As the "New Deal" era of the "Great Depression" promised relief from the publicly perceived failures of business and industry, a corresponding attitude of consumerism arose, aimed at "Big Business's" accomplice, advertising. Across the nation, national and local consumer protection organizations arose, and nonconsumer related organizations adopted consumer objectives. From 1930 through 1940, as many as 50 organizations worked at one time or another for the passage of national consumer legislation. Advertisers who had been dismissing the existence of the consumer movement were forced to take notice of the federal government's response to consumer activity. Consumers turned their attention to restoring and expanding the powers of the Federal Trade Commission, which had been greatly restricted by the Roosevelt appointed but business-controlled National Recovery Administration. After 5 years of unsuccessful attempts to pass consumer legislation, Congress passed the Copeland Bill (a pure food, drug, and cosmetic labeling act) and the Wheeler-Lea Act, which gave the Federal Trade Commission power to stop false advertising or ads that were deceptive by omission. Business and advertising on the one hand and consumers and government on the other claimed victory in the passage of these two laws, the former having influenced the final statutes to their advantage by excluding false advertising from the control of the Food and Drug Administration. (HTH)