Charles Osgood: Throughout the 20th century the number of cancer cases has grown steadily and alarmingly. But one of the most baffling trends is the rise in lung cancer.

Some experts theorize that pollution from industry or automobiles may have something to do with the increase. But there is no proof for this or any other theory.

In 1948, two British researchers -- Bradford Hill and Richard Doll -- begin their own search for the causes of lung cancer.

Sir Richard Doll: I personally thought when we started this study that it was probably something to do with motorcars. Most obviously they had increased enormously. Roads had been tarred and we knew that fumes from tar could be carcinogenic and if I'd had to bet I would have bet it was something to do with the tarring of roads and with motorcars.

Charles Osgood: Hill and Doll survey hospital patients with and without lung cancer. They ask where they live and work... what kind of job they have... the foods they eat and how much they drive... and if they've ever smoked cigarettes.

Sir Richard Doll: When we started looking at the results it very rapidly became clear that there was a crucial difference between patients with lung cancer and other patients and that was not only did people with the disease smoke cigarettes more often, but they smoked more heavily. They'd begun smoking earlier in life. They had less often given up smoking. And then when we looked around the world, we found countries where cigarette smoking had been common for some years lung cancer was common.

Announcer: To analyze what cigarette smoke contains this cigarette-smoking machine was built by scientists of the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research. It mechanically puffs each cigarette in turn and traps the smoke in glass tubes. The smoke contains a tar. The tar in the smoke condenses after a time on the bottom of the tubes. The tar from cigarette smoke was applied repeatedly to the skin of mice. This shows that it can cause cancer.

Charles Osgood: The Surgeon General of the United States, Luther Terry, himself a smoker, is finally swayed by the scientific evidence. In 1964, he issues a public warning against smoking.

Surgeon General Luther Terry: There is a definite, significant health hazard associated with cigarette smoking. Cigarette smoking is the principal cause responsible for some 41,000 deaths ...

William H. Foege: As he was driving to the state department for the press conference he was going through his notes, smoking a cigarette. One of his aides said "you know, they're going to ask you about that." He said, "I know.

He presented the press conference and then asked for questions.

Someone asked, "Dr. Terry, do you smoke?"

He said, "No, sir, I don't."

"Dr. Terry, have you ever smoked?"

"Yes, I used to."

"Dr. Terry, when did you quit?"

He said, "Ten minutes ago."

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