The U.S. Public Health Service · Episode 8 of 34 · 35 min
The Bully Pulpit and the 1968 Evisceration (1964–1994)
Americans picture the Surgeon General as the nation's chief doctor, but since a 1968 reorganization the office runs no agency, budget, or staff, only a microphone. The episode traces how command was stripped away, then what the surviving bully pulpit could do: Luther Terry's 1964 smoking report, C. Everett Koop's AIDS and tobacco campaigns, and Joycelyn Elders's 1994 firing for a single sentence.
Who's who
- Luther L. TerrySurgeon General who issued the 1964 smoking and health report
- C. Everett Koop+1 more episodeSurgeon General whose 1980s AIDS and tobacco campaigns were highly consequential
- Joycelyn EldersSurgeon General forced out in 1994 after a remark on sex education
- Lyndon B. Johnson+7 more episodesPresident during the 1968 reorganization
- Michael StobbeAuthor of a study of the Surgeon General's bully pulpit
Timeline
- January 11, 1964Terry's Smoking and Health report released
- 1968Reorganization shifts line authority from the Surgeon General to the Assistant Secretary for Health
- 1986Koop issues the Surgeon General's Report on AIDS
- 1988Understanding AIDS mailed to about 107 million households
- December 1994Elders forced to resign after World AIDS Day remark
Still debated
Whether the 1968 change was a deliberate gutting or sensible consolidation is debated, and scholars question whether the bully pulpit changes policy or mainly publicity. The loss of authority is undisputed, and the office's fragility cuts across both parties.
← PreviousExpansion and Its Shadow: The IHS and Tuskegee (1932–1976)Next →The Diminishment, Part I: Starved and Shuttered (1965–1981)
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