Alexis de Tocqueville Inst

<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Institution">http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Institution</a>

The Alexis de Tocqueville Institution (AdTI) is an <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Industry-funded_organization" title="Industry-funded organization" class="mw-redirect">industry-funded organization</a> which advocates lower taxes and less regulation.

It also works on education 'reform' and against teachers unions, immigration policy, environmental issues and projects on China, Cuba, Africa and Switzerland. It has defended the interests of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Tobacco_industry" title="Tobacco industry">tobacco industry</a> and works on the International Monetary Fund. More recently it has made a name for itself defending the interests of proprietary software companies and criticising open-source software.

AdTI is a part of the stable of conservative <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Think_tanks" title="Think tanks">think tanks</a> with their commentary regularly posted on the websites of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Cato_Institute" title="Cato Institute">Cato Institute</a>, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Heartland_Institute" title="Heartland Institute">Heartland Institute</a>, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Competitive_Enterprise_Institute" title="Competitive Enterprise Institute">Competitive Enterprise Institute</a>, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Science_and_Environmental_Policy_Project" title="Science and Environmental Policy Project">Science and Environmental Policy Project</a> and other websites.

<h2>Contents</h2>

[<a id="togglelink" href="javascript:toggleToc()" class="internal">hide</a>]</div>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Institution#History">1 History</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Institution#Projects">2 Projects</a>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Institution#Philip_Morris_and_the_Tobacco_Institute">2.1 Philip Morris and the Tobacco Institute</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Institution#Microsoft">2.2 Microsoft</a></li>

</ul>

</li>

<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Institution#Funding">3 Funding</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Institution#Personnel">4 Personnel</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Institution#Contact_details">5 Contact details</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Institution#AdTI_Programs">6 AdTI Programs</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Institution#External_links">7 External links</a></li>

</ul>

</td></tr></tbody></table>

<h2>History</h2>

The Alexis de Tocqueville Institution was founded in 1988 in Redwood City, CA. The first corporate board was formed in 1989 by <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Robert_Severns" title="Robert Severns">Robert Severns</a>, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Eugene_Ravizza" title="Eugene Ravizza">Eugene Ravizza</a> and <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bruce_Thompson" title="Bruce Thompson">Bruce Thompson</a>. AdTI claims that they "follow the principles of Tocqueville himself...among these liberal ideas are civil liberty, political equality, and economic freedom and opportunity".

On older pages on their web site they wrote ".. Alexis de Tocqueville Institution, a non-profit public research foundation with offices in Virginia and California" <a rel="nofollow" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20000301192407/www.adti.net/gw-intmonfund.html" title="http://web.archive.org/web/20000301192407/www.adti.net/gw-intmonfund.html" class="external autonumber">[1]</a> but they haven't had any activities in California for a long time.

On AdTI's 990 for the year 2001 the address was 10 Benning Street # 151, West Lebanon, NH 03784. Earlier 990 forms had 1611 N. Kent Street room 901, Arlington, VA 22209. Old pages of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Emerging_Markets_Group" title="Emerging Markets Group">Emerging Markets Group</a> had almost the same address: 1611 North Kent Street #901-b, Arlington, VA 22209 <a rel="nofollow" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20020210151110/www.angelfire.com/va/emgroup/" title="http://web.archive.org/web/20020210151110/www.angelfire.com/va/emgroup/" class="external autonumber">[2]</a>. On the other hand, the address in West Lebanon can also be found on the 990 form for 2002 of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ernest_Martin_Hopkins_Institute" title="Ernest Martin Hopkins Institute">Ernest Martin Hopkins Institute</a> and in 2003 was shown on the web site of the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Democratic_Century_Fund" title="Democratic Century Fund">Democratic Century Fund</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20030622030706/www.dcfund.net" title="http://web.archive.org/web/20030622030706/www.dcfund.net" class="external autonumber">[3]</a> which is managed by the Emerging Markets Group.

<h2>Projects</h2>

<h3>Philip Morris and the Tobacco Institute</h3>

Working closely with <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Philip_Morris" title="Philip Morris" class="mw-redirect">Philip Morris</a>, they issued studies arguing that the EPA's regulations (including those of cigarette smoke) were scientifically unsound, overly-burdensome, and unnecessary.

Facing a cigarette tax increase as part of the Clinton healthcare plan, they organized an astroturf campaign to misleadingly attack it, charging Morris $60,000 for the work. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://cgi.cse.unsw.edu.au/%7Elambert/cgi-bin/blog/2004/05#adti" title="http://cgi.cse.unsw.edu.au/_{lambert/cgi-bin/blog/2004/05#adti}" class="external autonumber">[4]</a>

AdTi sought work from, and received financial support from the tobacco industry. A 1995 <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Tobacco_Institute" title="Tobacco Institute">Tobacco Institute</a> budget shows a donation of $20,000 slated for AdTI. A 1998 Tobacco Institute PUblic Affairs budget shows $10,000 in support slated for AdTI.<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Institution#cite_note-0" title="">[1]</a><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Institution#cite_note-1" title="">[2]</a><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alexis_de_Tocqueville_Institution#cite_note-2" title="">[3]</a>

<h3>Microsoft</h3>

Heavily funded by <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Microsoft" title="Microsoft">Microsoft</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.wired.com/news/linux/0,1411,52973,00.html" title="http://www.wired.com/news/linux/0,1411,52973,00.html" class="external autonumber">[5]</a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20021227-105113-4829r" title="http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20021227-105113-4829r" class="external autonumber">[6]</a>, they have engaged in a number of campaigns to suggest <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Open_Source_Software" title="Open Source Software">Open Source Software</a>, and Linux in particular, is dangerous, insecure, and illegal.

In 2004, the institute announced a book claiming <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Linus_Torvalds" title="Linus Torvalds">Linus Torvalds</a> <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ken_Brown" title="Ken Brown">did not invent Linux</a>. The book's pre-publication draft was widely discredited, eventually leading the AdTI to abandon its plan to officially publish the book. The critique led Roland Smith to give the institute the nickname "the think tank that didn't", a nickname that was then gleefully picked up by others in the Linux community. While conceding they did fund the institute, Microsoft refused to comment on whether they specifically funded the book.

<h2>Funding</h2>

AdTI is very secretive about their income sources, refusing to divulge any funders, but we do know about some grants they have received.

Between 1988 and 2002, AdTI has received $1,723,900 (unadjusted for inflation) from conservative foundations <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mediatransparency.org/search_results/info_on_any_recipient.php?recipientID=7" title="http://www.mediatransparency.org/search_results/info_on_any_recipient.php?recipientID=7" class="external autonumber">[7]</a>, namely <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Lynde_and_Harry_Bradley_Foundation" title="Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation">Bradley</a>, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=John_M.Olin_Foundation" title="John M. Olin Foundation">Olin</a>, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Scaife_Foundations" title="Scaife Foundations">Scaife</a>, the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Philip_M.McKenna_Foundation" title="Philip M. McKenna Foundation">Philip M. McKenna Foundation</a>, and the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Claude_R._Lambe_Foundation" title="Claude R. Lambe Foundation" class="mw-redirect">Claude R. Lambe Foundation</a> (a <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Koch_Family_Foundations" title="Koch Family Foundations">Koch Family Foundations</a>).

Projects funded by these foundations include:

<ul>

<li>Bradley grants “to support education-reform research and activities”;</li>

<li>the “<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Teacher_Choice" title="Teacher Choice">Teacher Choice</a> Project”;</li>

<li>$50,000 to “support research on teacher unions and education reform” (Bradley, 2000)</li>

<li>$168,750 “to support research and writing on new tactics of U.S. progressive movement in the Post-Cold War era” (Bradley and Olin, 1998)</li>

<li>$30,000 for “the Action Plan for Defense Privatization, conducted by the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Committee_for_the_Common_Defense" title="Committee for the Common Defense">Committee for the Common Defense</a>” (Olin, 1995-1996)</li>

<li>$5,000 to “support promotion for The Democratic Century, a book by Gregory Fossedal” (Olin, 1998)</li>

</ul>

Conservative think-tank <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Capital_Research_Center" title="Capital Research Center">Capital Research Center</a> reports funding by <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Fannie_Mae" title="Fannie Mae">Fannie Mae</a>, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=AT%26T_Foundation&action=edit&redlink=1" title="AT&T Foundation (page does not exist)" class="new">AT&T Foundation</a>, and <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Amoco_Foundation&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Amoco Foundation (page does not exist)" class="new">Amoco Foundation</a>. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.capitalresearch.org/search/orgdisplay.asp?Org=ATI100" title="http://www.capitalresearch.org/search/orgdisplay.asp?Org=ATI100" class="external autonumber">[8]</a>

Tobaccodocuments.org <a rel="nofollow" href="http://tobaccodocuments.org/lor/92756807-6876.html" title="http://tobaccodocuments.org/lor/92756807-6876.html" class="external autonumber">[9]</a> contains a number of searchable documents produced as a result of the settlement of court actions that link AdTI to Lorillard and Phillip Morris corporations. AdTI is linked to Dr. <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=S._Fred_Singer" title="S. Fred Singer">S. Fred Singer</a> in the tobacco documents <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.smokefreeforhealth.org/studies/YachBialous.htm" title="http://www.smokefreeforhealth.org/studies/YachBialous.htm" class="external autonumber">[10]</a>, the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Cooler_Heads_Coalition" title="Cooler Heads Coalition">Cooler Heads Coalition</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cleanairtrust.org/villain.0301.html" title="http://www.cleanairtrust.org/villain.0301.html" class="external autonumber">[11]</a>, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Consumer_Alert" title="Consumer Alert">Consumer Alert</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.consumeralert.org/ncc/releases/rally.htm" title="http://www.consumeralert.org/ncc/releases/rally.htm" class="external autonumber">[12]</a>, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Heartland_Institute" title="Heartland Institute">Heartland Institute</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=1568" title="http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=1568" class="external autonumber">[13]</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=1568" title="http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=1568" class="external autonumber">[14]</a> and the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Competitive_Enterprise_Institute" title="Competitive Enterprise Institute">Competitive Enterprise Institute</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cei.org/gencon/014,02832.cfm" title="http://www.cei.org/gencon/014,02832.cfm" class="external autonumber">[15]</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cei.org/gencon/014,02833.cfm" title="http://www.cei.org/gencon/014,02833.cfm" class="external autonumber">[16]</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cei.org/gencon/014,02821.cfm" title="http://www.cei.org/gencon/014,02821.cfm" class="external autonumber">[17]</a>.

See also: <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=AdTI-Funding" title="AdTI-Funding">AdTI-Funding</a>.

<h2>Personnel</h2>

<table border="1"><caption>Staff and Associates</caption><tbody><tr align="center"><th>Name</th><th>Title</th></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Gravel" title="Mike Gravel">Mike Gravel</a></td><td>Chairman</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ken_Brown" title="Ken Brown">Ken Brown</a></td><td>President</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Christopher_Cox" title="Christopher Cox" class="mw-redirect">Christopher Cox</a></td><td>Co-Chairman

AdTI Board of Advisors</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=John_Norquist" title="John Norquist">John Norquist</a></td><td>Co-Chairman

AdTI Board of Advisors</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Gordon_S._Macklin" title="Gordon S. Macklin">Gordon Macklin</a></td><td>Co-Chairman

Market History Research Program</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Robert_Toricelli" title="Robert Toricelli">Robert Toricelli</a></td><td>Co-Chairman

<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=International_Monetary_Fund_Assessment_Project" title="International Monetary Fund Assessment Project">IMF Assessment Project</a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Gregory_Fossedal" title="Gregory Fossedal">Gregory Fossedal</a></td><td>Senior Fellow</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Donald_Payne" title="Donald Payne" class="mw-redirect">Donald Payne</a></td><td>Co-Chairman

<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Opportunity_Africa" title="Opportunity Africa">Opportunity Africa</a></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alveda_King" title="Alveda King">Alveda King</a></td><td>Senior Fellow

Education Policy and Civil Rights</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Becky_Norton_Dunlop" title="Becky Norton Dunlop">Becky Norton Dunlop</a></td><td>Director, Democracy and the Environment Research Program</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=David_W.Kirkpatrick" title="David W. Kirkpatrick">David Kirkpatrick</a></td><td>Fellow, Education Policy</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ken_Evans" title="Ken Evans">Dan Evans</a></td><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Teacher_Choice" title="Teacher Choice">Teacher Choice</a> Fellow</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Daniel_S.Konieczko" title="Daniel S. Konieczko">Don Koniezco</a></td><td>Teacher Choice Fellow</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Marilyn_Ketter_Rittmeyer" title="Marilyn Ketter Rittmeyer">Marilyn Ketter Rittmeyer</a></td><td>Teacher Choice Fellow</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sahir_Zuberi&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Sahir Zuberi (page does not exist)" class="new">Sahir Zuberi</a></td><td>Webmaster</td></tr></tbody></table>

Others:

<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Dan_Buck" title="Dan Buck">Dan Buck</a> Board member</li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sita_Mazumder" title="Sita Mazumder">Sita Mazumder</a>, Director</li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Philip_Peters" title="Philip Peters">Philip Peters</a> (Salary: $114,083) <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.capitalresearch.org/search/orgdisplay.asp?Org=ATI100" title="http://www.capitalresearch.org/search/orgdisplay.asp?Org=ATI100" class="external autonumber">[18]</a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Merrick_Carey" title="Merrick Carey">Merrick Carey</a> Alexis de Tocqueville Institution former president (Salary: $172,000) <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.capitalresearch.org/search/orgdisplay.asp?Org=ATI100" title="http://www.capitalresearch.org/search/orgdisplay.asp?Org=ATI100" class="external autonumber">[19]</a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Cesar_Conda" title="Cesar Conda">Cesar Conda</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mises.org/econsense/postscript.asp#p407" title="http://www.mises.org/econsense/postscript.asp#p407" class="external autonumber">[20]</a>, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reason.com/rodgers.shtml" title="http://reason.com/rodgers.shtml" class="external autonumber">[21]</a>, recently was Assistant to Vice President <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Dick_Cheney" title="Dick Cheney">Dick Cheney</a> for Domestic Policy <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=6248" title="http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=6248" class="external autonumber">[22]</a> previously was executive director of AdTI, currently on Board of <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Empower_America" title="Empower America">Empower America</a>.</li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Jack_Kemp" title="Jack Kemp" class="mw-redirect">Jack Kemp</a> Co-Chairman, Alexis de Tocqueville Institution and Co-Director, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Empower_America" title="Empower America">Empower America</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.house.gov/judiciary/6017.htm" title="http://www.house.gov/judiciary/6017.htm" class="external autonumber">[23]</a></li><li>===</li>

</ul><div>
</div><div>=</div><div>In addition to creating front groups and contributing funds to groups that have a mission broad enough to carry some of the tobacco industry's goals, the tobacco companies also use publications by allegedly independent think tanks, such as the Virginia-based Alexis de Tocqueville Institution. This group's 1994 report “Science, Economics, and Environmental Policy: A Critical Examination”35 criticizes the US Environmental Protection Agency's risk assessment methods in 4 areas: environmental tobacco smoke, radon, pesticides, and hazardous cleanup. It dismisses in its first chapter the agency's risk assessment of environmental tobacco smoke, using arguments similar to the tobacco industry's “junk science” arguments described by Ong and Glantz.This report has been widely used by the tobacco industry in its quest to dismiss the hazards of environmental tobacco smoke. And although no direct financial link has been established, several members of the report's academic advisory board have been involved with different tobacco companies' activities.36 The report's principal reviewer, Dr Fred Singer, was involved with the International Center for a Scientific Ecology, a group that was considered important in Philip Morris' plans to create a group in Europe similar to The Advancement for Sound Science Coalition (TASSC), as discussed by Ong and Glantz.37,38 He was also on a tobacco industry list of people who could write op-ed pieces on “junk science,” defending the industry's views.39
The junk science saga continues. In February 2001, on the Web site JunkScience.com, Martha Perske provided a critique of studies linking passive smoking and lung cancer.40 In the article, she grossly misstates the WHO's work in this field. Perske has no formal scientific training and her one publication in the peer-reviewed literature is a letter to the editor—which appeared, incidentally, in the journal edited by Alvan Feinstein.41 She describes herself as a “smokers' advocate,” but industry documents show that she stayed in close contact with Philip Morris, asking for their review of and comments on her activities.42</div><div>=</div>