During World War I, the commander of US forces, General John J “Black Jack” Pershing, was asked what he needed to win the war.
His reply: “You ask me what we need to win this war. I answer tobacco as much as bullets. Tobacco is as indispensable as the daily ration; we must have thousands of tons without delay.”
For decades to come, the First World War proved instrumental in entrenching the popularity of cigarettes.
British medical journal, ‘The Lancet’, expressed indifference at the time: “We may surely brush aside much prejudice against the use of tobacco when we consider what a source of comfort it is to the sailor and soldier engaged in a nerve-wracking campaign … tobacco must be a real solace and joy when he can find time for this well-earned indulgence”.
In 1917, the colourful inventor of corn flakes, John Harvey Kellogg, predicted that more American soldiers would be damaged by the cigarette than by German bullets.
Almost 100 years later, on March 14, 2014, Jonathan Woodson, US assistant secretary of defence for health affairs, issued the following memorandum:
“Prominence of tobacco products in [military] retail outlets, and permission for smoking breaks while on duty, sustain the perception that we are not serious about reducing the use of tobacco”.
Head Over Heals 