Samuel D. Chilcote, Jr.

Samuel D. Chilcote, Jr. was President of the Tobacco Institute from 1981-1997. Chilcote has knowledge of The Tobacco Institute's and the tobacco industry's participation in public fraud and disinformation relative to health hazards of tobacco use, in the manipulation of nicotine in tobacco products and in marketing of tobacco products to children.

Samuel Chilcote wrote a Tobacco Institute strategy document that shows that while the industry promoted voluntary smoking policies above legislated policies for businesses, they disliked the fact that those voluntary policies were becoming more restrictive to smoking. He also noted that such restrictions were overwhelmingly popular and that there was strong public support for measures to protect public health and safety:
 * "Our own research points to overwhelming support for specific types of restrictions. Although pollsters find opposition to government regulation in general, they note strong public support for specific measures aimed at protecting the public health or safety."

Chilcote also noted that even smokers preferred the restrictions:
 * "Smokers, too, seem to support the idea of smoking restrictions, possibly viewing them as a means of retaining their ability to smoke without interference from nonsmokers. Separate sections enable smokers to congregate with other smokers and avoid confrontations with those who dislike cigarette smoke."

The document also reveals that a purpose of the industry's "accommodation" strategy is to "position the anti-smokers as unreasonable in their demands" for public health measures with regard to smoking.