May/June 1996 Issue

The Wilson Memo

California’s Governor shows that he, too, is a secret friend of tobacco

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Notes for this Memo:

  • “Buffy” and “Jim” are most likely: Kathleen M. “Buffy” Linehan, who works overseas for Philip Morris; James W. Dyer, Philip Morris lobbyist, currently staff director for the House Appropriations Committee. The two worked in the same office in 1990.

  • Pete Wilson is the GOP governor of California. During the 1990 election, Wilson publicly said he would not take tobacco money, but later attended a Philip Morris-sponsored fundraiser that raised $100,000 for the state GOP. Later he claimed he was unaware of the company’s involvement. Hamish Maxwell, former CEO of Philip Morris, is the chairman of the executive committee; Mrs. Ehud is the wife of Ehud Houminer, CEO of Philip Morris USA; Bill Murray is the former president of Philip Morris.

  • The remaining $84,000 mentioned in the memo is unaccounted for. These contributions may not be traceable to tobacco.

  • Wilson has repeatedly tried to divert funds from California’s highly successful anti-smoking campaign. Court orders and lawsuits (brought by the American Lung Association, among others) have thwarted his efforts.

Back to Our Good Friend, the Governor

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From the desk of Mother Jones CEO, Monika Bauerlein...

Newsrooms can be funded in many ways. One of the most controversial (and volatile) ways is by a for-profit corporation or a billionaire owner. We see it across the headlines on a weekly basis: the claw backs in public media, the gutting of The Washington Post, the bending over backwards to appeal to Trump and his allies.

But not here.

When Mother Jones first started publishing 50 years ago, our founders made a critical decision: to be a reader-supported nonprofit. They knew that no corporate owner would be interested in a muckraking newsroom; they also knew that no muckraking newsroom would be interested in following the agenda of a corporate owner.

And so, we’ve been reader-funded for half a century. We rely on contributions from our readers—readers like you—whether it’s $50, or $15 a month, or whatever fits your budget. People give what they can, and every donation makes a difference for our newsroom, which has grown tremendously—in size and reach and renown—since its inception in 1976.

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