SFO ACR DEP EXPRESSED CONCERN REGARDING WIND INFO PROVIDED BY ATC WITH TKOF CLRNC; INDICATING MORE RELEVANT INFO WAS AVAILABLE.

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SFO IN STANDARD RWY CONFIGN: 1L/R FOR TKOF; RWY 28L/R FOR ARRS. ATIS WINDS 220 DEGS/8 KTS. DURING TAXI TO RWY 1R WE NOTICED THE WINDSOCK NEAR THE THRESHOLD STANDING STRAIGHT OUT AT A TAILWIND ANGLE; SO WE INQUIRED. WE WERE TOLD 'DEP WINDS 220 AT 12.' SINCE THIS EXCEEDED OUR MAX ALLOWABLE TAILWIND COMPONENT OF 4 KTS WE ASKED FOR AND WERE ASSIGNED TAXI TO RWY 28L. DURING THE TAXI WE NOTICED THE WIND DIRECTION AND VELOCITY WAS GENERATING MORE CONTROVERSY AT RWY 1L AND R; AND OTHER ACFT WERE ALSO REQUESTING RWY 28L FOR TKOF. ON TWR FREQ; WE NOTICED THAT THE CTLR WAS ISSUING 'RWY 1L DEP WIND 260 AT 21' AS PART OF THE TKOF CLRNC; AND MOST FLTS WERE DEPARTING WITH THAT INFO. HOWEVER; IT WAS OBVIOUS BY WATCHING A COUPLE OF HVY ACFT STAGGER OFF THE FAR END THAT THERE WAS CONSIDERABLY MORE TAILWIND COMPONENT THAN THE 20 DEGS OR SO BEING RPTED BY THE TWR. WE WAITED ON TWR FREQ FOR A CONSIDERABLE LENGTH OF TIME AT RWY 28L. AT ONE POINT A PLT AT RWY 1L/R BEGAN TO QUESTION THE CTLR IN DETAIL ABOUT THE WIND; AND SHE FINALLY SAID SOMETHING LIKE THIS 'DEP WIND 260 AT 21; CENTERFIELD WIND 210 AT 18.' IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE WIND WAS 'WRAPPING' AS IT DOES AT SFO OCCASIONALLY WHEN IT IS OUT OF THE SW; AND THE CENTERFIELD WIND; 210 DEGS AT 18 KTS; ALMOST A DIRECT TAILWIND COMPONENT OF 18 KTS -- WAS THE WIND CONDITION AFFECTING THE DEPARTING ACFT DURING MOST OF THE TKOF ROLL AND LIFT-OFF. THE PLTS THAT WERE SO ADVISED WERE; OF COURSE; REFUSING RWY 1L AND R. BUT THAT INFO WAS NOT ALWAYS MADE AVAILABLE ALONG WITH THE TKOF CLRNC. IN SPITE OF THIS; THE TWR CONTINUED TO ISSUE RWY 1L AND R TKOF CLRNCS USING ONLY THE 'DEP END' WIND OF 260 DEGS AT 15-20 KTS OR SO. PLTS UNAWARE OF THE EXCESSIVE CENTERFIELD TAILWIND; CONTINUED TO MAKE TKOFS ON THOSE RWYS; AND ONLY THE PLTS THAT QUESTIONED THE CTLR INTENSIVELY WERE GIVEN THAT VITAL INFO. MANY YRS AGO AN AIRLINER B747 STRUCK LIGHT STANCHIONS OFF THE DEP END OF RWY 1R IN A LATE-ROTATION ACCIDENT; IN SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES. SFO OFTEN STRETCHES WX AND WIND LIMITS TO THE MAX IN ORDER TO KEEP TFC FLOWING. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT FORMAL ATC POLICY IS REGARDING ISSUANCE OF WIND INFO IN CONJUNCTION WITH TKOF CLRNCS. HOWEVER; CONCEALING THIS KIND OF INFO FROM PLTS COULD LEAD TO A DISASTER.