792 



Mr. Waxman, What is the message in a bunch of camels to an 

 adult? These are cartoon figures. 



Mr. James Johnston. It's fun, just like Snoopy the dog sells Met 

 Life insurance, just like Garfield the cat sells Embassy Suites ho- 

 tels. We're not accusing them of targeting kids, are we? 



Mr. Waxman, Well, I think somebody ought to buy some life in- 

 surance if the/re going to use this product. 



Mr. James Johnston. Mr. Chairman, I think I can be helpful to 

 this committee on the subject of what are smokers really getting 

 when they smoke the full flavor and low tar and ultra-low tar. May 

 I speak to that? 



Mr. Waxman. I have some additional questions and believe you'll 

 get to address these issues in the context of those questions. But 

 first I want to question the assertion that the levels of nicotine 

 have been going down since the 1950's. 



Mr. Johnston, you wrote recently to Dr. Kessler that finished 

 cigarettes contain between 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent nicotine. I 

 have a copy of your letter here, which I will mark as Exhibit 23 

 and put in the record, but I assume you've seen that letter. 



Did you send that letter? 



Mr. James Johnston. I don't have it in front of me, but I did, 

 indeed, send 



Mr. Waxman. Let's get it to you. 



Mr. James Johnston. I have a copy of it here with me. Yes, sir. 

 That's my letter. 



Mr. Waxman. The subcommittee has recently discovered evidence 

 that the nicotine concentrations that you cited are actually higher 

 than the concentrations of nicotine in tobacco in the 1950's. 



Specifically, in 1952, a chemist for the FDA determined that nic- 

 otine levels in 1952 varied, on average, from 1.58 percent to 1.82 

 percent. His data is on an exhibit which I'd like to have marked 

 24 and put in the record. 



[Exhibits 23 and 24 follow:] 



