Ashes to Ashes

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This article is part of the Tobacco portal on Sourcewatch funded from 2006 - 2009 by the American Legacy Foundation.

The Pulitzer prize-winning book "Ashes to Ashes" by Richard Kluger of the Wall Street Journal is important in a secondary way.

Back in November 1988 Kluger asked CEO Murray Bring at Philip Morris if he could write a book on the company, and Bring suggested to his executive staff that they offer limited co-operation. Kluger's arrangement with Philip Morris gave him access to their executives, scientists, etc for interviews -- but only on condition that the company was given perusal rights over his notes. This seems to have extended to notes from interviews from non- Philip Morris staff members.

Kruger, judging by his subsequent writings, was not fervently anti-smoking, but appears sometimes to be almost an apologist for the companies. For a journalist he gave the company extraordinary rights to comment or criticise before his book was written, because the tobacco archives now carry a large number of typewritten notes of transcribed interviews (he must have either recorded the interviews, or been a good short-hand writer).

These are very interesting and revealing.

Usually these don't carry his name but only the name of the person being interviewed. However they are easily recognisable by single-spaced typing and underlining (obviously done by company lawyers).

See example:

• Paul Kotin -- Interview is at [2]