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.

OPINION ONLY

The cigarette manufacturers were loath to help the tobacco growers from getting together, because they faced the possibility of the leaf growers forming a global cartel which could push up the price of tobacco everwhere.

Another problem that the tobacco industry faced was that the third-world countries which were member of the ITAG were subject to persuasion by UN organisations to convert from tobacco to other profitable cash crops, in what was called the "substitution" program.

So the only solution was to take over and control the organization themselves, in a way that would not be too readily apparent to the growers. John Bloxcidge, a long term servant of the UK industry, was just the man for the job.

Some key documents

• ITGA is a front group set up by industry to counter public health initiatives while pretending to represent the agricultural interests of tobacco growers.

• This organisation was previously known as International Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers' Association. It was taken over by INFOTAB and converted into a political lobby organisation. This new ITGA was run by John A Bloxcidge, a friend of Paul Dietrich and a long-time employee of Imperial Tobacco and later with INFOTAB

1984: Officially organised as a flue-cured producer's organisation by growers groups in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Malawi, US and Zimbabwe which represented 75% of the world's flue-cured tobacco trade. India, Italy, Malaysia Philipines and other countries joined later. [Source a 1992 History]

1988 Oct 11: John Bloxcidge reports to the INFOTAB board members.

1. We need to develop the agriculture lobby. Its "integrity" and independence are of great potential value, both at NGO [non-government status at UN forums] and regional level
2. We must ensure thet the growers stick to politics, and do not seek to use the global organisation to gang up on manufacturers.
3. The nearest thing to a 'global' organisation is the International Flue-Cured Tobacco Growers' Association; it is poorly run and inadequately funded, but it contains the core of a genuine "ITGA" — with full geographic spread. Burley and oriental associations could be persuaded to join.
4. The "ITGA" might get fully accredited observer status at the FAO.[And therefore have a seat at the table in UN-related discussions with WHO]

• The cigarette manufacturers would control the organisation
• They would be able to block 'substitution programs'
• The ITGA could front the third-world lobby at the World Health Authority
• They could activate regional agricultural lobbies.

1989 June 7: The INFOTAB conference in London heard that:

Agenda Item 3 - WHO Action Plan

• There was a wide-ranging discussion on this item covering the objectives, strategy and the Action Plan itself. Board members gave a commitment to assist in the information gathering, while underlining the need for close coordination in all aspects of the Plan. The need to have a narrower focus according to regional priorities was recognised.

  [This was probably Philip Morris's Boca Raton Action Plan, taken out to the wider group of countries through INFOTAB. PM's Andrew Whist was at this meeting and Frank Resnik was Chairman.]

• There was general agreement to the proposal for a media support service, and for the development of a tactical programme to be reviewed by the GIWP [INFOTAB's Global Issues Working Party], and at the next Board meeting. Infotab would produce sample items and develop communications channels through the, media support service.

Agenda Item:4 - Agro-Tobacco Action Plan

• Mr. Martin Oldman responded to questions from Board members on various aspects of this Item, including ITGA's application for observer status with FAO, and on the FAO Report. Following a brief discussion the Board gave their support to the programme, subject to agreement on funding to be discussed at the end of the meeting.

1989 June 19: Bloxcidge advises the INFOTAB board members that "There is still some grower sensitivity about company involvement in the details of their program." He sends them confidential budget information. They are clearly in the stages of taking over the organization, and discussing how they will change it.

1989 Sep: The Shook Hardy & Bacon (SH&B) litigation lawyer Bob Northrip was billing Kendrich Wells at Brown & Williamson for work done [pro-rata shared with the other cigarette companies][This document is 92 pages, and is mostly lists of trivial expenses].

    However a detailed reading of the monthly Professional Service Rendered charges reveals that SH&B acted as the international coordinator of many surrepticious industry projects (not just legal issues). It was also billings for interviews with a range of academic experts — oncologists, radiologist —who were helping them (but not appearing as witnesses) — and it paid generous consulting fees.

    Some snippets from their billing statements are highly instructive and intriguing: such as these (almost random examples from hundreds):

• prepare memorandum regarding tying plaintiffs down on advertising testimony
• Telephone conference with Ms Simms regarding EEC attorney/client privilege project
• review materials received from Mr Oldman regarding ITGA
• Clarence M Kelly & Associates, Kansas Ciry, investigation fees — $2,229.09 and a few days later another $2,915.10 paid to the same private eye.
• conferences and meetings with [science-for-sale enrepreneur] Ted Sterling and [Harvard University lackey] Carl Seltzer. Also Myron Weinberg, Arthur Furst, Gary Huber, and Drs. Bucci, Lowry, Benedek, Silver, Gould, Wimbish, Barker, Barron an Hoyle. etc.et.
• Karl C Jonas, MD consultation fee (Pathology) Kansas City) $14,0000
• telephone correspondence with Dr Rylander re low risks conference.

1989 Nov 8: John Dollisson to Frank Resnik (Now chairman of INFOTAB).

[Philip Morris is trying to gain some influence with John Bloxcidge, possibly by funding his take-over of ITAG]

Prior the the Infotab meeting, we agreed to arrange a meeting for John Bloxcidge to meet with Messrs. [Bill] Murray and [Geoff] Bible. [The President and Chairman/CEO of Philip Morris]

    Ideally, this meeting should take the form of a brief presentation of the last 12 months initiatives, particularly the agricultural lobby development, followed by the program for the next 12 months.

WHO Action Plan
    The plan was approved including a one year trial of the proposed publication.

[This probably refers to the funding of Paul Dietrich's Institute for International Health & Development free magazine which specifically set out to attack the WHO. At this time, the IIHD had just been established by Whist, Morse and Dietrich and was supposedly the 'sponsor' of the fake McGill University ETS Conference.]

Tobacco Action Plan
    The plan was approved; a CEO should be appointed to the ITGA by early 1990 and the Global Issues Working Party (GIWP) are to prepare a program for each company to assist in recruitment of member countries. The group will also develop a plan to enlist the support of the Central Banks of tobacco growing countries.

1991: ITGA was spelling out its lobbying activities to counter WHO policy
    Set up to lobby thirdworld countries [2078043873]

1999: History of how it was created and funded by INFOTAB to help WHO campaign Globalisation in 1999 - tobacco industry [322065842]

1999,: President of ITGA Richard Tate, was maintaining his organisation's "independence from industry" and wanting a dialogue with WHO (Yach 2000)

CONTRIBUTORS:rwm2 samf gwf2