel for Tobacco Research -- U.S.A., Inc. He was a member of CTR's committee which reviewed grant applications in 1974. (UCSF000134) Gardner served on the Scientific Advisory Board for CTR and was a CTR Scientific Director. (N.M.'s CTR Who's Who) (PMI's Introduction to Privilege Log and Glossary of Names, Estate of Burl Butler v. PMI, et al, April 19, 1996). See Gardiner, Bill, TTLA Almanac - Names.

Hammond, Edward Cuyler, Sc.D. (Epidemiologist, ACS (1950s), Plaintiff's Expert)

PMI

Hockett, Robert Casad, Ph.D. (CTR Scientific Director)

Scientific Director of the Council for Tobacco Research from 1972-1974 (WSJ 2/11/93; Allman complaint). Bio-Research Institute BRI conducted a study for the CTR. When Syrian hamsters were exposed to smoke twice a day for 59 to 80 weeks, 40% of those of a cancer-susceptible strain and 4% of a resistant strain developed malignant tumors (WSJ 2/11/93). Before publishing the study in 1974, BRI's founder, Frederic Homberger, sent a manuscript to Robert Hockett, then scientific director of the CTR. Dr. Homberger says he had to do so because halfway through his study, the CTR had changed it from a grant to a contract so they could control publication. They were quite open about that (WSJ 2/11/94. Soon thereafter, Hockett and CTR lawyer Edwin Jacob went to Dr. Homburger's summer house in Maine. Hockett and Jacob did not want BRI to call anything cancer, they wanted it to be "pseudo-epitheliomatous hyperplasis," a euphemism for lesions preceding cancer (WSJ 2/11/93). Dr. Homberger said no, this is not right, it is cancer. Jacob told Dr. Homberger that BRI would never get a penny more if the paper was published without the changes. At the last minute, Dr. Homberger changed the final proofs to read "microinvasive" cancer, a microscopic malignancy. Nevertheless, BRI was never funded by the CTR again (WSJ 2/11/96) Hochett made a statement, as scientific director of the CTR circa February 1972 that neither tobacco and health research in general, nor that of the Council for Tobacco Research has established that tobacco use or cigarette smoking in particular is a major health hazard (Allman complaint, pp. 41-42). Robert C. Hockett was Scientific Director, Vice President and Research Director of CTR. See Bio-Research Institute, TTLA Almanac - Names. (N.M.'s CTR Who's Who)

Hughes, Ivor Wallace, Dr. (CEO Brown & Williamson, TI Executive Committee)

Ivor Wallace Hughes was The Chief Executive Officer of Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company in 1983, also served on the Tobacco Institute Executive Committee in 1983 and was CTR Director 1/28/83.

Lasker, Mary (Health philanthropist and political activist.)

Little, Arthur D. (Arthur Little died in the 1930s. References to Arthur D. Lit)

Defense

Monroe

Moss, John

Shinn, William W. (TI Communications; Shook, Hardy, CTR Attorney)

TI Communications Committee and was also a lawyer for CTR. William W. Shinn worked for Shook, Hardy & Bacon.

Named Organization

AMA-ERF (AMA Education and Research Foundation)

American Cancer Society

American Medical Association (physicians group)

Professional trade group representing American physicians.

Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation (B&W)

Subsidiary of BAT U.S., located in Louisville, KY.

*Council for Tobacco Research-- U.S.A. Inc. CTR (Formerly Tobacco Industry Research Committee (TIRC))

Created and funded by the tobacco industry to award grants to study of the link between smoking and disease. Part of a four decade effort to cast doubt on the links between smoking and disease.

Liggett & Myers Inc. (Pioneer in the generic cigarette business)

Cigarette manufacturer; Pioneer in the generic cigarette business; L&M is the manufacturer of Chesterfield, Decade, Dorado, Duke of Durham in 1958, Eagle, Eve, L&M, Lark, Pyramid and Stride cigarettes

*Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) (Only use SAB with name of specific org.)

Author (Organization)

Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation (B&W)

Subsidiary of BAT U.S., located in Louisville, KY.

Author

Pepples, Ernest, J.D. (BW General Counsel and Sr. VP)

Date Loaded

08 Jan 2003

Recipient

*McCarty, C.I. (use McCarty, Charles I.)

Defense