Day 003 - 30 Jun 94 - Page 45
1 evidence.
2 MR. RAMPTON: Not on our side. In fact despite my gloomy
predictions, Mr. Preston, I had asked you about
3 rainforests as much as I needed save this: Does the
company now have a policy on rainforests, a written
4 policy?
A. We do, yes, Sir.
5
Q. The reference to that is pink bundle 16 tab 1. I want to
6 ask you briefly, which I would like you to answer briefly,
this: Leaving aside environmental matters, does
7 McDonald's have any sense of responsibility -- I think you
mentioned this yourself earlier -- to the community at
8 large?
A. Well, yes, again dating back from the founder Ray
9 Kroc; the necessity to put something back into the
communities where we do business has been at the forefront
10 of McDonald's since its creation in the 50's. We have
chosen by and large around the world the vehicle of under
11 privileged children, families and children who are in need
at times of -- I will use the term "medical crisis"; as
12 the vehicle to put something back. Now that is not meant
to be exclusive term. We have made donations over the
13 years of money to hospitals to buy equipment; we have
sponsored athletic teams involving children and youth; we
14 have been involved here in Britain with the British Youth
Athletics Organisation; we feel as though if we make our
15 living in a community we have to put something back into
it, wherever that might be.
16
Q. What if it was suggested to you, Mr. Preston, that there
17 are only two reasons why you might do that: One is that
it is good P R; the other is there are tax advantages
18 about it. What is your response to that?
A. It is absolute rubbish.
19
Q. Mr. Preston, I want now to come quite briefly to the
20 reasons why this action was brought by your company and
why it has been pressed to a conclusion with a trial in
21 this court. We have been through the leaflet. I will
save you the anxiety of looking at it again. I want to
22 ask you this. When did something of that kind first come
to your attention?
23 A. In the 1980s.
24 Q. In late 1989 your company instructed two firms of private
investigators, whom the defendants describe in this court
25 and elsewhere as spies, to try to find out who it was that
was publishing the leaflet. Is that right?
26 A. We did.
27 Q. Why was that?
A. It was the only way to determine who was doing what.
28 The leaflets being distributed talked about open meetings
to the public; these people attended open meetings.
29
Q. At that time in 1989 had there been any other sort of
30 publicity for these sorts of allegations?
A. These allegations were finding their way to many other
