This concealment, coupled with the industry's direct targeting of children, is 

 criminal. American Tobacco Company, which sold off its tobacco products line this 

 week, saw the writing on the wall. Americans are beginning to demand some an- 

 swers from tobacco companies — not to bring back the 8 million lives lost — but to pre- 

 vent the next generation of children from taking up the addiction that will, in all 

 likelihood, result in their deaths. 



Mr. Waxman. Thank you very much, Mr. Synar. Mr. Wyden? 



Mr. Wyden. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I too want to 

 commend you for the painstaking approach you are taking on the 

 health hazards of tobacco. I think of this series of hearings as an 

 effort to get at the core of the onion by peeUng away the deceptive 

 practices we have seen in this industry layer by layer. Today's 

 Hearing is especially important because we have a respected re- 

 searcher, a former tobacco industry scientist who, in effect, is 

 brought in from the cold. 



Now, this is no spy novel. But the whole environment of the to- 

 bacco industry and its relationship to tobacco consumers very often 

 does read like a cloak-and-dagger thriller. This industry works with 

 secret lists, confidential technologies, and veiled advertising mes- 

 sages. And, in effect, through these practices, can orchestrate a 

 world-class confidence game. 



Individuals like Dr. DeNoble who get in their way because of em- 

 barrassing information they might have to offer are, in effect, 

 pushed to the sidelines. And it seems to me the losers are consum- 

 ers who each day by the tens of thousands decide to take up this 

 deadly habit. 



Now, the corporate leaders who run this industry have told the 

 subcommittee, in sworn testimony, that they have no proof that 

 their products are addictive. Recently they came before us and said 

 that they are making a safe product that millions of Americans 

 enjoy. In effect, their message was that the United States Congress 

 was the bad guy for trying to dampen enthusiasm for a harmless 

 vice. 



But the fact of the matter is that all Americans ought to be trou- 

 bled by what we are going to learn today, which is that when the 

 tobacco industry does research and the results hurt them, the in- 

 vestigators and their data are buttoned up tight. What we are 

 learning is that tobacco science is politicized science. And it is espe- 

 cially important that we have Dr. DeNoble's message today. 



Mr. Chairman, I look forward to pursuing this with you. You 

 have taken, in my view, another important step by bringing Dr. 

 DeNoble here, and I look forward to our questions. 



Mr. Waxman. Thank you very much, Mr. Wyden. 



Dr. DeNoble and Dr. Mele, we are pleased to welcome you both 

 to our subcommittee hearing today. You were both employed as re- 

 search scientists by Philip Morris during the early 1980's. I under- 

 stand, Dr. DeNoble, that you are going to make a statement, but 

 that Dr. Mele wishes simply to be available to answer questions. 



But before we get to your testimony, I want to inform you that 

 the applicable rules of the House and the rules of the committee 

 are in that blue and white pamphlet that is on the table before you. 

 They will inform you of the limits on the power of this subcommit- 

 tee and the extent of your rights during your appearance today. 



Do you desire to be represented by counsel, or advised by coun- 

 sel, during your appearances today? 



