Corrected fact TIRC preceded CTR
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Revision as of 02:54, 4 October 2016
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{{#badges: tobaccowiki}}
The '''Tobacco Industry Research Committee''' (TIRC), originally called the [[Council for Tobacco Research]], was established on December 28 1953,<ref>[http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/udt30a00 Topics Index - A Brief History of the Council for Tobacco Research, Originally called the Tobacco Industry Research Committee] Report. December 31, 1982. 21 pp. Council for Tobacco Research Bates No. CTRMN039046/9066 </ref> and first publicized in January 1954.<ref>Fuller & Smith & Ross, Inc., New York [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/rdn66b00 "A Frank Statement..." - Newspaper List 1954 Circulation State & Market Newspapers] Report. December 31, 1953. Ness Motley documents Bates No. 11309855/9879</ref> It was set up as a "shield" for the industry, serving as a public relations front for the industry by allowing it to claim it was funding research to find answers to any "questions" of smoking and health.<ref>[http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/udt30a00 Topics Index - A Brief History of the Council for Tobacco Research, Originally called the Tobacco Industry Research Committee] Report. December 31, 1982. 21 pp. Council for Tobacco Research Bates No. CTRMN039046/9066 </ref> Its offices were in the Empire State Building, one floor below that of the PR firm which ran it, [[Hill & Knowlton]].<ref>[http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/udt30a00 Topics Index - A Brief History of the Council for Tobacco Research, Originally called the Tobacco Industry Research Committee] Report. December 31, 1982. 21 pp. Council for Tobacco Research Bates No. CTRMN039046/9066 , at PDF page 5</ref> [[William Thomas Hoyt]] of H&K managed the whole operation, at first with the title of "Executive Secretary" and in 1961 with the title of "Executive Director.<ref>P.M.Hahn, American Tobacco Company [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/nez5aa00 No title] Letter. December 15, 1960. 1 page. Bates No. 11302869/2869</ref>
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{{#badges: tobaccowiki}}
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TIRC
'
s mission statement
was "
to aid
and
assist
research
into tobacco use
and health,
and particularly into
the
alleged relationship between
the
use
of
tobacco
and
lung cancer
,
and to make available to the public factual information on this subject
.
"
<ref>
No author.
[http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/
yie2aa00 Introduction
]
1969
.
1 page
. Bates No.
HK0944140
/
4140
</ref>
+
The
'
''Tobacco Industry Research Committee''' (TIRC), which
was
later called the [[Council for Tobacco Research]], was established on December 28 1953,<ref>[http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/udt30a00 Topics Index - A Brief History of the Council for Tobacco Research, Originally called the Tobacco Industry Research Committee] Report. December 31, 1982. 21 pp. Council for Tobacco Research Bates No. CTRMN039046/9066 </ref> and first publicized in January 1954.<ref>Fuller & Smith & Ross, Inc., New York [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/rdn66b00
"
A Frank Statement..." - Newspaper List 1954 Circulation State & Market Newspapers] Report. December 31, 1953. Ness Motley documents Bates No. 11309855/9879</ref> It was an extension of the Tobacco Institute,
and
it was set up as a "shield" for the industry, serving as a public relations front by allowing the industry to claim it was funding
research
to find answers to "questions" of smoking
and health
.<ref>[http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/udt30a00 Topics Index - A Brief History of the Council for Tobacco Research
,
Originally called
the
Tobacco Industry Research Committee] Report. December 31, 1982. 21 pp. Council for Tobacco Research Bates No. CTRMN039046/9066 </ref> Its offices were in
the
Empire State Building, one floor below that
of
the PR firm which originally set up
and
ran it
,
[[Hill & Knowlton]]
. <ref>[http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/
udt30a00 Topics Index - A Brief History of the Council for Tobacco Research, Originally called the Tobacco Industry Research Committee
]
Report
.
December 31, 1982
.
21 pp. Council for Tobacco Research
Bates No.
CTRMN039046
/
9066 , at PDF page 5
</ref>
−
In order to provide it with a modicum of credibility, the TIRC set up a seven-man Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), selected by [[Hill & Knowlton]] which had "full responsibility for research policy and programming, but does not itself directly engage in research."{{fact}} However, the members of the SAB all represented organizations (mostly university research departments) which were keen to get priority access to the new million dollar grant system.
+
[[William Thomas Hoyt]] of H&K managed the whole operation at first, with the title of "Executive Secretary" and, in 1961, with the title of "Executive Director.<ref>P.M.Hahn, American Tobacco Company [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/nez5aa00 No title] Letter. December 15, 1960. 1 page. Bates No. 11302869/2869</ref>
+
+
TIRC's mission statement was "to aid and assist research into tobacco use and health, and particularly into the alleged relationship between the use of tobacco and lung cancer, and to make available to the public factual information on this subject."<ref> No author. [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/yie2aa00 Introduction] 1969. 1 page. Bates No. HK0944140/4140</ref>
In order to provide it with a modicum of credibility, the TIRC set up a seven-man Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), selected by [[Hill & Knowlton]] which had "full responsibility for research policy and programming, but does not itself directly engage in research."{{fact}} However, the members of the SAB all represented organizations (mostly university research departments) which were keen to get priority access to the new million dollar grant system.
The industry maintained that "the TIRC didn't operate any research facilities itself, however the Tobacco Institute appears to have operated a $100,000 "Testing Laboratory" in 1976.<ref>[http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/iwu39d00 In response to your letter dated May 3, 1976, to Mr. Hobbs] Roemer, HC. Letter. May 11, 1976. R.J. Reynolds Bates No. 501518989</ref><ref> [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/phe6aa00 Smoking Machine] Hoyt, WT. Tobacco September, 1954. Council for Tobacco Research Bates No. 11310948/0948 </ref>
The industry maintained that "the TIRC didn't operate any research facilities itself, however the Tobacco Institute appears to have operated a $100,000 "Testing Laboratory" in 1976.<ref>[http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/iwu39d00 In response to your letter dated May 3, 1976, to Mr. Hobbs] Roemer, HC. Letter. May 11, 1976. R.J. Reynolds Bates No. 501518989</ref><ref> [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/phe6aa00 Smoking Machine] Hoyt, WT. Tobacco September, 1954. Council for Tobacco Research Bates No. 11310948/0948 </ref>
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Little had the right credentials as an administrator, and some claim to fame as a geneticist. He had been president at various times of the University of Michigan and the University of Maine, and he was also the long-term editor of ''Cancer'' magazine -- which would have not passed unnoticed by the tobacco industry's selection committee.
Little had the right credentials as an administrator, and some claim to fame as a geneticist. He had been president at various times of the University of Michigan and the University of Maine, and he was also the long-term editor of ''Cancer'' magazine -- which would have not passed unnoticed by the tobacco industry's selection committee.
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At the TIRC Little initially controlled the grant-making decisions as President of the SAB (later lawyers took some of the control out of his hands), and he made sure that the money was equitably shared around between all organizations with a representative on the board, plus a few genuine grants for show.
+
At the TIRC
,
Little initially controlled the grant-making decisions as President of the SAB (later lawyers took some of the control out of his hands), and he made sure that the money was equitably shared around between all organizations with a representative on the board, plus a few genuine grants for show.
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Many years before, in 1944, as managing director of the American Society for the Control of Cancer
,
the predecessor of the American Cancer Society
,
he had warned against smoking. But he appears to have been inversely
convinced of
smoking hazards as the scientific evidence against it
mounted
. As head of the TIRC, he made statements like: "if smoke in the lungs was a sure-fire cause of cancer we'd all have it. We'd all have had it long ago. The cause is much more complicated than that", and he dismissed statistical connections as not proving "causation".<ref>[http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/jfq60a00 A Reporter At Large, A Cloud Of Smoke] Whiteside, T. November 30, 1963. American Tobacco Bates No. 966018382/8390</ref>
+
Many years before, in 1944, as managing director of the American Society for the Control of Cancer
(
the predecessor of the American Cancer Society
)
he had warned against smoking. But he appears to have been inversely
persuaded as to
smoking
's
hazards as the scientific evidence against it
grew
. As head of the TIRC, he made statements like:
<blockquote><I>
"if smoke in the lungs was a sure-fire cause of cancer we'd all have it. We'd all have had it long ago. The cause is much more complicated than that", and he dismissed statistical connections as not proving "causation".<ref>[http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/jfq60a00 A Reporter At Large, A Cloud Of Smoke] Whiteside, T. November 30, 1963. American Tobacco Bates No. 966018382/8390</ref
></i></blockquote
>
His more flamboyant statements created headlines of the kind: "You can get cancer from eating chicken," and he criticized the UK Royal College of Physicians report saying that "it glosses over considerable scientific research" while maintaining that "every effort to induce lung cancer in animals by having them inhale tobacco smoke has failed."{{fact}}
His more flamboyant statements created headlines of the kind: "You can get cancer from eating chicken," and he criticized the UK Royal College of Physicians report saying that "it glosses over considerable scientific research" while maintaining that "every effort to induce lung cancer in animals by having them inhale tobacco smoke has failed."{{fact}}
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He died in harness in 1971 at age 83, and for safety's sake, subsequent directors of the new CTR were chosen by the tobacco industry lawyers ([Committee of Counsel]){{fact}}, rather than the PR advisors:
He died in harness in 1971 at age 83, and for safety's sake, subsequent directors of the new CTR were chosen by the tobacco industry lawyers ([Committee of Counsel]){{fact}}, rather than the PR advisors:
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*
[[William Ullman Gardner]] 1971-81,
+
#
[[William Ullman Gardner]] 1971-81,
−
*
[[Sheldon Charles Sommers]] 1981 - 87,
+
#
[[Sheldon Charles Sommers]] 1981 - 87,
−
*
[[James Francis Glenn]] 1988-90,
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#
[[James Francis Glenn]] 1988-90,
−
*
[[Harmon Carlyle McAllister, Jr.]] 1991-99).
+
#
[[Harmon Carlyle McAllister, Jr.]] 1991-99).
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The top full-time position -- the man who actually ran the program while Little was the figurehead --
was
[[Robert Casad Hockett]] who developed a substantial reputation in the industry as a first-class controller of scientists.{{fact}}
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The top full-time position -- the man who actually ran the program while Little was the figurehead --
as Research Director
[[Robert Casad Hockett]] who developed a substantial reputation in the industry as a first-class controller of scientists.{{fact}}
====History of establishment====
====History of establishment====