01 22-
PRIVATE 1k CONFIDENTIAL
GTCHIJW 20th June, 1975
TO ALL NO. ls OF ASSOCIATED COMPANIES
SMOKING AND MLTH
1. Health Warnings on Cigarette Packets and
Advertisements
Dr. David Owen, the Minister of State for Health
and Social
Services in the U.K. , has proposed to the U.K.
tobacco
manufacturers that they should voluntarily accept
a change
in the wording of the healtt warnings currently
printed on
cigarette packets and advertisements. These are
respectively
"Warning by H.M. Government. Smoking can damage
your health"
and "Every packet carries a Government health
warning".
Dr. Owen's proposal, which has been unanimously
rejected by
the manufacturers, is that both warnings should in
future
read "Danger: Smoking causes lung cancer,
bronchitis, heart
disease".
The enclosed letter f--om a law office in Kansas
City, Missouri
to Mr. T. E, Davies makes C Zear the disastrous
consequences
that would result from any Group Company
voluntarily accepting
a warning on packs or advertisements which was not
attributed
to government or the medical authorities. An
unattributed
warning, imposed by legislation, would not of
course place
the Group Companies at risk -in the same way,
since the
Company would be complying with the lavr rather
than associating
itself with the view expressed in the text of the
warning.
It is strongly recommended by the Tobacco Division
Board that
under no circumstances should any Group Company
accept voluntarily
unattribut;c! warnings and the attached letter
can, if necessary,
be produced in negotiations with the industry
and/or Government
on this subiect.
2. 3rd World Conference on Smoking and Health,
Ne-~ York City, June 2nd - 5th 1975
Enclosed is a report on the above conference,
prepared by
Mr. Levna-~~ Zahn wbo attende,-4 it, for the
Tobacco Research
Council.
,-M
Encs.
G. C. HARGROVE
BATCO document for Province of BritiSh Columbia 2
November 1999