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A Question of Intent : A Great American Battle With A Deadly Industry
A Question of Intent A Great American Battle With A Deadly Industry Author:David Kessler When David Kessler came to Washington to lead the Food and Drug Administration in 1990, the agency was at a low point, weakened by years of deregulatory fervor in Washington and by the corrupt actions of a few. And soon after taking office, the thirty-nine-year-old physician had to deal with the daily drama of murders masquerading as random prod... more »uct tamperings, imports of contaminated body parts from the former Soviet Union, political fights over the contents of food labels, and efforts to speed life-saving therapies to desperate patients. What was not on David Kessler's agenda was tobacco. But soon, he confronted a simple question: "Why doesn't the FDA regulate the consumer product that is the nation's number-one killer?" Everyone in Washington offered the same answer--the tobacco industry is too big and too influential. Challenging it would be a fool's errand. Despite the risks, Kessler and a group of unlikely heroes at the FDA began an historic journey inside the mazes of America's most secret and deadliest industry. A Question of Intent tells their story. They soon realized how enormous the task was, for the industry's reach stretched everywhere, deep into the scientific world, the legal profession, and the government. No one had ever conducted an investigation into the inner workings of the tobacco industry. Exploring every possible avenue, interviewing terrified informants, conducting forensic tests, and obtaining secret documents, the intrepid investigators found themselves aiming at the heart of the world's most powerful corporations. Armed with persuasive new evidence, Kessler entered into an intense political struggle, one that involved every branch of the federal government. A Question of Intent is a gripping detective story, one that shows how the biggest issues of public concern are tackled in America today. Kessler digs deep to explain how an insidious and lethal industry was able to keep a nation in its grip for more than half a century, and how a small team at a government agency fearlessly faced it down. At the height of the battle, "U.S. News & World Report" called Kessler "somebody you can tell your children about," comparing him to the protagonists of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and To Kill a Mockingbird. Like those classic American stories, A Question of Intent is about the search for the truth, about the choices people make, and about right and wrong. It is about moral courage.« less