WARNING LABELS ON EXPORTED CIGARETTES
WARNING LABELS ON EXPORTED CIGARETTES
PHILIP MORRIS COMPANIES INC.
120 PARK AVENUE, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10017
INTER-OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE
CONFIDENTIAL
Date: October 22, 1991
To: Michael A. Miles
From: Murray H. Bring
Subject: WARNING LABELS ON EXPORTED CIGARETTES
I have asked Harold Burson for his views about a communications plan should we decide voluntarily to place warning labels on all exported cigarettes. Burson believes that:
1. This is something we should do.
2. We should not make a public announcement at the time we do so, but should have a statement available if we are asked a question about it by the media, or if we should subsequently decide to talk to The New York Times or The Wall Street journal about this change in practice. He thinks we should control this publicity as much as possible.
3. We should not "make a big deal" out of this change, but should be prepared to take credit for doing something constructive when it becomes known that we have made the change.
Burson is working up some language that we might want to use and will send it to me shortly. I think that something along the following lines might be appropriate:
"We believe that people the world over are aware of the claimed health risks associated with smoking. For that reason, we have thought it appropriate in the past to place health warnings on our products only to the extent required by the local authorities in the countries in which our products are sold. This we have scrupulously done. The nature and content of these warnings vary around the world, and we have thought that it was a matter which the local authorities should determine. In fact, over % of the cigarettes which we manufacture and sell presently contain health warnings.
Michael A. Miles
October 22,1991
Page-2
"Recently, the absence of health warnings in a few jurisdictions, which account for only % of our total sales, has been the subject of considerable controversy. Since we see no reason for this to be a subject of controversy, we have decided voluntarily to place health warnings on the small quantity of cigarettes which do not presently contain any mandated warnings.
"Starting [date], all cigarettes exported by Philip Morris contained health warnings. To the extent that those warnings are not required by local law, we have placed the rotating United States Surgeon General's warnings which are required under U. S. law. The warnings are set forth in the language of the country to which the cigarettes are being shipped."
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