Document LpjwQn6x7e1Jvj93ymrz8zMBX

Monsanto FWOM tNAMC A LOCATION i Mr. R. C. Isham - St. Louis BIND OATL October 21, 1977 CC; SUBJECT Exit Announcement on PCBs WEFEBENCfc Messrs: G. F. Barton - BIND J. D. Carr - 5040 J. K. Clark - A3NB J. R. Foehr - B2SA E. V. John - A2ND J. E. McKee - A3NB L. A. Miller - B3SA E. T. Mollica - B3SA J. W. Molloy - 1740 J. J. Spano - E3NB R. A. Stohr - B2SC J. C. Weber - B2SK D. Wood - B2SD There is considerable debate within the corporation as to whether we should announce exiting the PCB business. The primary objection to a press release now being that it will prompt requests for more information on dismantling, decontamination, and ultimate disposal of the PCB unit at Krummrich. These are sensitive issues which we don't have all the answers for. And, these activities will not be started by the time of our announcement. Nevertheless, PCBs are a national issue. We're in a lot of journalists' "bring-up" files per ABC's recent request. And, PCB will be a continuing national saga because of articles in READER'S DIGEST, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and others. PCBs have been thrown in our face already with a "Why don't you take all the money you're going to spend on 'Chemical Facts of Life' and use it to clean up the Hudson River?" We need a statement issued within management's time frame commitment to exit the business...not next January. So with that background, we plan to issue the enclosed news release to the following trade magazines on October 31, 1977: CHEMICAL WEEK CHEMICAL MARKETING REPORTER JOURNAL OF COMMERCE ELECTRICAL WORLD . ELECTRIC WEEK INSULATION/CIRCUITS TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION There are.no plans to initiate a release to general media, but to respond to them on a request only basis. This -cont DSW 283213 STLCOPCB4064542 2 announcement will also go on all boards. I'd appreciate your comments on this tactic by October 27. Thanks. . jb end. R. C. Isham t DSW 283214 STLCOPCB4064543