New York State Department of Law Council for Tobacco Research Files

Organized into twenty-six subseries: 1) Grant Files (1954-1998); 2) Grant Publications (1954-1998); 3) Special Projects Files, including publications (1966-1991); 4) Contracts Files, including publications (1970-1984); 5) Corporate Documents [Meeting Files] (1953-1999); 6) History and Formation Documents (1954-1984); 7) Desk Files of Former CTR Executives and Scientific Staff (1954-1992); 8) Deposition and Trial Transcripts of CTR Personnel (1959-1999); 9) Grant Application Card Files (19545-1998) 10) Grant Summary Sheets (1954-1999); 11) Correspondence Files (1954-1998); 12) Alphabetical Subject Files (1954-1999); 13) Scientific Advisory Board Members' Files (1954-1999);14) Sponsors' Files (1966-1998); 15) Members' Contribution Files (1980-85); 16) Tax Files (1957-1999); 17) Desk files of Current Executives and Scientific Staff (1984-99); 18) Surgeon General's Advisory Committee File (1957-1967); 19) Scientific Conferences Files (1956-1998); 20) Public Statements Files (1954-1997); 21) Press Release Files (1954-1997); 22) Literature Retrieval Division [LRD] Files (1971-1983); 23) Special Staff Services Files (1961-1984); 24) Desk Files of Leonard Zahn (1969-1993); 25) Grantee Financial Statements (1964-1999); 26) Miscellaneous (1970-85)

Numerical.

In 1954, the Tobacco Industry Research Committee (TIRC) was established by a group of tobacco manufacturers, growers and warehousemen to fund a program of scientific research into questions of tobacco use and health. As initially configured, the TIRC's functions included both the funding of research and the coordination of public relations activities relating to tobacco and health. By 1958 the tobacco industry conceded the difficulty of managing scientific research and public relations within a single organization. As a result, the Tobacco Institute was created to assume public relations functions and duties and the Council for Tobacco Research was established to underwrite scientific research. Research support was provided through a program of grants-in-aid supplemented by contracts for research with various institutions and laboratories.

The Council did not operate any research facilities of its own. Funds were provided by the member companies. The Council cease operations in 1998 as part of the national litigation settlement between the various states and the tobacco industry. The organizational structure of the Council included a Board of Directors, President, Scientific Director, Scientific Advisory Board, and various administrative and scientific staff. The Board of Directors was made up in large part of representative from Council member companies and was headed by a chairman who, from the 1960's on, was a retired tobacco industry executive. The Board was responsible for providing the necessary funds for the operation of the CTR, and for establishing policies and procedures for the Council.

Overall operation of the Council was placed with the President whose responsibilities also included the Literature Retrieval Division and special project grants. Scientific staff under the Scientific Director managed the day-to-day operation of the grants and special projects; they organized and managed the grants review process and monitored those awarded. The Scientific Advisory Board, composed of six to eight distinguished scientists, reviewed and evaluated research grant proposals.

Three types of grants were awarded by the Council for Tobacco Research: competitive research grants (those requiring submitted proposals, evaluated by the Scientific Advisory Board with administration and oversight by CTR scientific staff); staff special service projects (in the1960's and 1970's staff were allowed to award small amounts, $5,000-$10,000, to complete a research projects or to fund a small project of particular interest to the CTR); and Special Projects grants. Special Project (grants supporting research the tobacco industry thought necessary). Although funded by the CTR, Special Project grants were not reviewed by the SAB, but evaluated by the CTR Director who made the final funding decisions.

The series consists of 493 cubic feet (divided into 26 sub-series) of paper printout copies of electronically scanned images of documents relating to the operation of the Council for Tobacco Research (CTR) and the administration of its grants programs. These records were made available by CTR counsel via the NYS Attorney General's Office pursuant to subsection 9.3 of the CTR's Plan of Corporate Dissolution and Distribution of Assets. Additional copies of these records are held by the Minnesota Document Depository with the exception of "Grant Files (1971-1998)" which were not provided to the Depository but which are included here.

As per the Dissolution Plan, this series of records DOES NOT include: copies of documents (or portions there of) for which CTR asserts a claim of privilege; copies of any confidential documents provided to CTR by grantees or grant applicants that were not provided to the Food and Drug Administration pursuant to the Minnesota Consent Judgement; and the names of applicant and peer reviewers of any review documents pertaining to grant applications prepared on or after January 1, 1980.

Organization, arrangement and /or ease of access vary widely among the several sub-series. The "Index of File Folder Labels" (Box 495) provided by CTR counsel is of extremely limited usefulness in determining individual file titles, file contents and/or file arrangement.

B1721-01: This accretion consists of Research Council personnel files for approximately 135 employees. Boxes were formerly numbered 496-498.

B1721-02: This accretion consists of grant files; grant publications; special projects files; board of directors meeting files; financial statements; desk files of former executives and scientific staff; correspondence file supplement; scientific advisory board members' files; sponsors' files; members' contribution files; tax files; grantee financial statements; Zahn Employment contracts; convention exhibit files; address sheets; personnel files; and disposition and trial transcripts of CTR personnel. These boxes were formerly numbered 499-503.

B1721-02A: This accretion consists of boxes formerly numbers 504 and 505. Records include reprints, abstracts, bibliographies, scientific papers, and discussions. Subjects include various forms of cancer and occurrences of cancer.

Series B1793, Tobacco Institute records, contains related records.

Container list.

The series was made available by the NYS Attorney General's Office as a result of the November 23, 1998, Master Settlement Agreement between the U.S. tobacco industry and various states' attorneys general. The series was accessioned by the New York State Archives under Records Disposition Authorization 18573.

B1721-01: These records are restricted in accordance with Article 6-A of the New York Public Officers Law as stated in the 7/14/2001 Memorandum of Understanding between the Dept. of Law and the New York State Archives.