From: afoxland@starband.net
Date: Fri, 08/15/03
Anne LandmanPosting Date: August 15, 2003
'Best' Program for C.T.R.
Company/Source: Philip Morris (A division of Altria Group)
Document Date: 08 Dec 1970
Length: 3 pages
Bates No. 2022200161/0163
URL: http://tobaccodocuments.org/landman/2022200161-0163.html
PDF Version: http://tobaccodocuments.org/landman/2022200161-0163.pdf
In this 3-page Philip Morris memo from 1970, Helmut Wakeham (Philip
Morris' Director of Research) writes to Joseph Cullman III (Chairman of Philip
Morris) to give his thoughts on how the tobacco industry could best "use" the
Council for Tobacco Research, or CTR. (CTR was originally organized in 1954 as
the Tobacco Industry Research Committee, or TIRC, to research the link between
smoking and illness. It was formed as the industry's response to allegations
that smoking caused illness. It was renamed Council for Tobacco Research-USA,
or CTR, in 1964.)
While publicly the industry claimed it was funding CTR to assist in
finding the causes of diseases and to investigate the health effects of its
products, privately the industry was using CTR to help obscure the link between
smoking and health. This memo is evidence of the industry's intent to use CTR
to obscure the link between smoking and health and further its own interests
rather than those of public health.
Of research performed by CTR, Wakeham says,
"Let's face it. We are interested in evidence which we believe denies
the allegation that cigaret smoking causes disease...all caveats and platitudes,
aside, we must assume that CTR exists for the good of the Industry. How could
this benefit be achieved?...
Wakeham proposes how industry could put CTR to use for its own public
relations benefit:
"Option A.
Aim the program at contributing to the search for the causes of
diseases, especially those diseases alleged to be caused by smoking.
Rationale 1: Pro bono publico institutional public relations - the
industry is interested human welfare and alleviation of human suffering;
therefore, the public should love and respect us and buy our products.
Rationale 2: With more research there is a good chance the
smoker-related diseases willi be found to result from causes other than smoking,
and the Industry is 'off the hook.'..."
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Notes
This document was used as a Trial Exhibit in Minnesota and Texas.
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Quotes:
2. It has been stated that CTR is a program to find out "the truth
about smoking and health.'" What is truth to one is false to another. CTR and
the Industry have publicly and frequently denied what others find as "truth."
Let's face it. We are interested in evidence which we believe denies the
allegation that cigaret smoking causes disease. If the CTR program is aimed in
this direction, it is in effect trying to prove the negative-- that cigaret
smoking does not cause disease. Both lawyers and scientists will agree that this
task is extremely difficult, if not impossible.
3. What then are the alternatives? Somehow all caveats and
platitudes, aside, we must assume that CTR exists for the good of the Industry.
How could this benefit be achieved?
Option A.
Aim the program at contributing to the search for the causes of
diseases, especially those diseases alleged to be caused by smoking.
Rational[e] 1
Pro bono publico institutional public relations - the industry is
interested human welfare and alleviation of human suffering; therefore, the
public should love and respect us and buy our products.
Rational[e] 2
With more research there is a good chance the smoker-related
diseases will be found to result from causes other than smoking, and the
Industry is "off the hook."..
Option B
Use the CTR program as a means of establishing expert scientific
witnesses who will testify on behalf of the Industry, in legislative halls, in
litigations, at scientific meetings and before the press and the public...If
this objective is the purpose of CTR, then a very limited, selective grant
program should be adequate to do the job. There would be little need for
research contracts or an extensive staff in headquarters. One might also
question how long it would take for the witnesses to acquire the "taint" of
Industry money...
Option C:
Aim CTR research at the discovery of information of use and value to
the cigaret industry...
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Company: Philip Morris (a division of Altria Group)
Author: Wakeham, Helmut R. R., Ph.D. (VP R&D for PM) Vice
President and Director of Research & Development, Philip Morris
Recipient: Cullman, Joseph Frederick III (President of PM 57-78)
Executive vice president and senior marketing executive of Philip Morris in
the 1950s. Exec. VP 1955-57. President in 1958, held that position until 1967.
Chairman from 1968-1972 and acquired title of CEO. Chairman of the Executive
Committee, 1979-85. On the Board of Directors from 1954-1985.
Region: United States
Operation/Project: Council for Tobacco Research (Public relations
research machine) Created by the tobacco industry as a public relations
effort to help obscure the link between smoking and health.
Named Organization: CTR (Council for Tobacco Research) Executive
Comm
Council for Tobacco Research (CTR) (Formerly Tobacco Industry
Research Committee (TIRC)) Originally organized as the Tobacco Industry
Research Committe(TIRC)in 1954, and renamed Council for Tobacco Research-USA
(CTR) in 1964.
Scientific Advisory Board (SAB)
American Tobacco
Litigation: STMN/Produced
STMN/Trial Exhibit P-11586
STMN/Trial Exhibit P-2246
STMN/Trial Exhibit P-2553
STMN/Trial Exhibit P-3405
TXAG/Trial Exhibit P-11420
TXAG/Trial Exhibit P-15634
STMN/Selected
Type: MEMO, MEMORANDUM
Subject: research activity
industry front group
industry recommendation
industry sponsored research
industry strategy
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