Aspartame was initially discovered back in 1965 as a drug to treat peptic ulcers.
In it’s first 16 years of existence, the FDA absolutely positively refused it’s approval. It is dangerous and deadly. The Food and Drug Administration did it’s job, protecting the public. It refused to put Aspartame on the market.
For those initial 16 (Sixteen) Years.
However G.D. Searle Company, the chemical company that patented aspartame, continued to spend millions of dollars in their effort to bring it to market, conducting ‘safety tests’ and submitting to the FDA over a hundred ‘studies’ claiming aspartame was ‘safe’.
The safety of aspartame was historically in question; an investigation into Searle’s testing procedures then also came into question. During the investigation into Searle’s testing procedures, it was discovered that much of the data was inaccurate, manipulated, and just downright shoddy. In the investigators report it was devulged “had never seen anything as bad as Searle’s testing”.
What then followed was a first in the history of the FDA. The FDA requested a criminal investigation of a manufacturer; for knowingly misrepresenting data, concealing material facts and making false statements in aspartame tests. The U.S. Attorney’s office was requested of the FDA to begin grand jury proceedings to investigate whether indictments should be filed against Searle… some 30 years ago, in 1977.
The U.S. Attorney in charge of the Investigation was Samuel Skinner.
Sidley & Austin was the law firm representing Searle.
Sidley & Austin negotiated a job deal with Samuel Skinner and in July 1977, Mr. Samuel Skinner left his U.S. Attorney’s job and joined the Sidley & Austin law firm working for Searle. His resignation stalled the grand jury investigation long enough for the statue of limitations on the aspartame charges to expire.
The grand jury investigation was discontinued.
The Public Board of Inquiry, FDA Scientists and Investigators, The National Soft Drink Association (NSDA) and many, many others made their objections of any aspartame approval cleary known. Searle needed to try another maneuver, a political one, to get the approval they so wanted.
Enter:

G. D. Searle hired Donald Rumsfeld in March 1977 as their CEO in this political effort. A former Member of Congress and Secretary of Defense in the Ford Administration, Rumsfeld soon hired several of his Washington cronies as top management.
The Aspartame ball began to roll.
Donald Rumsfeld, CEO of Searle, stated in a January 1981 sales meeting that he would push for aspartames‘ approval using his political clout in Washington, rather than proper scientific means, to ensure aspartame’s approval.
When Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President of the United States, Reagan’s transition team, which included Donald Rumsfeld, CEO of Searle, hand picked Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes Jr. to be the new FDA Commissioner in January 1981.

Dr. Arthur Hayes, Jr. (above center), ignoring the warnings and recommendations of his own internal FDA team, his own FDA scientists, overruled the Public Board of Inquiry.
In one of his first official acts as the new FDA Commissioner, Arthur Hayes, Jr. approved NutraSweet (Aspartame) for dry products.
Dr. Hayes then resigned two years later in 1983 and took a job with Burson-Marsteller, Searle’s public relations firm, as a senior scientific consultant. Burson-Marsteller also happened to represent several of NutraSeet’s major users.
TIP: Go back up and click on that red link. There’s a few of those easter eggs in here. (ok.. a lot) *grins*
Donald Rumsfeld’s achievement at Searle brought him awards such as the Outstanding Chief Executive Officer in the Pharmaceutical Industry from the Wall Street Transcript (1980) and Financial World (1981).
On June 1, 1985, Donald Rumsfeld became the first person in the Searl’s history who was not a member of the Searle family to serve as chairman of the board.
In 1985, Monsanto purchased Searle.
Monsanto is a top maker of Genetic Engineering. Monsanto is making your food. Genetically Modified food is on 70% of the store shelves today, using tactics just like this for ‘approval’. There is no independent researching on any of these ingredients prior to your eating them. None.

Below is some clinical data that has been attributed to Aspartame products.
Thank Donald Rumsfeld for being in bed with the patent holder of aspartame G.D. Searle, should you run into him and you or loved ones have any of these issues and have been trusting Aspartame:
Eye:
Decreased vision and/or other eye problems
Pain (one or both eyes)
Decreased tears, trouble with contact lens, or both
Blindness (one or both eyes)
Ear:
Tinnitus (“ringing,” “buzzing”)
Severe intolerance for noise
Marked impairment of hearing
Neuralgic:
Headaches
Dizziness, unsteadiness, or both
Confusion, memory loss, or both
Severe drowsiness and sleepiness
Paresthesias (“pins and needles,” “tingling”) or numbness of limbs
Convulsions (grand mal epileptic attacks)
Petit mal attacks and “absences”
Non classified seizures
Severe slurring of speech
Severe tremors
Severe “hyperactivity” and “restless legs”
Atypical facial pain
Simulation of multiple sclerosis
Psychological/Psychiatric:
Severe depression
Suicidal ideas/attempts
Extreme irritability
Severe anxiety attacks
Marked personality changes
Recent “severe insomnia
Severe aggravation of phobias
Addiction to aspartame
Chest/Heart:
Palpitations, tachicardia
(rapid heart action) or both
Shortness of breath
Atypical chest pain
Recent hypertension
(high blood pressure)
Gastrointestinal:
Nausea
Diarrhea
Associated gross blood in stools
Abdominal pain
Pain on swallowing
Skin/Allergies:
Severe itching without rash
Severe lip and mouth reactions
Uticaria (hives)
Severe genital itching, rash, or both
Lupus erythematosus-type eruption
Other rashes
Marked thinning or loss of hair
Aggravation of respiratory allergies
Dual sensitivity to MSG
Weight Disorders:
Paradoxic marked weight gain
Marked weight loss
Rheumatologic/Muscular:
Severe joint pains
Fibromyalgia
Leg and hand cramps
Myasthenia gravis
Endocrine/Metabolic:
Problems with diabetes (loss of control;
precipitation of clinical diabetes;
aggravation or simulation of diabetic complications)
Aggravated hypoglycemia (“low blood sugar attacks”)
Menstrual changes:
Severe reduction or cessation of periods
Hyperthyroidism
Graves disease
Fluid/Urinary Disturbances:
Frequency of voiding (day and night), burning on
Urination (dysuria), or both
Intense thirst
Bloat
Fluid retention and swelling (feet and legs)
Kidney stones
If you’d like to have a chat with your representatives you can locate them here.
Video: Sweet Misery: The Horrors of Aspartame are Revealed in This Documentary
“Sweet Misery” unveils one of the most pervasive, insidious forms of corporate negligence in the history of the industrial revolution: the “revolving doors” practices between the FDA and powerful corporations such as Monsanto-subsidiary, Searle.
Upon detailed examination of the process for approving aspartame by the FDA, the film connects Donald Rumsfeld, once the United States Secretary of Defense, to the scene of the crime. Rumsfeld, then CEO of Searle, was part of Reagan’s transition team when the FDA’s allowing the marketing of aspartame as a food additive.
“‘Sweet Misery’ has the right mix of political intrigue and corporate deception,” says Brackett. “It is yet another example of multi-national corporations’ disregard for the individual.”

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15 comments
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August 30, 2011 at 10:28 PM
Lakey
I’m doing a research paper on the role of political and corporate influence in the case of Aspartames approval. Can I have the sources used for this article? This is the most informative article I’ve found on Donald Rumsfeld’s part in this crime.
Thank You and Keep Up your good work!
October 12, 2011 at 9:12 PM
TodayYesterdayAndTomorrow (TYT)
If you click on the links in the article you should see sources; it’s a pretty old article. There is a lot of information on the internet about how Aspartame came to approval since this article was written, there is also other data on this site that may help you. Good luck with your paper!
August 6, 2011 at 9:23 AM
Aspartame is GMO | Health Wiki information
[...] (a product of G.D. Searle and Company, owned by [...]
July 15, 2010 at 11:39 PM
pakmenu
Not only is it about patents… the chemotherapy pharmaceutical industry, earning over 100.000-200.000 USD PER PATIENT PER YEAR! is very happy that this is generating them more cancer patients, and if closely researched you’ll find that INDEED behind the appoval of many cancer inducing chemicals in society (aspartame, mercury in vacinnes, fluorisation of water) are the same people and companies that make the patented and by law re-invorced use of (also cancer inducing and on the long term innefective) chemotherapies!
yes, it’s indeed so horrible, i’ve been depressed for weeks now, but the evidence is abundantly clear!
May 12, 2010 at 5:06 AM
Brian Garvin
I drink about 1/2 gallon of those powdered sugar free drinks each day like Crystal Light but the Wal Mart brands. I think these have aspartame They come in all sorts of flavors. I have Type II Diabetis. They are probably not the best drinks in the world, but other than water I don’t have much of a choice other than drinks loaded with sugar.
November 4, 2011 at 12:56 PM
ar
You’ve never heard of stevia or a popular brand of it, Truvia? Go to a natural foods stores!
April 30, 2010 at 4:15 PM
Marsha Friedman
I’ve known for decades that this stuff is nasty, so this comes as no surprise. I like Stevia as a sweetener. But then, it’s just a plant extract and can’t be patented. It’s really about the patents isn’t it?
February 5, 2010 at 9:00 PM
more 2010 predictions « Falkon303's Predictions
[...] http://todayyesterdayandtomorrow.wordpress.com/2007/08/10/donald-rumsfeld-in-bed-with-aspartame/ [...]
July 15, 2009 at 9:42 PM
Volunteering: How it Began
[...] Diet drinks, in particular, contain the drug Aspartame, a toxin rejected for 16 years by the FDA — until Rumsfeld pulled political strings. (Rumsfeld was the CEO of Searle, the company that produced Aspartame, using his political power to injur American health in the name of profit.) [...]
December 13, 2008 at 8:19 PM
Anonymous
Oh I see, GD searle uses their own influences to buy their way into D.C. Shame on them.
November 4, 2008 at 12:36 AM
Joe
Very interesting TYT.
Unfortunately when the put up against McCain the alternative is not much better. But at least we get an idea of the future the Neo-Con Jewish Crime Network have in store for us with Messiah of Change Barack Obama.
September 3, 2008 at 4:57 PM
TodayYesterdayAndTomorrow (TYT)
UPDATE:
“Sidley & Austin” The lawfirm representing G.D. Searle -
is the same lawfirm where Barack and Michelle Obama worked.
http://www.nndb.com/company/955/000122589/
May 20, 2008 at 1:53 PM
Ted Kennedy Diagnosed with Brain Tumor « Lance Dutson Story, and other Crazy Tales
[...] Donald Rumsfeld was the Chairman of Searle, a company who invented aspartame. Rumsfeld used all of his influence to legalize this drug, even after the FDA had expressed its reservations about Aspartame. [...]
April 13, 2008 at 5:04 PM
Mike Witt
I have been a 7-8 can and sometimes bottle of Diet Coke drinker a DAY for nearly 10 years. My health over the last two years has not been good. Extreme headaches and migraines, joint pain, jitterness, fatigue and overall just feeling like crud. People can say that sugars, arificial sweetners, caffeine and other ingredients are not addicting or bad for you, but when your body tells you something, it’s time to list. I have shared my whole story on my blog, http://www.dietdrinkaddiction.com and how I broke that addiction in 5 days with no withdrawal symptoms at all.
Thanks,
Mike
August 30, 2007 at 9:18 AM
how it began « ALFAJIRI
[...] Diet drinks, in particular, contain the drug Aspartame, a toxin rejected for 16 years by the FDA until Rumsfeld pulled political strings. (Rumsfeld was originally the CEO of Searle, the company that produced Aspartame.) [...]