Tobacco Documents Online

TEXT OF REMARKS OF WALKER mERRYm~AN~, ASSISTANT T0~ THE~ PRESID~ENT~ . THE TOBACCO'~ INSTITUT&, WASHINGTON, D,. C.~ I-, PRESENTED TO THE PHILADELPHIA.CHAPTER P~UBLIC~RELATIO~tVS~ SOCIETY 0'~F~ AMERICA SEPTEMBER'~ 19„ 1979 R. 1;

AS DANA MENTIONED IN THE INTRODUCTION' I AM FROM WASHINGTON',, D. C. THOUGHT OF BY' SOME FOLKS~AS 7'0' SQUARE MILES OF LAND SURROUNDED BY REALITY. AND IT SEEMS THAT E~ACH~ P'ASSZNG D'AY~ CONFIRMS TH~~AT~~ S~USP'ICION~.~ 0'U~R'~ NATION~`S CAPITAL IS, OF COURSE, A CITY' WHICH' THRIVES ON' POLITICS. T'HAT'''S THE GREASE WHICH MAKES' THE WHEELS GO 'ROUND THERE. FROM TRIAL BALLOONS TO:BUMPER'S'TICKERS, SOMEONE'IS ALWAYSI MAKIN'G'A P'OLITICAL STATEMENT IN' WASHINGTON. JUST BEFORE LEAVING THE CITY'Y'ESTERDAY I SAW ONE BUMPER STICKER'WHICH WAS' QUiITE' EXP'RESSIVE. IT SAID, "IF YOU' LIKE YOUR POSTAL SERVICE' THEN YOU'LL J'UST' LOVE NATIONAL HEALTH INSURAN'CE. "' . OF CO'URS-E NATIQNIAL HEALTH INSURANCE IS, FUND'AMEN'- TALLY, A CONCERN OF THE'MEDICAL PROFESSTON., AN'D' IT SEEMS NEARLY EVERY BUSIN'ESS'LOBBY HAS SOME FAT THEY'RE TRYING TO PULL OUT OF THE LEGISLATIVE FIRE THESE DAYS. FUNERAL. DIRECTORS, TRUCKING COMP'ANIES, BROADCASTERS, OIL AND NATURAL GAS FIRMS AND, YES, EVEN~ FU'N'D' RAISERS, ARE BEING HARASSEDiT0ONE'DEGREE0'RANOTHER' BYTHE'FEDERA~L GOVERN- MENT. THE ONE THING BUSINESS SHOULD NOT'DO IS'REMAIN SILENT. THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY, IT SEEMS T0 ME, IS THE CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF'WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN AN~INDUSTRY DOESN'T COMMUNICATE ITS POSITIONS TO THE PUBLIC. THE RESULTS ARE OBVIOUS'...EXTRA- ORDINARILYH'IGHEXC'ISE'TAxES,,, TH'EP'ACKAGE WARNING LABEL, A BAN ON BRO'ADCAST'ADVERTISEMENTS (THE ONLY LEGAL CONSUMER ti

2 PRODUCT WHICH HAS TO BEAR'THAT'BURDEN). AND ALL BECAUSE WE WERE QUIET FAR TOO LONG. OUR ESSEN'TIALLY' CONSERVATIVE N'ATUiRE SAW'US TURNING THE OTHER'CHEEK, SPEAKING ONLY WHEN SP'OKEN' TO FOR DECADES. WE FORGOT OR'IGNORED ONE'VERY IM- PORTANT RULE OF'POLIC~Y MAKINGI. IF THE PUBLTGDOES'N'T UNDER'- STANDYOUR ' PROBLEMS, CONGRESSAND'THE'REGULA~TORY AGIENCIESWILL HIAVEANUNR~ESTRAINED: FIELD: DAY IN RESTRICTION AND, REGU- LATION'. BUT NOW'WE''VE CHANGED OUR POSTURE. WE'RE VERY AG'GRES'- SIVE„ ACTIVE IN ANY PUBLIC FORUM WE' CAN FIND, TO' S'h'ATE~ OUR' CASE' FOR'CEFULLY. IT SEEMS TO 'ME AN IRONIC TWIST THAT JUST AS WE HAVE :, COME TO THE'POINT'OF ENCOURAGING A FREE FULL AND INFORMED' DISCUSSION OF THE CONTROVERSIES, SOME OF OUR ADVERS!ARIES HAV&DEC'IDED' THEY DO'N' T' WANT TO PARTICIPATE ANY LONGER. I AM NOT REFERRING TO THIS MEETING,, BU'T' ON SEVERAL QCCASIONS IN THE RECENT PAST WHEN I OR'ONIE OF MY COLLEAGUES'HA'S BEEN INVITED TO APPEAR ON A RADIO OR TELEVISION PROGRAM, THE HOST OR PRODUCER HAS! TOLD'U'S'THAT' SOMEONE~ "FROM THE 0'THERSIDE"' REFUSED TO APPEAR'. ORGANIZATIONS CONTACTED BY THESE THIRD PARTIES! HAVE INICLUDED' THEiAMERICAN' CANCER SOCIETY. SO' I WAS SOMEWHAT AMAZED WHEN MR. ANGERT SAID IN HIS LETTERI TO DANA ACCEPTIN'G AN INVITATZONiTO APPEAR HERE THAT THIS FORUM WOULD'GIVE~ THEM'EMBERSA CHANCE TOTAKE A LOOK AT THEV'AR'IOUS APPROACHES WE EACH USE WHEN PREPARING T0 MEET ONE ANOTHER'IN' THE' PUBLIC ARENA. LET ME'iTELL YOU IT'''S BEEN SOME TIME S'INCE O. ANYONE FROM THE CANCER SOCIETY HAS' AGREED TO AP'P AR ON A TV 14 ~ Ca ~. ~ R.

3 OR' RADIO SH'0'W WITH ME. BUT I[T' REALLY HASN`T' BEEN THAT LONG SINCE OUR POSITION ON THE SMOKING CONTROVERSIES Al"dD' THE POSITION' OF THE AC'S. WEREN'T ALL THAT FAR APART. I' RECALL READING AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE SOCIETY!'S TOP STATISTICIAN, DR. E. CUYLER HAMMOND' IN~ WHICH HiAMMOND~D'~I~S~~CUSSED':HISDISA~GREEMENT~ WZTHiTHE~ SMOK~- IN'Gi-LUNG CANCER THEORY. GRANTED THAT DISAGREEMENT WAS EX- PRESSED INI 194$' AND' HAM'M'OND' GAVE UP HIS FOUR-PACK A DAY HABIT FO'~R~~, A PIPE IN'~ 195~4~~ BUT~~ THE' EV'OLUTIO I OF' OUR' J~UDGMEN~~TS~, ON THE ISSUES~ ISA~ FASCINJ#TIN'G~~,STO~~R~~Y~. ~ THE TOBACCO' INDUSTRY'S PR PROBLEMS AREN'T NEW. THEY' ARE' LITERALLY CE4TURIES OLD,. TO SAY' THAT SMOKING HAS' BEEN VALUED' AND Vl'LIFIED BY POPES AND, POTENTATES FOR' HUNDREDS OF YEARS~ IS NO EX~AGGEftATION!.~ In 16~0'4~~„ FO'REXAM~~PLE~,, KING ~ JA~M~ES~ THE'FIRST WROTE WHAT'HE CALLED HIS COUNTERBLAST TO TOBACCO. IT~ IS'~ SUCH~ A~~ STINGING REBU~K~~E~ IT' ALMOST MAKES~~ THE SURGEON GENERAL'S RE~P'ORT~ SEEM LIKE A~ LETTER' 0'~F REC~OMMEND~ATION~., THE' M'OD'ERN! CONTROVERSY REALLY BEGAN IN THE EARLY FIFTTi~E&WHENi READER'~S~~ DIGEST--OUR COUNTRY"S~~ LEADING ~ M'ED~~I~CAL, JOURNAL--PUBLISHED, A SERIES OF ARTICLES'UN'DER'THE GENERAL HEA~DL~INE, OF "CANCERBY~~ THE CARTONi.~"' I~ DON''~T~ THINK ' I NEED~~ EXPLAIN FURTHER'. THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY RESP'ONDED-ALBEIT SILENTLY--BY ASSUMING THE CONTROVERSY WOULD BE SETTLED IN THE RESEARCH LABORATORY. S0~ WHAT' IS N~OW~ KN'OWN~ A~~S~~ THE~ COUNC~~IL, FOR TOBACC0 RESEARCH W'~AS'~ ESTA~BLISHED'~. AN INTERNATIONALLY KNO~'WN'13ESEARCHER, DR. CLARENCE COOK p ~ ~. ~ CD. ~ ~ R .:

4 LITTL&AGREED~TO HEAD' THE COUNCIL. FOR THOSE'INTERESTED IN IRONY, HERE' S A BIT. FROM 1929' UNTIL 1945 DR. LITTLE' WAS' r9ANAGING D'IRECTO'R OF THE AMERICAN C'ANCER .SOCIETY'. IN THE' P'AST' 2'5 YEARS THE TOBACCO IN'DUiSTRY. HAS DONATED MQREI THAN $82 M'ILLION IN UNRESTRICTED FUNDS' FOR RESEARCH INTO SMOKING AND HEALTH. SEVERAL OF THOSE RESEARCH PRO- JECTS ARE GOING ON AT MEDIC'ALiSCHOOLS ANDHOSPIT'ALS IN! PENNSYLVANIA. AS THE YEARS WENT' BY, IT' BECAME QUITE CLEAR THAT THEISMOKING ANDHEALTHCON'TROVERSYWOU~LDNOT' BESETTLED, R IN THE LABORATORY. POLITICS AND POLEM'ICS' TOOK OVERI THE' DEBATE. " INI 1958 THE TO'BACCO INSI1'ITU'TE WAS FORMED T0 BE THE INDUSTRY'S S WASHINGTON' PRES'ENCE'. IT WAS,, AT FIRST, A LOW KEY' LOBBY'ING' EFFORT T0 P'ROVIDE' MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WITH INFORMATION'.WE,D'IDNI''TEV'EN~ HA EANIN-HOUSE PUBLICRELA!-TIO'NS STAFF' U'NTIL 19'67,'. FROM THAT TIME UNTIL 1975 OUR' PUBLIC COM'MUNICATION' EFFORTSI WERE FAIRLY STANDARD. WE' PRINTED'AN'D' DISTRIBUTED PAMPHLETS AND, POS'ITION, PAPERS'AN'D'. MADE TWO OR THREE FILMS WHICH ARE DISTRIBUTED'ON A FREE LOAN BASIS. OUR FIRST P~RI PROJECT, ABOUT 12 YEARS' A'GQ',, WAS T0 GET DOWNi ONPAPBR'A BASIC~, SO~MEWHAT' D'ETAILEDSTATEMENT 0'FTHECIGARETTE INDUSTRY'S VIEW OF HEALTH'CHARGES AGAINST SMOK- ING. IT TOOK A YEAR OF RESEARCH,, AND DOUBLE CHECKING, WRITING A,N'D REWRITING BEFO'RETH'E STATEMENT WENT TO PRESS. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL REFINED AND UPDATED EDITIONiS' SINCE. O ~ N 0~. ~ GD 0a

WE CALL THATDaCUMENT' SZMP'LY "THE CIGARETT&CQNTROV'ERSY'.''"' FRO'M' THAT MODEST BEGINNING OUR PUBLICATIONS INVENTORY N'OW' TOTALS OVER ONE HUNDRED DIFFERENT KINDS OF TY'PES' 0'F MATERIAL. WE' ALS'0 PUBLISHi THE WORLD'' S LARGEST CIRCULA,- TION' TO'BACCO' NEWSPAPER, "'THE TOBACCO OBSERVER'. "' T'HE' OBSERVER, CIGARETTE CONTROVERSY, ANDS!OME OTHER PUBLICA- TIONS 0'FINTERES~T ARE,LO'CATED~IN' THEPA'CKETSDISTRIBU'TEDEARLIER. I'VE ALSO IN'CLUDED FOUR ARTICLES ABOUT ACS MIS- CUES SO YOU"LL KNOW~ WE IN1 TC7BAC'C0~ AREN' T' THE ONLY ONES WH0 H'AVE PROBLEMS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE ACS W'AS'ACCUSED' OF GIVING, AWAY LOLLIPOPS CONTAINING A RED DYE UNDER STUDY A'S A POSSIBLE CANCEF3, CAUSER. AND FR0MTIME TO TIME THE SOCIETY'S FUNb RAISIN'G EFFORTS AND POLITICAL CLOUT'HAVE~ BEEN QUESTIONED. AT LEAST TWICE, THE'ACS AND THE TOBACCO INSTITUTE HAVE C'OME' INTO VERBAL CONFLICT OVER' BASIC' ISSUES,. IN' EARLY 197'0' THiE SOCIETY HELD AN UNUSUAL PRESS' CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE RESEARCH RESULTS IT' SAID1PROVED THAT' INHALED' TOBAC'CblSM'0'KE COULD CAUSE LUNG C'ANICER. THE EXPERImENT, INVOLVING BEAGLE~ DOGS, WASN:~~'''T~ P'UBLISHED'; IN~ THE~~ MED~~I~CAL~ LITERATURE U'NTILiMaNTHSiLA~T~ER'_.~AND~~ THE'N~ ©N'LY~ AFTERTWO~ PR~~ESTIGIG7US~~ MEDICAL J'OURNALS'~ REFUSED~~ T~O~ ACC~~EPT,IT. WE ASKED TH'AT THE PATHOLOGICAL AND' OTHER' MATERIALS BE RE'- VIEWED,BY ANiINDEP'ENDENT GROUP OF SCIENTISTS. WE TOOK OUT NEWSPAPER' ADS AND~~ SENT~ LETTERS'ITO':PHYS~~ICIANS~~ DETA'IL- ING' OUR CORRESPONDENCE WITH' THE ACS. THE~ SOCIETY REBUF- FED OUR ATTEMPT TO' SHED, SOME LIGHT ON THESR' MYSTERIOU'S. ~

6 RESEARCH'. AND EVEN'TODAY, ALTHOU'GH THE STUDY WAS FINALLY PUBLISHED~ INASPECIALTYJOURN'AL, ACLO'UD OF' UNCERTAINTY STILL HANGS OVER' THE SO-CALLED "SMOKIN'G DOGS"'. THROUGHOUT MOST OF 1977 A FRONT GROUP SET.UP BY THE ACS HELD WHAT IT CALLED PUBLIC FORUMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE GROUP, KNOWN AS THE~ NATION'AL COMMISSION ON SMOKING AND P'UBLICPOLICY',, WASPUTATIVELY ESTABLISHED' TO RECEIVE PUBLZC! COMMENT ON' WAAT' SHOULD,BE DONE ABOUT CS'GARETTE SM0KING. THEY BEG'AN'WITH THE PREMISE'THAT SOMETHING NEEDED T0 BE D'ONE'. APPARENTLY CQN'TENT' TO' IGNORE THE FACT' THAT' ADULTS' HAVE THE FREEDOM T0 CHOOSE, WHETHER OR NQT'THEY SHALL BE SMOKER~S!.SUCH WE'7LLKNOWNLUMINARIES OF SCIENCEAN~D'PUBLIC 'k POLICY AS AN ACCUSED KIDNAPPER AND A'CTOR'CHARLETON HESTONI WERIEINVITEDTOTESTIFY! THE WITNESS' LIST'WA& CAREFULLY SCREENED T0 MAKE'CERTAIN NO ONE WITH AN ESTABLISHED CON!- TRARY VIEWPOINT WAS PROMINENT.. WE ATTENDED EVERY SESSION. WE HAVE A COM'PLET&FILM, AUDIO, TAPE, AND TRANSCRIPT RECORD OF EVERY'WO'RD THAT WAS SAID. WE ALSO LET THE PUBLIC, THRU THE~ NEWS MEDIA, KNOW OF A ROPER'PUBLI'C OPINI= POLL WHICH'HAD' BEEN CONDU'CTED, IN EACH, OF THE FORUM CITIES. MORE THAN' ONE' OUT OF' FIVE OF'THOSE POLLED' SAIDiTHEY FELT LESS'LIKE SUPPORTING'THE ACS WHiEN' THEY' HEARD HOW' LITTLE MONEY THE SO'CIETY' ACTUALLY SPENDS ON SMOKING AND HEALTH'RESEARCH. ACCORDING T0 THE ROPER SURVEY, PEOPLE THOUGHT THE ACS SPENDS HALF ITS - PUBLICLY CONTRIBUTED FUNDS' ON THAT RESEARCH. ACTUALLY, R 4;

IT WAS ONLY $3001,00'0' 0'UT' OF AN' INCOMEI THAT YEAR OF WELL `~ - - - „ OVER $100~~-MILLI~ON'., A COPY' O~F~ O~N'E~ OF OU~R~ NEW~S~ RELEASES ~. ~ 3 40, ~ Otd~ THE~ FORUMSI&IN YOUR PACKET. ~ AS~~ MENT'IONED:EARLIER, WE~~"RIE~ A ~ LOT MORE AGGRESSIVE N'O~W'~ THAN WE~ USED, T0~ BE'.~ OUR' MO~~ST~ VIS~~A~BLE~ ACTIVITY I~S~~ IN' A~DV'ERTZ~S~~IIwTG~ (A SAMPLE IS~~ IN' THE PA~CKETI A~ND~, OUR'~ TEA'M~ OF~ SPQKESM'EN,.. THE GREEN SHEET IN THE PACKET DETAILS SOME OF OU'RI RECENT' ACTIVITY: OUR SERIES OF ADS THIS YEAR HAS' APPEARED IN TIME', NEWSWEEK, U.S. NEWS, VIRTUALLY ALL SUNDAY NEWSPAP'ERS', AND A SELECTION! OF+' SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS. WE THINK THE R RESPONSE HAS BEEN, PRETTY GOOD. JUST TW'Q WEEKS AGO, WHILE I WAS~~ ATTEND~~AG THE~ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF' THE~ R'~A~D'~IO, TELEVISION NEWS DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION, A SURPRISINGLY LARGE NUMBER OF REPORTERS AND NEWS EXECUTIVES COMPLI- MENTED OUR CAMPAIGNI. WE THINK'WE'''VE HELPED BRING SOME REASON TO THE ISSUES. AND SO, APPARENTLY, DO QUITE A FEW PEOPLE' IN THE NEWS BU SIN'ESS . THE FOUR INSTITUTE PEOPLE WH'0' MAKE UP' OUR SPOKES- MAN TEAMI, „ MYSELFINCLUDED, HAVETR~AVELEDHUND'REDS OF' THOUSANDS OF MILES IN TH& PAST FOUR' A'ND' A HALF YEARS TALKING ABOUT TOBACCO ISSUES. WE FOU'N'D'THE PUBLIC IS R'EALLYIN'TERESTEDIIN A FULL DISCUiSSIO'N. WE HAV'ERE'- NEWED FAITH' IN THE JUDG'MENT' OF' THE VOTING' PUBLIC ON' G 04 SMOKING RESTRICTIOU MEAS'URES. AND WE "REI THANKFUiL TH'AT' ~ 09 THE BROADCAST MEDIA HAVE OPEN'ED THEIR AIRWAVES TO US. ~ . ~ EVEN THOUGH'THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATZONS COMMISSION'TO'LD .I O

. BRO'~A~D~C'ASTERS~ LON~~G~ AGO ~~ THATTHEY~ OWE~ US,N~GRESP'0?dSE~ TIM& WHATSOEVER. I''M PROUD TO' B A PART OF "BUSINESS SPEAKING UP' FOR' BUSINES'S~.~"~ TRY'IN~~G~ T~~O~~ C~U~RESOME~~ OF THAT PRENICIOUS B'U~~S~INESS ~---- - - _-- . LOCKJAW. I THINK,W'E ALL SUSPECT'THAT A BUSINESS OPERIATOR'S FIRST REACTION TO A REPORTER'' S CALL IS' TO SAY "N4 COMMEN'1"., r" WE' ALSIO KNOW THA'T REACTION USUALLY GETS TRANSLATED INTO THE PUBLIC mIND A'S "WHAT ARE THEY HIDING'.r" WE INITHE' TOBACCO INDUSTRY FOUND OU'T', NEARLY TOO LATE, WHAT PRICE SILENCE EXTRACTS. OUR BOTTOMlLINE ISTHIS':~ PEOPLE DES'ERV&ALL THE HON'EST'INFO'RMATIQN THEY CANiGET ABOUT SMOKING. WHETHER' IT C~~OTWIE& FROR` US!,, THE CA~~NCER' SO~~CIETY~,, THE GOUER~~NMENT~, QR~ FAMILY DOCTOR, ADULTS SHOULD HAVE THE CHAN~C-E' TO MAKE U'P' THEIR OWN MINDS' ABOUT WHAT THEY WANT' T0 DO. WE WILL CON- TINUE TO RESI'ST VIGOROUSLY ANYO'NE''S EFFORT TO~GET THE LAW' AFTERI THEM'.. R