Corrupted US-economists network, part 16: The Tobacco Industry training the economists

Overview of previous posts here

Training the economists

Field lobbyist Michael F. Brozek knew why some economists did poorly:

Therefore, the industry would not just tell the economists what they had to say, but would train them better.

This passage (and a few others in the memorandum) clearly indicate the industry did prepare the industry-sponsored witnesses. Again, this implies the economists were not useful idiots being recruited without them realizing themselves (O&M = PR-firm Ogilvy and Mather)

Again, this is not normal academic behavior.

The tobacco economists network - or how the Tobacco Institute recruited over 100 American economics professors. Part 14 of many

Overview of previous posts here

Side step: scientific witness program 

The 1985-1986 field staff evaluation of witnesses also talks about the scientific witness program (the program denying the health-risks of secondhand smoking)

Effectiveness was important for the industry, which even looked at the diplomas of the witnesses, and the effect on the audience (same memo as above):

The diploma also was important for the economic witnesses. Professor Cotton Mather Lindsay (1940-2015) wrote a piece calling himself "Mr." The industry disagreed