Daily Doc: PM, Nov 23, 1988: Avoiding the Health Issue by Focusing on 'Corporate Responsbility'
Daily Doc: Avoiding the Health Issue by Focusing on "Corporate Responsbility"
Title: Memorandum Between Philip Morris Counsel Regarding Public Relations Strategy Related to Smoking and Health Issues
PM, Nov 23, 1988
Bates #: 2021156949/6951
January 26, 2000
In this 1988 Philip Morris (PM) document, Philip Morris Counsel Gary Long is instructing Charles Wall of PM on how to frame a speech to improve the company's public image while avoiding "the primary issue" (industry-ese for the health issue). Incredibly, the writer refers to the speech as the "frank statement" speech, harking back to the tobacco industry's original 1954 "Frank Statement" ad, which is now widely recognized as a bold lie.
Notice the out-and-out recommendation to dodge the smoking and health issue and focus instead solely on "corporate responsibility" and the "recognition of the continued necessity of research in the smoking and health area," even though PM already knows what smoking does to health:
"Industry foes are concerned that Philip Morris may use this increasing economic power to attempt to downplay the public debate concerning smoking and health, by lobbying activity, by controlling internal smoking policies of its non-cigarette divisions, by its advertising decisions and by pressure on its suppliers. Perhaps the focus of the speech could be Philip Morris' recognition of the continued necessity for research in the smoking and health area as well as a statement that discussion on the issue is encouraged by the Company..."Today, PM's "foes" are still concerned with the same issues, particularly that PM is using its economic power to control the debate and pressure media not to carry anti-tobacco ads, and PM is still using the same dodging tactic of focusing on "corporate responsbility."
CITATION
Title: Memorandum Between Philip Morris Counsel Regarding Public Relations Strategy Related to Smoking and Health Issues.
Type of Document: Memorandum, draft, confidential attorney-client work product
Author Long, GR - Philip Morris
Recipient: Wall, CR - Philip Morris
Date: 19881123
Site: Tobacco Documents Online, BLILEY COLLECTION http://www.tobaccodocuments.org/
Page Count 3
Bates No. 2021156949/6951
URL: http://www.tobaccodocuments.org/view.cfm?docid=23501&source=BLILEY&ShowImages=yes
Litigation Usage: None yet
Found Using Search Criteria: "speech and confidential" on TDO
QUOTES
As a result of our discussion regarding the draft "frank statement" speech, I have given some thought about a possible alternative theme for such a speech. The purpose of the speech seems to be to improve the public image of the company. I believe...it would be difficult to give a speech focusing on the smoking and health issue which would both (1) improve the public perception of the company; and (2) not create litigation risks, including focused discovery requests....
...The only way the public at large will learn of any statements in the speech is through the media. Because there are a number of tobacco foes in the media, anything said in the speech regarding smoking and health that can potentially be used by the media against the company will be used...against the company. For this reason, it might be advisable to focus the speech on overall corporate responsibility, rather than focusing on smoking and health...
Bill Shinn provided me with a copy of an editorial in the Monday, November 14, 1988, edition of the New York Times, a copy of which is attached. The thrust of the editorial is that Philip Morris is continually gaining economic power through its acquisitions of companies such as General Foods and Kraft. Industry foes are concerned that Philip Morris may use this increasing economic power to attempt to downplay the public debate concerning smoking and health, by lobbying activity, by controlling internal smoking policies of its non-cigarette divisions, by its advertising decisions and by pressure on its suppliers. Perhaps the focus of the speech could be Philip Morris' recognition of the continued necessity for research in the smoking and health area as well as a statement that discussion on the issue is encouraged by the Company...
...In its present form, I doubt that the speech will accomplish its purpose of improving the company's public image...In its present form, the draft is basically a defensive effort, aimed at the company's critics...
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