Page 196 - Dragon Flood

Alcoa’s research director, Francis Frary, took action. In September 1935 he approached
Gerald Cox, a Mellon Institute researcher... Frary now had a suggestion that would
ultimately transform the public perception of fluoride (propaganda)... Frary took upon
himself to make a generous suggestion to the Mellon researcher. Had Cox ever considered
that good teeth might be caused by fluoride?

Cox understood that Frary was suggesting that he include fluoride in his tooth-decay
study. Although this suggestion flew in the face of the result from the dental study at
Johns Hopkins a decade earlier - which had showed that fluoride hurt teeth - nevertheless
the Alcoa man’s proposal was “the first time I ever gave fluorine a thought,” Cox later told
historian Donald McNeil.

The great makeover of fluoride’s image had begun.
[Source: Ibid]

Notice who the principle players are in this action to get fluoride’s image changed from that
of a health hazard. It was industrialists who produced fluoride in their plants, and who were
facing hundreds of millions of dollars in suits from injured employees, and from farmers,
ranchers, and citizens who lived in the vicinity of their plants. The researchers were
employed by Institutes wholly owned by these same industrialists. Thus, the “science” was
bought and paid for by the men who stood to gain the most financially by altering the public
perception of fluoride’s danger. As was stated in the last chapter, “‘truth happens to an
idea...’” Something asserted might become a fact, regardless of its connection to actual
events.”

Enter the Professional Deceivers

In the 1930s Edward Bernays was a consultant to Alcoa. One of Bernays’ primary methods
of changing public opinion was to enlist “professionals” to endorse something. He routinely
used doctors to alter public perception. Bernays understood that Americans are over-awed
by the opinion of “specialists” and “professionals,” especially those in the medical field.
Bernays was at times hired by the cigarette industry to increase their sales. One method that
was found to be effective was to get doctors to attest to the health benefits of smoking.

1930 Cigarette Ad