from:
http://cbc.ca/national/news/tobacco/index.html
Click Here: <A HREF="http://cbc.ca/national/news/tobacco/index.html">The
National - News - The Shockerwick File</A>
-----


The Shockerwick File
July 6, 2000

Terry Milewski reports for CBC TV
The Shockerwick File reveals that the international tobacco industry secretly
agreed in 1977 to forgo competition on the basis of health claims. No company
would try to advertise that its cigarettes were "safer," because the tobacco
chiefs felt that could be used to imply an admission that existing cigarettes
were not safe.

About 40 million tobacco industry documents were ordered to be made "public"
in a 1998 Minnesota case � but, because of their immense volume, legal
researchers are only now finding some key items. Only if you know the numbers
by which these are catologues is it possible to find them. Many are posted on
the Philip Morris site. Enter a document number and page one will come up.
Hit "view all pages" for the whole document.

1.  2025025286  Tobacco chiefs prepare for a secret summit - Dec 1976: "the
meeting would be as discreet as possible with, hopefully, no publicity
emanating thereform, with a public affairs statement ready should news of
such a meeting leak out."

2.  2025025290-5291  Purpose of summit: Dec 1976: "to try to form a defensive
smoking and health strategy, to avoid our countries and/or companies being
picked off one by one, with a resultant domino effect."

3.  2025024797  June 77 Shockerwick House Summit guest list: Chairmen of BAT,
Philip Morris, Imperial, RJ Reynolds, Reemtsma, Rothmans, Gallaher. Page two

4.  2501024522-4525 June 77 Chairmen adopt "Operation Berkshire" position
paper: "...it is better to speak as an industry with one voice on such
matters...the causation issue remains controversial and unresolved...If
governments propose wording implying or stating smoking causes certain
diseases, companies must strenuously resist with all means at their
disposal...and (advertising) claims...that one cigarette is healthier or less
harmful than another should be avoided....resist any requirements to put
figures for the yields of smoke constituents or tar groups on packs..."

5.  2501024528 and 2025025294  Shockerwick summit results in formation of
ICOSI: International Committee on Smoking Issues. 2025025294 spells out
ICOSI's goals.

6.  2501018156 Multinationals only need apply: April 78: "Membership (in
ICOSI) is restricted to free-enterprise tobacco companies with interests in a
number of national markets."

7.  2501018156 Outline of ICOSI strategy: "...industry's opponents are making
rapid progress...Their objective is clear, a reduction of smoking till around
the turn of the century smoking will be practically eradicated. The industry
must arrive as soon as possible at an optimum professional planning and
execution of international counter-campaigns...Plan information
campaigns...to create understanding and acceptance of the industry's position
on all aspects of the Smoking Health issues...this should be continuous,
long-term activity."

8.  2501024528  Immediately after the Shockerwick meeting, the policy is
invoked in Norway: June 28/77 - BAT accuses Philip Morris of breaking the
agreement by agreeing to tar and nicotine tables being published in Norway:
"it would seem to go against if not the letter, then certainly the spirit of
our joint companies' position paper...you are setting a most unwelcome
precedent.."

9.  202425812  The following spring, the policy is invoked in Canada: May 78
Cdn Tobacco Manufacturers' council proposed to Health Canada to commit to
reduce tar and nicotine to a set level. Philip Morris objects: "This is
contrary to ICOSI policy."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some other documents appear at the Guildford site, which is mirrored in
Canada and are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

10. BATCo 104576617 The policy is invoked in Holland: 1983: BATCo accuses
Philip Morris in Holland of breaking ranks. "the first occasion of which we
are aware when a competitor has raised the health issue to gain competitive
advantage." "...makes a mockery of Industry co-operation on smoking and
health issues."

11. BAT 304017352 - 357 The policy is invoked - and the product not
developed- in Canada: in1986, Montreal's IMASCO (40% owned by BAT)proposes
the development of a "safe" cigarette (see page 5) as a way to win market
share. Patrick Sheehy, then head of BAT, responds: (page 2) "...the BAT
objective is and should be to make the whole subject of smoking acceptable.to
the authorities and the public....in attempting to develop a 'safe' cigarette
you are, by implication in danger of being interpreted as accepting that the
current product is 'unsafe'..."

12. Tobacco litigation links: BC Government alleges "conspiracy."

13. U.S. Dept. of Justice "RICO" suit alleges "conspiracy":

The CBC and the National do not endorse and are not responsible for the
content of any linked documents.
-----
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