Three Firms Turn Over Confidential Papers

Three major U.S. cigarette makers said they had no choice except to turn over confidential documents to a congressional panel under a subpoena, though a fourth, Brown & Williamson, said the request was moot after another tobacco company complied. The four companies each sent a separate cover letter to House Commerce Committee Chairman Thomas Bliley, who Thursday night subpoenaed more than 800 potentially damaging documents. Copies of the four letters were made available to Reuters. Philip Morris Cos. was the company that actually held the documents and handed them over to the panel, but Lorillard Tobacco Co., a unit of Loews Corp., and RJR Nabisco Holdings Corp. said delivery constituted their compliance. The documents were not immediately made public, so experts could not ascertain how much damage they may do to the industry’s image, its defense against pending lawsuits or its capacity to ward off congressional efforts to impose tougher tobacco legislation.