Mongoven, Biscoe & Duchin

Mongoven, Biscoe & Duchin (MBD) was a public relations company, based in Washington D.C., that specialized in gathering intelligence on activist organizations for their scores of business clients, and developing strategies and tactics to protect their clients from activists. It was founded by Jack Mongoven (an ex-journalist turned GOP operative), Alvin Biscoe, and Ron Duchin, who were formerly principal executives of Pagan International. Pagan International, in turn, was founded by Mongoven with Rafael Pagan after the pair made their names by thwarting the late-1970s and 1980s boycott of Nestlé for its active promotion of infant formula in developing countries. They had been hired by Nestlé to devise and implement a "divide and conquer" strategy to bring down the boycott. In 2003, MBD merged into the Washington, D.C., intelligence firm Stratfor.

Principals

 * Jack Mongoven, co-founder
 * Alvin Biscoe
 * Ronald A.Duchin, co-founder and senior Vice President

Known Associates

 * Bartholomew Mongoven, Jack's son
 * Kara Ziegler, MBD staff
 * Karen King, MBD staff

History
In 1981, Jack Mongoven helped Nestle fight an infant-formula boycott by producing dossiers on the groups leading the boycott.

In 1994, MBD created a stealth proposal for R.J. Reynolds to assist them in "formulating specific long range objectives which will work to the benefit of RJR but which will not appear to have a direct linkage to RJR or to the ETS [environmental tobacco smoke] issue." The proposal contained an idea to leverage the issue of multiple chemical sensitivities to "mobilize pressure regarding indoor air pollution which will mandate greater HVAC [ventilation] capacities in all buildings, thus reducing pressure on ETS."

In 1995, Bart sent a survey form out to a range of non-governmental organizations around the world requesting their assistance in providing internal information on their organisations.

In 1999, Jack Mongoven advised Phillip Morris on the World Health Organisation's development of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. (See Jack Mongoven for more information on this.)

Around early 2002, MBD created a new division, MBD Consulting Group. O'Dwyer's PR Daily reported that the MBD Consulting Group will "address security issues at industrial infrastructure sites." According to O'Dwyers, Timothy Knowlton, "previously a trader on Wall Street and liaison officer for seven of the 10 American Enterprise Funds," had been appointed as Executive Vice-President of the new division.

Clients

 * Philip Morris
 * R.J. Reynolds
 * National Pork Producers Council (NPPC)
 * Chlorine Chemistry Council (CCC)

Case Studies

 * Race-baiting Strategy Helps Keep Shell Pumping in Nigeria
 * Mongoven, Biscoe & Duchin/Behind Enemy Lines
 * Mongoven, Biscoe & Duchin/Women and Children First: On the Front Line of the Chlorine War
 * Mongoven, Biscoe & Duchin/Mission Despicable

Contact Information
As of August 1999:

1100 Connecticut Avenue Suite 300 Washington D.C. 20036 Phone (202) 429 1800 Fax (202) 429 8655 Email: mbd@cais.com

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Diplomatic Tactical Services
 * Mary Lou Sapone
 * Beckett Brown International
 * Chesapeake Strategies Group

Related PRWatch Articles

 * PR Watch, 2nd Quarter 1996
 * Flack Attack
 * Women and Children First: On the Front Line of the Chlorine War
 * Behind Enemy Lines
 * The Chlorine Industry's Secrets Exposed!
 * The Chlorine Industry's Secrets Exposed! #2
 * Letter and Survey from MBD to the Wilderness Society
 * Talking Back to a Flack
 * Race-baiting Strategy Helps Keep Shell Pumping in Nigeria

Tobacco Industry

 * Jack Mongoven, "Memo to Matthew Winokur: Re: Japanese Finance, Health Ministries set to battle of FCTC", Bates No 2083705302, August 18, 1999.
 * Stacy M Carter, "Mongoven, Biscoe & Duchin: destroying tobacco control activism from the inside", Tobacco Control, Number 11, 2002, pages 112-118.
 * John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton,"Flack Attack", "PR Watch", 2nd quarter 1996.
 * BBC, "Tobacco industry accused of foul practice", March 18, 2002

National Pork Producers Council

 * Hugh Espey, "Summary of AMS Audit of NPPC", In Motion Magazine, April 12, 1999

Chlorine Chemistry Council

 * PR Watch, "The Chlorine Industry's Secrets Exposed! #2", PR Watch, 2nd Quarter 1996.