Congress Posts 39,000 Tobacco Documents on the Internet

WASHINGTON--The House of Representatives Commerce Committee has posted 39,000 tobacco company documents on its website to allow the public to review the papers and determine for itself whether the tobacco companies are guilty of fraud for hiding knowledge of the health ramifications of smoking.

"Congress, the President, and the Am-erican people need this information before we enact tobacco legislation," said chairman Tom Bliley (R-Va). The documents were obtained by the committee after the US Supreme Court denied industry requests to block their release. Access at: http://www.house.gov/commerce/Tobacco docs/documents.html.