Robert A. Pages

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

Robert Alexander Pages usually known as 'Bob', was a Philip Morris research scientist in the 1980s who moved over into issues management (disinformation administration) and became a prominent executive involved in many of the tobacco industry scams. By 1993 he was head of the PM's Science & Technology division in New York and responsible for the direction and coordination of scientific Issues related to environmental tobacco smoke and indoor air quality woddwide.

Pages gave a deposition that was 25 pages long, with one exhibit, in the Carlisle v. Philip Morris Inc., et al case on 10/30/86 and he gave another deposition that was 207 pages long on September 23, 1988, for the Rothgeb v. ATC, et al case. He was a Scientist and he worked for Philip Morris, Inc. He was born on October 10, 1941 and and is in infirm health. [1][2] Robert Pages, who gave depositions in 1986 and 1988, is apparently in poor health. [3]

Documents & Timelines

1984 Aug 8 Pages is on the third-level (middle-management) list of those in Philip Morris dealing with Smoking & Health issues. [1]

1985 Sep 5 He is now on PM's Corporate Affairs main memo list with Thomas Osdene, so he is being lined up to take over Osdene's dual role as Chief Scientist (both legitimate research, and the corruption of science). Here they are getting information about the "activities and finances" of the various Heart, Lung and Cancer associations who are fighting to reduce smoking. [2] [3]

1989 (From the 1994 Advocacy Institute's Directory) of Tobacco Industry Front Groups: (Page 37)

CIAR Board of Directors (Former) Gary Burger, Vello Norman, Thomas Osdene, Robert Pages
Source: Center for Indoor Air Research - Request for Applications, 1989-1990 Research Agenda.

[4]

[Note Philip Morris has a draft copy of this document, so they had someone inside this organisation]

1990 Dec 20 Pages is now the Senior Scientist at the domestic company Philip Morris Mnagement Corp (PMMC) working under Steve Parrish. He is taking over as the Director of Philip Morris' Science & Technology division in Richmond (One part of the science-propaganda unit) and currently working with Tom Osdene (who is about to retire)

Pages and Osdene fly to Washington to attending a meeting with lawyers Covington & Burling "re planning epidemiology" study with Linda Koo [the Hong Kong based Whitecoat], Gio B Gori [ex NIH smoking research director]. Other tobacco executives are in attendance. See Osdene diary page 39 [5]
Tom Borelli is also appointed Director of Corporate Scientific Affairs. [6]

1991 Dec 3 Robert A Pages writes to Steve Parrish and Tom Borelli about the Gori Confounders Proposal. Clausen Ely a lawyer at Covington & Burling has copied them in on the Gori proposal for a $1.3 million study into possible 'confounders' in anti-smoking epidemiological studies. They are hoping to find points to attack.

In comparison with what was discussed with Borelli and me at our meeting with Gori/Proctor on Oct 15th, the only new things here are: l) the cost estimate ranges,- and 2) the acknowledgement of the active participation by Peter N Lee. Neither of these is surprising, although $1.3m makes you pay attention.

The bottom line still is: the study, if done right, is worth doing.

The " if done right" according to this proposal depends upon our confidence in the team of Gori/Lee/Proctor and Gori's connection with 'EQUIFAX' -- the company that would actually conduct the survey. I have no reason to doubt their ability to oversee the work.

I'm not totally comfortable with signing up for a study which could cost "as little" as $700K or as much as $I.3m -- to be determined along the way -- but 1 can't think of a good alternative.

One thing that might make me a little happier is if they already had their questionnaire in hand, but the point Borelli raised on Oct I5th also remains to be addressed: Is there a way that this study could be done to yield a more 'credible' publication?

Presumably, we're looking at Gori and Lee (?}. Farming out the cotinine analyses to Neal Benowitz is a nice touch, but it won't make him a coauthor.

O.K. Where does all this leave us? WE SHOULD GET ON WITH IT!
It'll probably take months to get all the interested companies 'on board' anyway. Let's do it while we still have the money and before we think of more stupid things to spend it on. [7]
[Note: Peter N Lee was a well-known and well-used Statistician who could produce any result the companies desired. Gio B Gori was a corrupt scientist who had previously been dismissed by the government after running an early tobacco study with funding from the industry. (known as the Tobacco Working Group.)]

[Note: It is difficult to find a more damning expose of the way in which the tobacco industry conducted supposedly scientific research -- or more openly condemnatory of the so-called scientists Gori/Proctor/Lee who were being given the funds to conduct this purely propaganda exercise. Gori and Lee were over-used by this time, and their links to the tobacco industry were becoming obvious.]

1992 Feb Reflecting the fact that lawyers controlled all research in the tobacco industry, and that they therefore had a vested interest in recruiting scientists as witnesses in courts and legislative hearings, the control of Philip Morris's European science activities was transfered from PM International to PM USA at about this time (or earlier). Then, in January 1992, the scientific issues and lobbying aspects of the domestic company (Philip Morris USA) and Europe (often known as S&T FTR) were brought under the control of ex SH&B lawyer Steve Parrish, who then established four Divisions:

  1. Dr Thomas S Osdene was the Vice President of Science & Technology at the Richmond laboratories and oversaw both the legitimate R&D/product work and some domestic scientific lobbying operations like the Center for Indoor Air Research (CIAR)
  2. Dr Robert A Pages (effectively Osdene's deputy), was Director of Science & Technology at Richmond, but more involved in many of the scientific intrigues and the scientific activities of the Tobacco Institute, etc.
  3. Dr Thomas J Borelli, with his assistant Mary O Pottorff ran Scientific Affairs (totally international intrigue opperations) out of the New York headquarters. Pottorff had been transfered from PMI Corporate Affairs.
  4. Helmut Gaisch, Director of Science & Technology at Neuchatel (with a key operational staff of six science/lobbyists) looked after Europe and the common market countries.
[Note: Philip Morris International still retained its own operations covering the rest of the world] See organisational chart [8]

1993 Jan 16-21 Bob Pages and Richard Carchman have flown to London for a series of meetings with BAT and other tobacco firms on (1) tobacco ingredients (they were potentially carcinogenic) (2) Center for Indoor Air Research sham operations. [9]


1993 Feb 24-25 Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) World Conference (of Philip Morris staff) in New York. This long document has a very good section on "Rebutting Tobacco Industry arguments."

Conference Hosts:

  • Steve Parrish, General Counsel PM USA and VP External Affairs PM USA (He controlled External Affairs and Corporate Scientific Affairs)
  • Clare Purcell, Manager Legal Issues, PM Management Corp (PMMC) at Richmond
  • Mary O Pottorff, Manager, Corporate Scientific Affairs PMMC New York
  • Mayada Logue, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Analyst, PMMC
  • Matt Winokur, Director Corporate Affairs PMI in New York
  • Anne Okoniewski, Coordinator, Research Analysis, PMI in New York

USA Personnel

  • Robert Pages, Directo, Science & Technology (S&T), Philip Morris USA in Richmond
  • Loreen McAlpin, Technical Analyst, PM USA in Richmond (maintains database)

European Personnel

  • Helmut Reif, Director, S&T, Philip Morris Europe, (based at FTR R&D, Neuchatel, Switzerland)
  • Ruth Dempsey, Staff Scientist, PM Europe, Neuchatel

Attendees (Forty attendees from Philip Morris companies)
Bill Apple (PM USA), Jim Boland (PM Washington Relations Office), John Boltz (PM USA), Tom Borelli (PM Corp), Wendy Burrell (PMI), David Bushong (PM Corp Services, Brussels), Richard Carchman (PM USA), Stig Carlson (PM EEMA Lausanne) Karen Chalkin (PM USA) David Davies (PMMC New York) Darienne Dennis (PMI), Phil Francis, (PM Aust), Colin Goddard, (PM Asia HK), Aurora Marina Gonzales, (PM Lat America NY), Jan Goodheart (PM KK Tokyo), Vic Han (PM USA), Henrick Hansen (PMMC Brussels), Judy Hargrave (PM Aust), Robert Kaplan (PMI), Denis Keane (PMMC NY), Ted Lattanzio (PM USA) Loreen McAlpine (PM USA Richmond), Ellen Merlo (PM USA) Dave Merrill (PM USA Richmond), Eva Montgomery (PM EEMA Lausanne) Lance Pressl (PM USA) Cesar Rodiguez (PM LA NY) James Spector (PM USA) William Taylor (PM USA) Tinal Walls, (PM USA) Gerard Wirz (PM CS Brussels)
Speakers

  • Tony Andrade (PM Europe -- SH&B in Lausanne)
  • Bill Colby, and Dennis Neutze SH&B in Kansas City
  • Greg Fowler, PM Australia (classed as SH&B)



References

  1. ↑ PMI's Revised Initial Disclosure, June 27, 1996
  2. ↑ (PMI's Introduction to Privilege Log and Glossary of Names, Estate of Burl Butler v. PMI, et al, April 19, 1996
  3. ↑ Alexandra Wagner, Ness, Motley letter to Grant Kaiser, 1/10/97

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