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P E P P L E 5 , P.

FROM:

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DATE:

May 1 5 ,

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Vou a*»ked -for a l e g a l o p i n i o n c o n c e r n i n g t h e e f f e c t on o u r
p r o d u c t l i t i g a t i t o n of t h e use o-f a paper l i k e t h e one
d r a f t e d by D r . S o r i a t F r n i e ' s r e q u e s t .
T h i s mefliaranQum
w t s -forth that o p i n i o n .
T u n d e r s t a n d t h a t t h e G o r i paper was n o t meant t o be s
finished product.
I t o b v i o u s l y needs t o b e honed i n t o a
f i r s t clas*i s c i e n t i f i c : paperT h e r e sepn>s t o be a f a i r l y
widespread o p i n i o n t h a t t h a t w i l l he d i f f i c u l t t o do.
I
i m v e r e a d Fotf?r L e e s c r i t i q u e and I have r e c e i v e d s i m i l a r
comments f r o m o u r l i t i g a t i n g c o u n s e l v e r s e d i n t h e
science.
They a r e p a r t i c u l a r l y d o u b t f u l t h a t G o r i ' i s
c o n c l u s i o n s i n t h e c a r d i o v a s c u l a r a r e a c a n be s u p p o r t e d .
C e r t a i n l y , t a k i n g a p u b l i c p o s i t i o n t h a t on balance- p e o p l e
are b e t t e r - o f f smoking t h a n ncrt smoking w i l l g e n e r a t e a
good d e a l o f a t t e n t i o n However, i t 15 d i f f i c u l t t o
p n v i s i i m t l i e media and o t h e r o p i n i o n l e a d e r s g i v i n g t h a t
p o s i t i o n (and th& company e s p o u s i n g i t > an even handed
treatment.
Nor do 1 f e t i l i h a t t h e p u b l i c a t l a r g e : w o u l d he
q u i c k t o embrace such a p o s i t i o n .
"This i s p r o b a b l y a
tE?=tabie p r o p o s i t i o n , h o w e v e r , and i t m i g h t make *3ensK t o
t u r n t h e m a r k e t r e s e a r c h beys l o o s e on t h i s one 1-f i n t e r e s t
i n p u r s u i n g t h e idea rcdiains h i g h -

FILE COPY

680800834

Source: http://industrydocuments.library.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/hkwd0024

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r

E w r t a i n 2 y , i f t h e r e i s a c o n v i c t i o n t h a t a G o r i - t y p e paper
w i l l b r i n g 3 new-found c r e d i b i l i t y t o otir i n d u s t r y and
p r o v i d e us w i t h a s i g n i f i c a n t a d v a n t a g e i n u u r s t r u g g l e
w i t h t h e a n t i - s m t a k i n o , - f o r c e s , we o u g h t t o t a k e -a c l o s e l a o k
a t i t antJ c a r e f u l l y w e i g h eiF1 of t h e p l u s e s and minu&es.
The o b v i o u s 3e?gal p r o b l e m i s t h a t a n y t h i n g ** e g a V t h a t
makes t h e amokgr f e e * b e t t e r a b o u t smoking w i l l be viewed
as an a s s u r a n c e a f s a f e t y and an u n d e r c u t t i n g af t h e
earning notice.
I t w i l l emfanaer p u r l e g a l p o s i t i o n .
I
w o u l d b e very r e l u c t a n t , t h e r e f o r e , t o see s o m e t h i n g l i k e
t n e CTnri paper used p u b l i c a l l y w i t h o p i n i o n l e a d e r s f t o r e o v e r , we c e r t a i n l y do n o t want t o emttrgce t h e 3 5 0 , 0 0 0
" d e a t h s p e r yp^r™ number o r t h e p r o c e s s by w h i c h t h a t Has
arrived at.
Nor i s i t p a r t i c u l a r l y h e l p f u l t o d e / i r o n s t r a t e
t h a t t h e number s h o u l d be r e d u c e d from 3 5 0 , 0 0 0 t o 2 5 0 , 0 0 0 .
Some of t h e t e c h n i q u e s p r o p o s e d by G o r i a r e t h e same ernes
we f i n d iJn^cce?pt a b l e k-fhen done b y o t h e r s H a v i n g s a i d a l l o-f t h a t , i t m i g h t be a p p r o p r i a t e t o see i f
G a r i ' s i d e a s can be d e v e l o p e d f u r t h e r .
There may be some
p o t e n t i a l use i n t h e c o n t e n t o f a congressional s e t t i n g o r
b e f o r e sense m e d i c a l / s c i e n t i f i c bodyI n t h i s r e g a r d , i t c o u l d bs u s e i i as a c r i t i q u e o-f t h e
p r a c t i c e af using s t a t i s t i c s t o "pruve" c a u s a t i o n , i . £ _ T
"fc*e d e c r y t h e r e l i a n c e en e p i d e m i o l o g i c - f i n d i n g * * ] b u t i f
y o u s r p g o i n g t o use c u t h e p r o c e s s , lcjofc where t h e f i g u r e s
can t a k e y o u . "
T h a t i s a d e f e n s i v e use a-f t h e m a t s r i f l l and
a far cry f r o m a p r c - a c t i v e " p o s i t i v e s i d e " a p p r o a c h , b u t
t o t h e e x t e n t t h e r e i £ some i n t e r e s t i n p u r s u i n g t h i s
f u r t h e r , I w o u l d be tt&ppy t o h ^ i p g u i d e t h e p r o j e c t t h r o u g h
t h e murky s h o a l s o f t h e p r o d u c t l i t i g a t i o n w a t e r s .

R, H. S.

G80SO0S3S
Source: http://industrydocuments.library.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/hkwd0024