Daily Doc: PM, May 20, 1979: Countermeasures Development Program
Daily Doc: Countermeasures Development Program
Title: Countermeasures Development Program - confidential
PM, May 20, 1979
Bates #: TIMN0156508-6520
October 17, 2000
This is a speech made in confidence by a Philip Morris representative to the members of the global tobacco industry at a meeting of the International Committee on Smoking Issues (ICOSI). ICOSI was organized to oppose world-wide anti-tobacco measures.
Note the warlike tone to the Philip Morris employee's speech, which featured phrases like:
"We must also have countermeasures going directly to the antis. We can no longer ignore them....Between government and the antis, there is now mutual support. In many countries, it is hard to tell the antis from certain branches of government. That's the reason why the industry has to start attacking the antis directly with countermeasures. . .This clandestine speech before members of the global tobacco industry is in stark contrast to the public rhetoric the industry published in the "Frank Statement" of 1954, wherein they said:
"But in developing countermeasures, I believe we mustn't forget that a state of war does exist...
"Countermeasures are weapons, or combinations of weapons....We must produce a continual supply of the AMMUNITION."
[emphasis in original]
"We accept an interest in people's health as a basic responsibility, paramount to every other consideration in our business. . .Should an industry that publicly promises to protect public health while secretly declaring war on public health be trusted? How about five years later? Ten, or twenty years later?
"We always have and always will cooperate with those whose task it is to safeguard the public health."
CITATION
Title: Countermeasures Development Program - confidential
Type of Document: Speech/Presentation
Author: Corner RM - Philip Morris
Recipient: N/A
Date: 19790520
Site: Tobacco Institute document site http://www.tobaccoinstitute.com/
Page Count 13
Bates No. TIMN0156508-6520
URL: http://my.tobaccodocuments.org/tdo/view.cfm?CitID=32136&GetListArrayIdx
Litigation Usage: Minnesota AG
Found Using Search Criteria: "Countermeasures"
QUOTES
During the course of this Conference, someone made the remark that the most emotive work in the English language is the Big "C" for Cancer. That may be true, but during this Conference the most often quoted word in the English language has been the Big "C" for Countermeasures.
...Countermeasures are the words we use to describe our responses to the attack made on us. As we have seen...the National Associations are the keys to countermeasures....We find that there has been an enormous amount of innovation, really creative things that have been done, really imaginative programs that have come forward from the Associations.
What are the kinds of countermeasures that have been undertaken? There are many different country-by-country countermeasures, but....perhaps there are five basic varieties of countermeasures that the industry and the Associations have taken.
First of all, there is the lobbying of people who make laws. The most basic kind of countermeasures...
We also lobby the bureaucrats, those who are entrusted with translating laws into regulations.
We have seen countermeasures that are designed to mobilize the Tobacco Family and the word "Family here is used with the widest connotations.
We have seen some excellent examples of countermeasures designed to win referendums.
We must also speak directly to public opinion, before we are able to talk to lawmakers, to talk to regulators, to talk to ourselves--but now we must go out and directly influence public opinion.
And here is the slide...illustrating the confused world that is today, in which the antis are talking directly to the public: The public is questioning the industry, and we must begin now with countermeasures directed towards the general public. We must also have countermeasures going directly to the antis. We can no longer ignore them....Between government and the antis, there is now mutual support. In many countries, it is hard to tell the antis from certain branches of government. That's the reason why the industry has to start attacking the antis directly with countermeasures. And finally, there is another nuance that the public is beginning to accept education and restrictions. So, this is today's world, and this is why we need more and vigorous countermeasures and why we need innovation.
When we consider new countermeasures, what kind of things do we need to do?....We must assist the smoker. ..He's not certain what is socially acceptable. We must reassure him and and assist him. We need very much to separate the anti-smokers from the non-smokers, and keep more non-smokers from becoming antis.
We must find ways to research new facts for governments to help us.
We must influence the public directly. We must discredit the antis.
We should take the fight we have and the challenges we are facing as an industry and link them into major public concerns. For example, freedom of the individual in the face of increasing government interference in his life.
...The goals is to provide the maximum countermeasure assistance from ICOSI.
.......We have been warned here about the danger of allowing ourselves to adopt a siege mentality. And we have heard some interesting comments questioning whether it is right, as they say in the Army, to shoot at everything that moves.
But in developing countermeasures, I believe we mustn't forget that a state of war does exist...
Countermeasures are weapons, or combinations of weapons. Because weapons systems are usually custom-designed to meet the needs and match the capabilities of their users. Who is going to use it? What's its job going to be?.....Our ammunition is facts, scientific evidence, opinion supported by scientific arguments...Information and evidence gathered from throughout the Industry and pulled together in position papers on the vital subjects. We must produce a continual supply of the AMMUNITION.
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Anne Landman, Regional Program Coordinator
American Lung Association of Colorado, West Region Office
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