The Tylenol Mafia (60 page)

 
“I was full of bravado”:
 
O’Reilly, Brian. “J&J Is On a Roll.”
Fortune
, December 26, 1994.

 
“Are you the man”:
 
Callahan
David.
Kindred Spirits: Harvard Business School's Extraordinary Class of 1949 and How They Transformed American Business
: Wiley, 2002

Burke moved up:
Georgescu
, Peter.
The Source of Success
.
San Francisco:
Jossey
Bass, 2005.
--
“James Burke.”
Reference for Business website, Accessed July 2, 2011.
http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/biography/A-E/Burke-James-1925.html
-- Johnson & Johnson.
“Johnson & Johnson 1961 Annual Report.”
1962

In 1975, while Burke: “Johnson & Johnson.”
International Directory of Company Histories
, January 1, 1991.

A large annual Tylenol advertising budget: Church, George J.; Griggs, Lee;
Zagorin
, Adam “Murder by Remote Control.”
TIME
, October 18, 1982.

Tylenol was bringing in $450 million: Foster, Lawrence. “The Tylenol Tragedy: A Crime Without Precedent,” in
Communicating in a Healthcare Crisis
, ed. Pines, Wayne L. 173-182, Church Falls:
FDAnew
s
, 2007. -- Moore, Thomas.
“The Fight to Save Tylenol.”
TIME,
November 29, 1982.

5
     
All of Burke’s Men

While J&J executives put:
Tifft
, Susan; Lee, Griggs.
“Poison Madness in the Midwest.”
TIME
, October 11, 1982

Initially, Johnson & Johnson issued: Beck, Melinda, Mary Hagar, Ron
LaBreque
, Sylvester Monroe,
Linda
Prout
.
"The Tylenol Scare."
Newsweek
.
October 11, 1982.

Buddy Willis, the owner: Cunningham, Kathy.
 
“Local Tylenol Distributor Sure of Safety.”
The Winchester Star
, October 2, 1982.

Burke immediately focused: David Berg and Stephen Robb.
“Crisis Management and the ‘Paradigm Case,’” in
Rhetorical and Critical Approaches to Public Relations
, ed.
Toth
, Elizabeth.
Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1992, pg. 92-107. -- Foster, Lawrence. “The Tylenol Tragedy: A Crime Without Precedent,” in
Communicating in a Healthcare Crisis
, ed. Pines, Wayne L. 173-182, Church Falls:
FDAnew
s
, 2007.

Many times, according to Foster:
Cooke, Jeremy R. “PSU alumnus recalls 1982 Tylenol murders.”
Collegian
, October 18, 2002 -- Foster, Lawrence.
Interview by PSU students, 2002.

Burke told David Collins:
Fink, Steven.
Crisis Management: Planning for the Inevitable
.
American Management Association, 1986, 204-6.

 
“Take charge”:
 
Fink, Steven.
Crisis Management: Planning for the Inevitable
. American Management Association: 1986, 204-6.

Collins’s first question:
 
Moore, Thomas.
“The Fight to Save Tylenol.”
TIME
, November 29, 1982.

 
“I needed my own”:
 
Moore, Thomas.
“The Fight to Save Tylenol.”
TIME
, November 29, 1982.

 
“
a
place to build”: “New Hall of Fame Members.”
Fenwick Magazine,
spring 2003, 12.

McNeil executives used a felt-tip marker:
 
Moore, Thomas.
“The Fight to Save Tylenol.”
TIME
, November 29, 1982.

A two-way video:
Foster, Lawrence. “The Tylenol Tragedy: A Crime Without Precedent,” in
Communicating in a Healthcare Crisis
, ed. Pines, Wayne L. 173-182, Church Falls:
FDAnew
s
, 2007.

Chicago area sales reps: Associated Press. “Poisoned Tylenol kills 5.”
The Capital
, October 1, 1982.

Twenty-five public relations employees from other J&J operating companies
: David Berg and Stephen Robb.
“Crisis Management and the ‘Paradigm Case,’” in
Rhetorical and Critical Approaches to Public Relations
, ed.
Toth
, Elizabeth.
Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1992, pg. 92-107.

Public relations personnel:
Foster, Lawrence. “The Tylenol Tragedy: A Crime Without Precedent,” in
Communicating in a Healthcare Crisis
, ed. Pines, Wayne L. 173-182, Church Falls:
FDAnew
s
, 2007.

Andrews, along with:
David Berg and Stephen Robb.
“Crisis Management and the ‘Paradigm Case,’” in
Rhetorical and Critical Approaches to Public Relations
, ed.
Toth
, Elizabeth.
Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1992, pg. 92-107. –
Fearn
-Banks, Kathleen. “Case: Johnson & Johnson and the Tylenol Murders.”
Crisis communications: A Casebook Approach.
Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1996, 86-96.

 
“
collectively
shocked”:
Fearn
-Banks, Kathleen. “Case: Johnson & Johnson and the Tylenol Murders.”
Crisis communications: A Casebook Approach.
Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1996, 86-96.

 
“We were clean”:
 
Nenni
, Pete; Van
Wye
, Joann “5 Die after taking cyanide filled Tylenol.” The
Daily Herald
, October 1, 1982.

“Whenever the poisoner”:
 
Church, George J.; Griggs, Lee;
Zagorin
, Adam “Murder by Remote Control.”
TIME
, October 18, 1982.

On Thursday afternoon, before officials: Moore, Thomas.
“The Fight to Save Tylenol.”
TIME
, November 29, 1982. --
Duerksen
, Susan. “6th poison victim dies; 2 more believed linked with Tylenol.”
The Daily Herald
, October 1, 1982.

11 million bottles of Tylenol capsules in the company’s distribution channel: Associated Press.
 
“Stockbroker may have been victim in extortion letter hoax.”
The News
, October 9, 1982.

Governor “Big” Jim Thompson: Associated Press. “Fahner will lead Tylenol probe.”
Chronicle-Telegram
, October 4, 1982. – Lee, Thomas J. “Tylenol case easing Fanner’s ills.”
The Daily Herald
, October 5, 1982.

A Chicago Tribune Poll released October 2, 1982
: Man in the News: Sheppard, Nathaniel.
“Anonymous Investigator.”
New York Times
, October 5, 1982.

That anonymity had changed instantly: Hughes, T Lee.
“Tylenol Capsules Change Course of Illinois race.”
Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune
, October 28, 1982.

One of Fahner’s first official acts:
“Tylenol murders last year recalled.”
Nightly News
.
NBC, September 28, 1983.

Chicago police officers were advised:
ABC Eyewitness News
. ABC, WLS-TV, Chicago, September 30, 1982.

“
may
be contaminated with cyanide, and should be destroyed”:
ABC Eyewitness News
. ABC, WLS-TV, Chicago, September 30, 1982.

Late Thursday morning, the pathologist: Turner, K L. Coroner’s Report for Mary McFarland, September 30, 1982.

The Lombard police called Mary: Turner, K L. Coroner’s Report for Mary McFarland, September 30, 1982.

Authorities then also found a bottle of Extra: Turner, K L. Coroner’s Report: Mary McFarland, September 30, 1982. -- McFadden, Robert D. “Poison Deaths Bring U.S. Warning on Tylenol Use.”
The New York Times
; October 2, 1982.

Authorities never disclosed: United Press International: Poisonings Cause Tylenol Recall.”
Tyrone Daily Herald
, October 1, 1982.

That lawsuit, as well as McFarland’s coroner’s report: Turner, K L. Coroner’s Report: Mary McFarland, September 30, 1982.

The Tylenol containers recovered:
Duerksen
, Susan. “6th poison victim dies; 2 more believed linked with Tylenol.”
The Daily Herald
, October 2, 1982. --
Pirl
,
Joerge
.
Telephone interview by author, 2010.

According to
Pirl
, the particular potassium cyanide:
 
Pirl
,
Joerge
.
Telephone interview by author, 2010.

6
     
The Developing Investigation

David Collins had gone:
 
Moore, Thomas.
“The Fight to Save Tylenol.”
TIME
, November 29, 1982.

Tylenol from that lot:
 
McFadden, Robert D. “Poison Deaths Bring U.S. Warning on Tylenol Use.”
The New York Times
; October 2, 1982.

 
“The fact that”:
 
Moore, Thomas.
“The Fight to Save Tylenol.”
TIME
, November 29, 1982.

Tylenol from Lot MC2880: McFadden, Robert D. “Poison Deaths Bring U.S. Warning on Tylenol Use.”
New York Times
; October 2, 1982 --
Rutenberg
, Sharon.
“Five poison deaths prompt.”
The Hawk Eye
, October 1, 1982.

 
“
wouldn’t
make a decision on extending”:
 
David Berg and Stephen Robb.
“Crisis Management and the ‘Paradigm Case,’” in
Rhetorical and Critical Approaches to Public Relations
, ed.
Toth
, Elizabeth.
Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1992, pg. 92-107.

J&J spokesperson, Marshall Malloy:
Rutenberg
, Sharon. “Five poison deaths prompt.”
The Hawk Eye
, October 1, 1982.

But later that day, J&J executives changed their minds:
 
Duerksen
, Susan. “6th poison victim dies; 2 more believed linked with Tylenol.”
The Daily Herald
, October 1, 1982.

David Collins had said he didn’t know:
 
Moore, Thomas.
“The Fight to Save Tylenol.”
TIME
, November 29, 1982.

The lot number on the label: Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Section 201.18.

“In the beginning”: Foster, Lawrence.
Interview by PSU students, 2002.

“Any plotter would”: Foster, Lawrence.
Interview by PSU students, 2002.

“
leads
us to believe strongly”:
 
Associated Press. “‘Madman’ sought in poisonings.” Wisconsin State Journal, October 2, 1982.

With this second recall, J&J had now recalled 264,000 bottles:
 
McFadden, Robert D. “Poison Deaths Bring U.S. Warning on Tylenol Use.”
The New York Times
; October 2, 1982.

Marshall Molloy said McNeil supplied:
 
Associated Press. “Sixth Victim Claimed By Cyanide Pills.”
Bedford Gazette
, October 2, 1982.

In 1982, Johnson & Johnson operated eleven regional distribution centers: Aguilar, Francis J.;
Bhambri
,
Arvind
.
“Johnson & Johnson (B) Hospital Services.”
Harvard Business School Publishing, June 30, 1986.

In February 1986, J&J spokesperson:
 
McFadden, Robert D. “Two Bottles of Poisoned Tylenol Were Shipped
By
Same Distributor.”
New York Times
, February 16, 1986.