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WARNING: This site deals only with the corporate corruption of science, and makes no inference about the motives or activities of individuals involved.
    There are many reasons why individuals become embroiled in corporate corruption activities - from political zealotry to over-enthusiastic activism; from gullibility to greed.
    Please read the OVERVIEW carefully, and make up your own mind.



TOBACCO INDUSTRY EXPLANATORY
• ABBREVIATIONS
• JARGON
• SPIN-MEISTERS
• INITIALS
• FIRST & NICKNAMES
RELEVANT LINKS
• Tobacco Institute (US)
• Abe Fortas
• Arnold & Porter
• Lyndon Baines Johnson
• Abe Krash



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Earle C Clements    

Senator Earle Clements was the tobacco industry's most prominent lobbyist as head of the Tobacco Institute between 1966 and 1977. He had also lobbyied behind the scenes in Congress for the industry before that time.

PRELIMINARY MATERIAL ONLY

Clements was an old friend of President Lyndon Johnson. His close friend, Abe Fortas as a judge had helped Lyndon Johnson avoid electoral defeat when he first moved to the Senate, by blocking a judicial inquiry into obvious Johnson County electoral fraud.

Fortas had also been the third named partner in Arnold, Fortas & Porter (Philip Morris's main legal firm) and he had been nominated by Johnson as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. However he was caught in a very clumsy pay-off scandal and he was unable to rejoin Arnold & Porter's while the pay-off was under investigation.

So Clements and Fortas set up shop in about 1963 as the chief lobbyists for the tobacco industry (while Clement was still in Congress), and in 1965, a third member (also from Arnold, Fortas and Porter) named Abe Krash joined this new lawfirm to create Fortas Krash Clement.

Earle Clement openly joined the Tobacco Institute in 1966 and stayed as its head for eleven years.

1964 Oct: English tobacco executive Geoffrey Todd led a small delegation to the UK. These are their comments:

Despite strenuous efforts, we could not meet [the Tobacco Institute's] TI's chief lobbyist, Senator Earle C Clements. Nor were we able to meet Mr Abe Fortis, [Fortas] the other lobbyist. Both were travelling in areas which we could not fit in with our itinerary.

    Senator Clements is really close to President Johnson; he was Deputy Leader of the Democratic party in the Senate when President Johndon was Leader, and he is Chairman of the Kentucky delegation to the Democratic Convention for nominating the Democratic candidate for President. Nevertheless, Johnson would not hesitate to drop Clements if this ever became politically expedient.

    The lobbyists are opposed to campaigns by Hill and Knowlton on Congressional matters affecting the industry and want action left to them.