A resolution urging the New York City Council to endorse the boycott of British goods and motion pictures in this country was last night defeated by a vote of 18-1.
In leading the opposition against the measure, Majority Leader Joseph T. Sharkey told the Council that the Israeli Government does not approve of any anti-British boycott and quoted Arthur Lourie, Israeli Consul General in New York, as allegedly having stated to him that the resolution was “Communist inspired” and “an effort to weaken Britain for the benefit of Soviet Russia.”
Lourie today sent a telegram to Councilman Sharkey terming the remarks attributed to him “pure invention.” “I must express my regret and amazement at your statement if you have been correctly quoted. It would moreover be quite improper for the Government of Israel to take any position on a resolution introduced into the New York City Council,” the message said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.