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Historians as Expert Judicial Witnesses in Tobacco Litigation pp 157–171Cite as

The Tobacco Industry and Its Tactics

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Part of the book series: Studies in the History of Law and Justice ((SHLJ,volume 4))

Abstract

In this third and final chapter on the history of the tobacco industry and its product, I discuss the role the Hill & Knowlton marketing company played in creating a deception of the general public. The Frank Statement, the Tobacco Industry Research Committee, the Tobacco Institute, mass-marketing techniques, and extensive lobby-work were all part of a strategy to lead the American public to believe that there still existed a scientific controversy on smoking despite the fact that the tobacco companies’ own scientists had convincing evidence to the contrary. These tactics by the tobacco industry are key elements of the testimony of expert historians in tobacco litigation today.

Doubt is our product, since it is the best means of competing with the “body of fact” that exists in the mind of the general public.

Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company (1969)

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See Part III, Sect. 10.2.7. Mass-Marketing Techniques, cfr. supra.

  2. 2.

    See Part III, Sect. 11.2. The Reports of the Surgeon General, cfr. supra.

  3. 3.

    Brandt, Allan. 2007. The Cigarette Century. The Rise, Fall and Deadly Persistence of a Product that Defined America. New York: Basic Books, 159.

  4. 4.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 160.

  5. 5.

    Proctor, Robert. 1996. Cancer Wars: How Politics Shapes What We Know and Don’t Know About Cancer. New York: Basic Books, 101–132.

  6. 6.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 161, reference 9, 528. & Kluger, Richard. 1997. Ashes to Ashes: America’s Hundred-Year Cigarette War, the Public Health, and the Unabashed Triumph of Philip Morris. New York: Vintage Books, 152.

  7. 7.

    Norr, Roy. 1952. Cancer by the Carton. Reader’s Digest, December, 7–8. LTDL. Bates Number: TIMN0105705/5707. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/bcm92f00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  8. 8.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 163.

  9. 9.

    Proctor, Robert. 2004. The Global Smoking Epidemic: A History and Status Report. Clinical Lung Cancer 5, 374.

  10. 10.

    The univocal reaction of the industry on the Readers Digest article is a perfect example of the oligopolistic structure of the industry. See Part III, Sect. 10.2.4. The Oligopolistic Structure of the Tobacco Industry, cfr. supra.

  11. 11.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 165.

  12. 12.

    American Tobacco. 1953. Press Release. 26/11/1953, 1. http://tobaccodocuments.org/ness/6746.html. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  13. 13.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 164.

  14. 14.

    Hartnett, Timothy. 1953. Memorandum from T. V. Hartnett. 15/12/1953, 1–4. LTDL. Bates Number: CORTI0015611/5614. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/kvl30c00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  15. 15.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 166.

  16. 16.

    Goss, Bert. 1953. Background Material on the Cigarette Industry Client. 15/12/1953, 1–5. LTDL. Bates Number: TIOK0034094/4098. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/ufu91f00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  17. 17.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 166–167.

  18. 18.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 170.

  19. 19.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 167.

  20. 20.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 167, 250.

  21. 21.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 167.

  22. 22.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 169.

  23. 23.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 169.

  24. 24.

    Brandt, as n. 3, reference 29, 529.

  25. 25.

    Tobacco Industry Research Committee. 1954. A Frank Statement to Cigarette smokers. 04/01/1954. LTDL. Bates Number: 6017454. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/qxp91e00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  26. 26.

    Tobacco Industry Research Committee, as n. 25.

  27. 27.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 171.

  28. 28.

    Cummings, Michael, Morley, Christopher, and Hyland, Andrew. 2002. Failed Promises of the Cigarette Industry and its Effect on Consumer Misperceptions about the Health Risks of Smoking. Tobacco Control 11, 111–114.

  29. 29.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 172.

  30. 30.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 172.

  31. 31.

    Proctor, as n. 9, 374.

  32. 32.

    Hill & Knowlton. 1954. A scientific Perspective on the Cigarette Controversy. 03/05/1954, 21. LTDL. Bates Number: 961008152/8172. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/wye21a00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  33. 33.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 195.

  34. 34.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 173, 181.

  35. 35.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 184, 218.

  36. 36.

    Proctor, as n. 9, 374.

  37. 37.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 185.

  38. 38.

    Teague, Claude. 1953. Survey of Cancer Research with Emphasis upon Possible Carcinogens in Tobacco. 02/02/1953, 23. LTDL. Bates Number: 519198674–519198696. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/jyb77a00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  39. 39.

    Proctor, as n. 9, 374.

  40. 40.

    Rodgman, Allan. 1964. The Analysis of Cigarette Smoke condensate. 12/02/1964, 56–63. LTDL. Bates Number: 504912643/2713. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/kyv35d00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  41. 41.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 200.

  42. 42.

    Dupuis, R. 1954. Confidential Memo to George Weisaman and Parker McComas. 31/03/1954, 1. LTDL. Bates Number: 2022239347. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/etx74e00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  43. 43.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 200.

  44. 44.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 199.

  45. 45.

    Proctor, as n. 9, 374. The different waves of litigation against the tobacco industry will be addressed in the following chapter, see Part III, Chap. 13: Tobacco Litigation, cfr. infra.

  46. 46.

    Wakeham, Helmut. 1959. An Opinion on Cigarette Smoking and Cancer. 22/09/1959, 1–2. LTDL. Bates Number: 3990224608/3990224609. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/nqs82i00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  47. 47.

    Wakeham, Helmut. 1961. Wakeham Presentation to R&D Committee, New York Office. 15/11/1961, 1. LTDL. Bates Number: 2501200235/0238. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/mvx88d00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  48. 48.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 202.

  49. 49.

    Proctor, as n. 9, 374–375. Brandt reports 500,000 issues. See Brandt, as n. 3, 197.

  50. 50.

    Cummings, Michael, Brown, Anthony, and O’Conner, Richard. 2007. The Cigarette Controversy. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention 16, 1072.

  51. 51.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 197.

  52. 52.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 243.

  53. 53.

    Proctor, as n. 9, 375.

  54. 54.

    Glantz, Staton, Slade, John, Bero, Lisa, Hanauer, Peter, and Barnes, Deborah. 1998. The Cigarette Papers. Berkeley: University of California Press, 179–180.

  55. 55.

    Proctor, as n. 9, 375.

  56. 56.

    Glantz, Staton, Slade, John, Bero, Lisa, Hanauer, Peter, and Barnes, Deborah, as n. 54, 179.

  57. 57.

    Proctor, as n. 9, 375

  58. 58.

    Cfr. Supra, see Part III, Sect. 11.2. The Reports of the Surgeon General. See the discussion between the Public Health Service and the American Health Association.

  59. 59.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 249–250.

  60. 60.

    Cfr. Supra, see Part III, Sect. 11.2. The Reports of the Surgeon General.

  61. 61.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 225–226.

  62. 62.

    Little, Clarence. 1964. Confidential Memorandum: Meeting with Dr. Peter V. V. Hamill on April 29. 29/04/1964, 2. LTDL. Bates Number: HK0441013/1014[DUP1]. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/dfx10a00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  63. 63.

    Brandt, as n. 3, reference 110, 533.

  64. 64.

    Philip Morris. 1958. Another Frank Statement to Smokers. 12/12/1958, 3. LTDL. Bates Number: 1005104253/4255. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/ifh48d00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  65. 65.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 197.

  66. 66.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 197–198.

  67. 67.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 183, 204.

  68. 68.

    Brandt, as n. 3, reference 71, 531.

  69. 69.

    See Part III, Sect. 13.4. Tobacco Tactics in Court: Legal Game Theory, cfr. infra.

  70. 70.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 183.

  71. 71.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 247.

  72. 72.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 198, 211.

  73. 73.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 202.

  74. 74.

    Greenberg, D. S. 1964. Tobacco: After Publicity Surge, Surgeon General’s Report Seems to Have Little Enduring Effect. Science 145, 1021. Bates Number: 503241522/1523. LTDL. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/nrn18c00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  75. 75.

    Hill, John. 1962. Smoking Health and Statistics: the Story of the Tobacco Accounts. 26/02/1962, 35. LTDL. Bates Number: HKC000001-HKC000038. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/xtq56b00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  76. 76.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 202.

  77. 77.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 106.

  78. 78.

    Wynder, Ernst. 1961. An Appraisal of the Smoking-Lung-Cancer Issue. New England Journal of Medicine 264, 1240. LTDL. Bates Number: 501861161/1166. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/zmy29d00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014. This statement is similar to that of Graham in The Lancet of 1954, see Part III, Sect. 11.1. The Discovery of Tobacco Health Hazards, cfr. supra.

  79. 79.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 206.

  80. 80.

    Little, Clarence. 1961. An Appraisal of the Smoking-Lung-Cancer Issue. New England Journal of Medicine 264, 1245. http://tobaccodocuments.org/lor/00325384-5388.html. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  81. 81.

    Garland, Joseph. 1961. The Great Debate. New England Journal of Medicine 264, 1266. http://tobaccodocuments.org/lor/00325389.html. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  82. 82.

    Garland, Joseph. 1953. Cancer of the Lung. New England Journal of Medicine 249, 465. LTDL. Bates Number: 2018018568/2018018569. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/iwt88h00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  83. 83.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 207.

  84. 84.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 231.

  85. 85.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 188.

  86. 86.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 234, 265–266.

  87. 87.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 234, 265–266.

  88. 88.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 252.

  89. 89.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 231–237.

  90. 90.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 245.

  91. 91.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 244.

  92. 92.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 201

  93. 93.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 244–245.

  94. 94.

    Teague, Claude. 1953. Survey of Cancer Research with Emphasis upon Possible Carcinogens in Tobacco. 02/02/1953, 23. LTDL. Bates Number: 519198674–519198696. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/jyb77a00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  95. 95.

    Dunn, William, and Johnston, Myron. 1966. Market Potential of a Health Cigarette. 06/1966, 2. LTDL. Bates Number: 3990049246/3990049270. http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/kzz82i00. Accessed 31 Oct 2014.

  96. 96.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 245.

  97. 97.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 247.

  98. 98.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 261–262.

  99. 99.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 262.

  100. 100.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 263.

  101. 101.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 267–268.

  102. 102.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 267–268.

  103. 103.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 269–270.

  104. 104.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 270.

  105. 105.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 277.

  106. 106.

    Brandt, as n. 3, 276–277.

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    Ramses Delafontaine

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Delafontaine, R. (2015). The Tobacco Industry and Its Tactics. In: Historians as Expert Judicial Witnesses in Tobacco Litigation. Studies in the History of Law and Justice, vol 4. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14292-0_12

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