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Bruce Reed DELIARY OF HEALTH& USA SEPURITY HUMAN EK/CR THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES WASHINGTON, D.C. 20201 JAN 6 1999 MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT Please accept the enclosed implementation plan in response to your Executive Memorandum directing the Department to take steps to make tobacco industry documents more readily accessible to the public health community, the scientific community, the States, and the public at large. The plan we have developed will ensure greater access to these important documents and significantly increase our understanding of the health consequences of tobacco use and the extent to which this information has been systematically concealed from the public. With your concurrence, we are prepared to immediately execute the plan and launch a broad, collaborative initiative of research and education that will help us to better understand the tobacco epidemic and identify the most effective regulatory and programmatic strategies to reduce the harm caused by tobacco products. Your challenge to the Department and commitment to the nation's public health have been critically important to the success of this historic undertaking and to our common goal of a tobacco-free adolescence for every child. Dason Donna E. Shalala Enclosure