Tobacco Documents Online

PHILIP MORRIS U.S.A. INTER -OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE- 100 Park Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017 To: • Mr. J. F. Cullman 3rd J From: • R. R. Millhiser J, J . Date: March 19, 1970 Subject: - Lewis Powell's "Comments on the Vietnamese W r" The clarity and logical structure of Lewis Powell~'s writings make them a joy to read~; so easy to understand once over. Thanks for.sending this latest one to me. In reading through his comments starting part way down page 19, it immediately brought to mind~ the "'Draft Statement for B'ill', Enactment" dated 3/ 17/70 which Jim Bowling sent me. Let me plagiarize Lewis Powell's words here and suggest it for the final paragraph in this draft statement -- "In retrospect, we have erred in permitting blatant untruths and emotional charges to be unanswered. As a result, what is not universally accepted among the most objective and'rigorous institutions of research, we have lost in the arenas of public opinion. home exaggerated statements and psychological vignettes, often selected for sensationalism and' sometimes even for bias. This reporting did not portray a balanced overall picture. Certainly it was not desi~gned to reflect the status of research knowledge as eminent scilentilsts think it to be. The result was widespread popular misconception--both as to the nature of disease and the role of smoking. "While we were relatively silent and inactive in this critical area of public opinion, the most devastating political and psychological media warfare ever known was conducted against us. It was aided by massive, unprecedented, government enforced' free TV time, which brought into every American "We hope to correct this and encourage objective reasoning so that all forces can be effectively utilized to resolve the un- answered questions in the smokin nd health controversy.". ~~i cc:-,'Mr. G. Weissman Mr. P. D. Smith Mr. J. C. Bowling