The paper by Cornfield and Lilienfeld had paved the way for a definitive statement by health authorities about the effects of smoking. The Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom took the lead, issuing a report in 1962 concluding that cigarette smoking was a causative agent in lung cancer. Shortly thereafter, US Surgeon General Luther Terry (quite possibly on the urging of President John F. Kennedy) announced his intention to appoint a special advisory committee to study the matter (see Figure 5.3).
