HAROLD Macmillan dismissed the dangers of smoking to the nation's health saying that the financial benefits to the Treasury far outweighed the health risks, according to records released today.
He claimed the threat posed by smoking was "negligible, compared with the risk of crossing a street".
An enthusiastic pipe and cigar smoker, Macmillan urged against warning the public of the risks.
Health Minister Robert Turton had just told the 1956 Cabinet that medical advice is to "constantly inform the public of the facts" about the link between smoking and lung cancer.
He told ministers that there was not yet "scientific 'proof"' of the hazards but admitted that the "statistical picture is clear".
The government's draft statement on the issue was "restrained", he said.
"Won't satisfy at all. Will be much criticism. Pressure for a warning campaign."
Eden responded by saying that the "time is arrived when we should decide whether we have a line".
"Serious issue"
But Macmillan warned that this was a "very serious issue. Revenue 3/6d on income tax: not easy to see how to replace it".
"Expectation of life 73 for smoker and 74 for non-smoker. Treasury think revenue interest outweighs this. Negligible compared with risk of crossing a street."
In response to question from another minister asking if it is "necessary to expose facts", Macmillan replied carefully: "But in relation to other facts?"
The government resolved to wait until later in the year when another medical report was due.
Macmillan made his remarks while Chancellor of the Exchequer in Sir Anthony Eden's government, a year before he became Prime Minister.
They were noted down by the Cabinet Secretary Sir Norman Brook. His handwritten records, made in his own personal shorthand, of discussions in Eden's cabinet between July 1955 and May 1956 are being released for the first time today at the National Archives in Kew.
The notes also record some outspoken comments by Eden about American activities in the Middle East.
He is speaking two years before he was forced to resign as Prime Minister after American's furious condemnation of the UK's military action in Egypt that became known as the Suez Crisis.
He says: "We need to review drastically our Middle East policy. We must realise that US has almost always been wrong on Middle East. They are ignorant of it and can't steer a steady course."
Mark Dunton, Contemporary History Specialist at the National Archives said: "These are the most outspoken comments about America we have ever seen from Eden. The interesting thing is that they thought he was "almost always wrong" on the Middle East as well!"
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Hasn't that always been successive governments stance when it comes to cigarettes? A pack of cigarettes generates so much income for the Treasury, and even when the price is increased, smokers always cough up (soz) as the Treasury knows people are addicted to them. It's a revenue generator, just like petrol, and that's why the government will never ban smoking even with the hard facts about smoke related illness. If they did, they'd have to raise something else, NI contributions, road tax or the like. It's a no win situation, so ciggies are here to stay.
okay, i'm confused now. is it 2008 or 1956?
And has'nt the treasury certainly lived up to his words.
More plum sauce, JimC?
Part of the reason why no action was taken on the smoking/cancer link earlier than it could have been is because it was actually discovered by the Nazis.
Hitler was very anti smoking and instructed his SS scientists to do some research into it to find something which would discredit smoking and they came up with the fact that it could be linked to cancer.
After the war when this was discovered by the allies it was dismissed for many years as rubbish and Nazi propaganda until it was confirmed by later research
As a non-smoker I have nothing against people who want to smoke that is their choice, now the government in their wisdom have decided to make cigarettes an under the counter product, cigarettes is still a legal product to buy.
By hiding them under the counter is not going to stop people using them. Now let me think of another product that can kill, the car kills, also it pollutes, it is used in robberies, it causes no end of congestion, I don’t see or hear of the car going under the counter.
The government have banned smoking in pubs etc eroding a little bit of the freedom we use to enjoy. Banning smoking in pubs etc is only the tip of the ice berg, there are all sorts of fines and warnings given out for what is termed as petty mindedness.
Yep big brother has finally arrived with cameras every where, the jobs worth brigade watching in case you drop litter or put your bin out on the wrong day even down to putting notices on lamp post. Our freedom is being undermined everyday, slowly it is getting worse to be criminalised for selling a legal product says what this country has become.
Any country that becomes obsessed on watching and gathering information about its citizens like this country does is not a healthy situation to have. The German SS use to do it and the old Stalinist did and they were two oppressive regimes, let us hope we don‘t go down that road.
Hitler was quite a caring chap eh, Mr Angry? (I'm not taking the mick out of your post - just a bit of irony).
Cigarettes were even advertised as health-giving, until not long ago. But I agree with the last poster that people should be free to smoke. The Governments role should be no more than to advise. I agree with non-smoking pubs etc, but I also believe in smoking establishments. An outright ban is dictatorial. Smoking will eventually fizzle out with the kind of education and warnings we already have. You've got to admit it is regarded as a lot more anti-social to smoke these days, and lots of smokers are very self-conscious and more considerate to non-smokers than they ever were. Most people will remember a time when they had the 'divine right' to light up wherever they wished. Bank managers used to keep cigarettes on the desk for customers etc. We're making good progress without the Government bully, thank you.
I do agree with SP in Exile that the UK is becoming Stalinist, although a toughening-up on litter is long overdue, solely because it is dirty and uncivilised, and a disgrace.
I keep saying on here that the authorities are too much in our faces, and that situation will continue to worsen until we finally rise up and say 'enough is enough!'
I can't really call it a free society any more.
the Nazis may have discovered the link between smoking and cancer but they also invented crystal meth, cross dressing and the pencil moustache. bloody fiends, the lot of them.