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 idea of running a team of cash-for-comments academic economists was developed by Ogilvy & Mather Public Relations for the Tobacco Institute in 1983 and 1984. At that time the operation was run by one of O&M's contracted consultants, James Savarese, who had both economics and labor/union contacts, and it focussed on a small core-group of academic economists who were found speaking engagements at various society meetings.

Both the Tobacco Institute and Jim Savarese knew Professor Robert Tollison, of the Economics Department of George Mason University who also ran the neo-con/supply-side Public Choice Society. Tollison and his associate Richard Wagner had long worked for the international tobacco lobby organisation ICOSI (later INFOTAB) and they had excellent contacts with a large number of Hayek [libertarian] economists at other universities, due mainly to Tollison's directorship of the Center for the Study of Public Choice, which was located at GMU, but run as a private think-tank.

Tobacco Industry money generously supported the Center, and before long Tollison and Savarese were using it as a recruitment and money-laundry service to develop the cash-for-comments network among appropriate academic economists. The idea was to have at least one "Professor of Economics" at a prominent local university, in each of the States, who was willing to support and promote industry propaganda. They were paid on a piece-work basis, averaging $1,000 to $3,000 each for articles planted in local newspapers, or for appearances as 'independent expert witnesses' at legislative or ordinance hearings on smoking bans, or on the raising of excise taxes on cigarettes.

The first project began in June 1984 with Tollison and Savarese getting 13 economists on their network to write op-ed articles in support of the tobacco industry position on excise taxes. They were sent first to the Tobacco Institute for 'improvement' and legal clearance, then returned to the economist who was instructed to plant them on a specific local newspaper, then send copies to their Congressman. This became the pattern of operations.

Jim Savarese and Bob Tollison (supported by Anne Tollison and staff from the Center) took over the operations from O&M, and they branched out into a diverse range of cash-for-comments academic networks: professors in law, business, marketing, and advertising, and with indoor-air-quality testing experts, risk-assessment specialists, biomedical researchers, etc.

These academics all had in common the desire to make money from the tobacco industry without revealing their connection to the 'Merchants of Death'. Savarese and Tollison provided them with the shield from 'legal discovery' so they were able to claim that these were "independent expert opinion articles" (op-eds). Some of the better newspapers may also have paid them separately for their journalistic contributions.

Some of the more enthusiastic of these tobacco lackeys were also designated to attend local ordinance hearings on public smoking, and in some cases to attended and gave expert evidence to Congressional inquiries and the like. Their credibility rested on the fact that they were esteemed academics from a university — so, in effect, they mined the credibility of their employer-institution for personal gain.

By 1989 Tollison and Savarese seem to have had about 65 Professors of Economics on their books, and about the same number (combined) in the other academic disciplines. The numbers changed over the years, but overall about 100 professors of economics at various state universities were involved.

Decline

Over time — and sometimes abruptly — some of these economists dropped out of the operation. Some obviously did not like their articles being modified by the Tobacco Institute, and [who knows] ... maybe some even developed a conscience?

A few new recruits were added regularly to the networks in the 1990 - 1994 period, but the tobacco companies themselves tended to take control of the biomedical research specialist network [probably because of the legal necessity of dealing with them through lawyers to avoid the risk of legal 'discovery'].

Of the many academic cash-for-comments networks, the economists' lasted the longest, and it was also the most productive from the industry viewpoint.

Some key documents

• Professor of Economics, Montana State University. He worked in collaboration with Terry Anderson for the tobacco industry,

1998 Oct: /E Philip Morris has a "Third Party Message Development Contacts List" which has a range of think-tank operators, journalists, and academics who are willing to write pro-tobacco material without mentioning their tobacco connections [third-party = 'independent commentator'], or sometimes allow their names to be used as bylines on articles written by tobacco company staff. It often has some comments on their usefulness.

    This person is listed as:

Rick Stroup
Executive Director
Political Economy Research Center
(note: expertise in environmental issues)

1981–48: /E Richard Stroup, was director of the Interior Department's office of policy analysis for several years in the 1980s, (under Reagan and Watt). He says there were some limited accomplishments by the Reagan Administration in the development of environmental policy, including the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Project (NAPAP). He mentions specifically that:

• they highlighted the skewed priorities of some existing programs and focusing some public attention on costs;
• introduced some limited markets in pollution rights;
• sped-up leasing coal-mining rights in federal land;
• the end of federal subsidies to development of coastal barrier islands;
• begin to the idea of trading in water rights.

1985 March 21: A State Activites (Tobacco Institute) report lists him as active in Montana on their behalf:

Professor Terry Anderson and Richard Stroup (Montana State University) testified before the Montana House Taxation Committee, opposing tax increases in the state.

1985 Apr 2: Savarese bills the Tobacco Institute for three Professors who are members of his network. They have presented testimony in Kansas and Montana. His own fees are additional:

• Production and administration of testimony — $3,800
• Sherman Hanna, Kansas — $2,000
• Terry Anderson, Montana — $1,000
• Richard Stroup, Montana — $1,000

1985 Dec 12: Annual Report of the Tobacco Institute's Public Relations division lists him as having:

We believe that the active and creative use of experts — our scientists in particular — gives us an edge. But without question, public smoking is our toughest challenge.

    A close second is taxation. In 1985, most of our resources in this area were focused on the federal situation.

    That being the case, we concentrated almost exclusively on the home districts and offices of the 56 members of the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees.

    We identified and utilized economists from universities in 48 of those districts. Some testified at the four federal tax hearings in which had interest. Others participated in academic symposia attended by Congressional staffers. Others communicated directly with their Congressmen.

    And 34 of them wrote op-ed articles on the need to consider excises as part of tax reform. Many of these articles appeared in the principal newspaper in the targeted districts which have, by our estimation, a total circulation of nearly 4 million.

    The economists were of great help. [SNIP]

    Professor Terry Anderson and Richard Stroup (Montana State University) testified before the Montana House Taxation Committee, opposing tax increases in the state.

1986 Sep: /E A Tobacco Institute report on "State Activities" credits Professor Terry Anderson and Richard Stroup as providing help in Montana, under the heading "Positive Actions by Local Allies."

Professor Terry Anderson and Richard Stroup (Montana State University) testified before the Montana House Taxation Committee, opposing tax increases in the state.

1988 June: /E Excise Tax Letter-Writing Fact Sheet. This is a list of points that the Tobacco Institute wanted the economists to include in their op-ed articles.

• Excise taxes are regressive
• Excise taxes are fundamentally inequitable
• Excise taxes are an unfair burden on minorities
• Government data demonstrates the unfairness of excise taxes.
• Excise taxes are arbitrary
• Excise taxes are hidden taxes
• Excise taxes are an unfair burden on businesses
• Excise taxes are bad economic policy
• Excise taxes are historically controversial.

• pages of data so that the economists got their facts right,
• a series of quotes that could be incorporated into the article.
• pages of State-by-State data including the number of jobs that the Tobacco Institute estimated would be lost by higher cigarette excises
• lost revenues for each State, due, it was claimed, to cross-state bootlegging and smuggling.
• a list of Congressmen to be contacted in every region.
• Tollison's C/V

1990 June: /E Excise Tax Letter-Writing Fact Sheet. This is a list of points that the Tobacco Institute wanted the economists to include in their op-ed articles.

• Excise taxes are regressive
• Excise taxes are fundamentally inequitable
• Excise taxes are an unfair burden on minorities
• Government data demonstrates the unfairness of excise taxes.
• Excise taxes are arbitrary
• Excise taxes are hidden taxes
• Excise taxes are an unfair burden on businesses
• Excise taxes are bad economic policy
• Excise taxes are historically controversial.

• pages of data so that the economists got their facts right,
• a series of quotes that could be incorporated into the article.
• pages of State-by-State data including the number of jobs that the Tobacco Institute estimated would be lost by higher cigarette excises
• lost revenues for each State, due, it was claimed, to cross-state bootlegging and smuggling.
• a list of Congressmen to be contacted in every region.
• Tollison's C/V

1991 April: The Political Economy Research Center (PERC) and the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) have a joint task force which reports on "Progressive Environmentalism: A Pro-Human, Pro-Science, Pro-Free Enterprise Agenda for Change," [Implying that their opponents were anti-human, anti-science and anti-free enterprise. This was the think-tank equivalent of that Mafia family gatherings to celebrate the wedding in "The Godfather"]

    Cash-for-comments economist Richard L Stroup was the chairman, assisted by NCPA's President & CEO, John C Goodman, a professional lobbyist who worked for the Tobacco Institute. There were 76 Environmental Task Force members (far too many for them to have useful discussions) so this was obviously some "for the record" meeting of cloned minds.

    This is some sort of coordination meeting of ultra-libertarian think-tanks from around the world — almost all belonging to the Atlas Group and working for the tobacco industry. Some of the most interesting are:

• Bruce Johnson, David Theroux of the Independent Institute
• The usual list of think-tankers from the Heritage, Heartland, Independent Institute, James Madison, Mackinac Center, Reason Foundation, Claremond Institute, ALEC, CSE, CIS, Cato, AEI, SEPP, IRET, PERC and NCPA staff/executives etc.
• Bruce Ames, (UC Berkely and TASSC)
• Cash-for-comment network economists: Dwight Lee, Terry Anderson, Tom DiLorenzo, Richard Stroup, Randy Simmons, D Allen Dalton,
• Eamonn Butler, Madsen Pirie, Adam Smith Institute, UK
• Martin Summers, Institute of Economic Affairs, UK
• Jo Kwong, Direct of Public Affairs, Atlas Economic Research Foundation
• Greg Lindsay of Center for Independent Studies in Australia
• Aaron Wildavsky - tobacco tout and philosopher
• Elizabeth Whelan, ACSH (created a faux-reputation as an anti-smoking activist)
• Stephen Gold, Ex Dir, Citizens for the Environment
• Manhattan Center, Wm Hammett, Lucy Clark

1993: Editorial Advisory Board Cato Instutute, Regulation magazine, [2065193947]

1993 Jul: /E A very early membership list of TASSC which has been circulated to give the appearance of substance to the project. It carries the name of Richard Stroup or Bozeman, Montana [Also the home of PERC]

    There are probably dozens of lobbyists from other industries on this list, but the most obvious offering scienctific/academic services to the tobacco industry are Bruce Ames, Joseph Bast, George Carlo, Bernard Cohen, Geraldine Cox, James Enstrom, James Fyock, Harvey Gold, Ronald Gots, Paul Grant, Alan Hedge, Gary Huber, Peter Huber, Thomas Jukes, Manfred Kroger, Patrick Michaels, Henry Miller, Alan Moghissi, Donald Stedman, Richard Stroup, Thomas Wyrick.

1993 Nov: A later TASSC list sent to the Tobacco Institute along with press clippings showing the success of Curruthers in his media tours.

1993 Nov: The Clinton Administration was planning to raise the EPA to cabinet-level status. TASSC gets underway with Garrey Curruthers conducting a major media tour promoting the sound-science/junk-science message.

• Nov 28 1993 Denver Post "Here's how science might be used to keep science honest.

  The stated mission of the nonprofit corporation is to use its own scientific panel to "inform public officials, the media, and the general public about the consequences of inappropriate science," focusin on current examples of "unsound government research used to guide policy decisions. Compliance with environmental regulations cost the nation an incredible $115 billion in 1991 alone"

  
  Jan 2 1994 The Tampa Tribune Slogans no substitute for sound science.

  [Syndicted from LA Daily News] Among TASSC's goals: to Inform the general public about the consequences of inappropriate science by focusing attention of current examples of unsound government research used to guide policy decisions; to establish an educational out-reach program; and to offer resources to ensure that sound scientific principles are applied.
  
      Unfortunately, such skeptics as Bruce Ames, Lois Gold, Dixy Lee Ray and the late Aaron Wildavsky don't get attention with the same ease as star-studded environmental groups and enterprises like Greenpeace and the Walden Project.

  The writer, columnis Michelle Malkin, actually suggests that readers sign up for a free membership to TASSC.

Richard Stroup PhD, Professor Montana State University, Bozeman MT

1995: He was on the Advisory Board of the far-right-wing Independent Institute

1996 Dec: /E Cato Institute Annual Report: Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute. include Cash-for-Comments /Public Choice economists Terry Anderson, Dominick Armentano, Thomas DiLorenzo, Robert Higgs, Dwight Lee, Richard Stroup, Walter Williams and also Jennifer Roback, the Outreach Coordinator for the Center for the Study of Public Choice and Henry Manne from the GMU Law School

1997 May 20: Political Economy Research Centre< Bozeman Montana (Academic being proposed for a cross-coalition social cost forum) [2076001018]

1997 May 20: Draft: " A Concept Proposal for a Social Cost Forum" has been sent to Philip Morris. [by The Department of Economics at George Mason University under the auspices of Dr Walter Williams... (probably with the backing of Robert Tollison)]

Outlandish claims made by some anti-industry advocates pertaining to so-called costs that products such as automobiles, beer, tobacco and other products impose on society as a whole are generally deemed credible by much of the general public, and are often used as excuses for increased taxes and regulations. This occurs despite the fact that the entire idea of a social cost is generally spurious.

    In order to reverse the tendency of both the media and the general public to blindly accept outlandish statements made by special interest advocates, it has been proposed that an inter-industry coalition sponsor an academic forum to discuss the idea of social costs and social cost theory. This forum will bring together academics, corporate research managers and decision makers to discuss the current state of research concerning these theories and to propose and promote additional academic research to fill in existing gaps in knowledge and answer current questions.

    Corporate funding for the forum will come from a minimum of five separate firms, including Philip Morris, which will cover one-fifth of the costs of the symposia. While corporations will fund the forum, all control over content will rest with George Mason University and Dr Williams. [The standard Faustian disclaimer that denies the influence of Mephistopheles]

    George Mason will use the Social Cost Forum to bring together representatives from academia, industry, government and the public policy community to discuss the current state of the research on social cost theory. As currently envisioned, the forum will bring together approximately: 15 Leading Academics (almost all from Public Choice Society): -

• Dr Walter Williams, George Mason University (network economist)
• Dr Roy Cordato, Campbell University (also Institute for Research on Economic of Taxation (IRET))
• Dr Kip Viscusi, Harvard Law School (long-term tobacco lackey)
• Dr Richard L Stroup, Political Economy Research Ctr. (Montana Uni & network economist)
• Dr Randall G. Holcombe, Florida State University (network economist)
• Dr Russell Sobel, West Virginia University (ex Frances Marion College & associate of Holcombe)
• Dr Fred Foldvary, California State University, Hayward (a relative 'Tim' was anti-FDA lobbyist0
• Dr Donald Boudreaux, Clemson University (also Cato Institute)
• Dr Roger Meiners, University of Texas, Arlington (neo-con anti-environmentalist, ex-Clemson University)
• Dr Charles Rowley, George Mason University (a UK tobacco lackey on sabbatical)
• Dr Francesco Parisi, George Mason University Law School (unknown)
• Dr Willard Manning, University of Minnesota (+ Rand Corp & long-term tobacco lackey)
• Dr Steven Cheung, University of Hong Kong (IEA, Hoover Institution)

• Dr James D Gwartner, Florida State, (tobacco supporter and associate of Stroup and Wager)

1997 May 21: Biographies of participants by Walter Williams in support of his project for a "Social Cost Forum" sent to Philip Morris.

Professor Richard L Stroup

    Montana State University & Political Economy Research Center

PhD. University of Washington (1970).
Selected Publications: "The Use of Knowledge in Environmental Policy," "Property Rights, Environmental Resources and the Future," "Buying Misery with Federal Land," Economics: Private and Public Choice (a widely used and successful textbook).

1997 Aug: The National Center for Public Policy Reesearch which was run by ex Philip Morris staffer, Amy Moritz Ridenour (aka Amy Moritz) lists many organizations in the Wise Use movement, and numerous other like-minded think-tanks:
    • Milloy and TASSC.
    • Heritage Foundation
    • Small Business Survival Foundation
    • Science and Environmental Policy Project
    • Reason Foundation
    • Progress and Freedom Foundation
    • Political Economy Research Center (Bozeman)

Key Officers:

• Terry Anderson, Executive Director;
• Richard Stroup, Senior Associate;
• Jane Shaw, Senior Associate;
• Donald Leal, Senior Associate;
• Daniel Benjamin, Senior Associate;
• Randy Simmons, Senior Associate

Newsletter: PERC Reports

The majority of PERC's efforts are devoted to natural resource issues. PERC's activities consist mostly of publications and hosting conferences and seminars.
      To counter the environmental movement's indoctrination of the nation's youth in the public schools, PERC helped produce Facts not Fear, a book billed as a parent's guide to teaching children about the environment, and developed a school curriculum.
      The group produces PERC Policy Series, quick read policy papers, on topics ranging from Superfund to conservation; and PERC Reports, a quarterly newsletter. PERC has sponsored numerous seminars and conferences reaching hundreds of people over the last 15 years.

2003: Hoover Press published "The Relation Between Net Carbon Emissions and Income" by Robert E McCormick. He is in the camp of the climate doubters (as is both the Hoover Institute and PERC)

[T]here is no universal agreement about the problem itself. Serious scholars have data on both sides of the question of global warming, and others have interpreted existing facts in myriad ways. The public seems to believe that the Earth is warming, unnaturally, but public perception, although politically important, is not always scientifically accurate. If all this were not enough, there is even disagreement about the impacts of global climate change, assuming it to be real.

The results presented in
    this chapter indicate that net carbon emissions will decline if economies
    grow and people get richer. The analysis supports the view that higher
    incomes are associated with a better natural environment. Fascination
    with emissions controls and the Kyoto Protocol is somewhat hard to
    understand in this context.

    One simple but profound fact remains. Even while U.S. and global total gross emissions are on the rise, there is little or no growth in total or gross carbon emissions per person in either the United States or the world. Moreover, taking sequestrations into account, there is even less of an issue with carbon emissions.

Robert E. McCormick is professor and BB&T Scholar in the John E. Walker Department of Economics at Clemson University and a senior associate at PERC.

    This work borrows extensively from joint work coauthored with Joshua Utt and Walker Hunter (Utt, Hunter, and McCormick 2002). Terry Anderson particularly, but also Richard Stroup, Bruce Yandle, and Daniel Benjamin, provided intellectual stimulation and insights that make this work presentable. I acknowledge a debt to all of them and to PERC while retaining residual rights to the effort.

Independent Institute

The Independent Institute, which is itself a component of the Atlas Group of ultra-free-market think tanks with links to the Alexis de Tocqueville Institute [all heavily dependent on commissioned corporate funding] appears to have taken over the role of administrator of the Tobacco Institute's cash-for-comments network at the end of the 1990s.     Their research director and journal editor, Robert Higgs, was already a member of the network. Tobacco funding continued to flow to the Independent Institute which appears to have taken on the role of 'warehousing' these academic supporters to insulate them from discovery. The Institute acquired the bulk of the cabal of cash-for-comments economists who were still operating, and some who had been retired: Senior Fellows Bruce L Benson, Florida State Robert Higgs, Independent Institute William Shugart, Utah State Richard Vedder, Ohio University Research Fellows Burton Abrams, Uni of Delaware Gary Anderson, California State at Northridge Dominick Armentano, Uni of Hartford Peter Boettke, George Mason Uni Thomas DiLorenzo, Loyola College, Maryland Robert Ekelund, Auburn Uni Lowell E Gallaway, Ohio Uni Randall Holcombe, Florida State Dwight Lee, Southern Methodist Uni Cotton 'Matt' Lindsay, Clemson Uni Fred McChesney, Northwestern Uni Mark Pauly, Uni of Pennsylvania Richard Stroup, Montana State Mark Thornton, Ludwig von Mises Institute Richard Wagner, George Mason Uni Bruce Yandle, Clemson Uni Also dozens of other academics and writers who provided independent contract services to the tobacco industry — like Richard Epstein, John Goodman, Peter Huber, Paul Craig Roberts, Paul Rubin, Peter Samuel, S Fred Singer. Russell Sobel, etc.

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