ONE of my friends said I am going to be viewed here like a jackrabbit at the annual convention of the Planned Parenthood Association. I suspect that is because you are looking upon me as a representative of advertising. In a real sense, this is incorrect. No advertising body has appointed me to come here today as its spokesman; so I represent no one, except myself. You see, I am merely a publisher. I have worked as an advertising writer and as an advertising manager, and the three magazines that my company publishes do reach most of the people in the advertising business today. But, I am here because a good friend, Emerson Foote, called and asked me to come. And he is a man whom I respect immensely. You all know him as chairman of the National Interagency Council on Smoking and Health. He is one of the most successful businessmen in the advertising field and he made his most spectacular early success in the advertising of cigarettes. He is a reformed cigarette smoker, as am I. He believes that all other cigarette smokers should be reformed. I do not disagree with this, necessarily. But our greatest point of difference is that he believes that cigarette smoking can eventually be eliminated by imposing sanctions upon cigarette advertising and that this device should be adopted. Some of you may share that conviction. I disagree with it, as a matter of principle, as a matter of practicality-and I disagree with it vehemently. Now, with that happy start, let me go on. I am very sure that this position comes as no surprise to you. You are not surprised because you came to this meeting today expecting me to defend cigarette advertising. If that is what you expect, then you are bound to be disappointed.
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