American Tobacco Firm Ends Five-year Ban on Selling Cigarettes to Israel

The Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, producing agents and exporters in the United States of Lucky Strike and Pall Mall cigarettes for the British-American Tobacco Corporation, London, England, for distribution outside the territory of the United States, today ended its five-year practice of refusing to sell these two brands of cigarettes to Israel under orders from its parent company in London. An announcement of the end of the ban was made today by Congressman Alfred E. Santangelo, of New York, who threatened the American Italians will boycott the products of the corporation if the discriminatory practice against Israel is continued.

Brown & Williamson, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British-American Tobacco Co., manufactures Lucky Strike and Pall Mall cigarettes under license from the British firm. British-American holds the sole license to sell these cigarettes outside the United States. Officials of Brown & Williamson have acknowledged the fact that their parent company refused to sell Lucky Strike and Pall Mall cigarettes to Israeli importers, due to pressures from Arab countries.

Today, Congressman Santangelo stated: “I am happy to announce that the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation has asked permission of the Israel Trade Commissioner to ship all bona fide orders for cigarettes and tobacco products manufactured in the United States under their own company brand names and trade marks held by the British-American Tobacco Co.” The brands, said Mr. Santangelo, include Lucky Strike and Pall Mall.

As a result of that change, Mr. Santangelo said, a boycott planned against Brown & Williamson and British-American Tobacco brands and products will not go into effect in this country.

Mr. Santangelo had notified Brown & Williamson and British-American last August that a boycott by American Italians against their products would go into effect this month unless their anti-Israeli boycott was lifted. He had acted as president of the Federation of the Italian-American Democratic Organization of New York State. The Congressman and the tobacco company officials had agreed that the American boycott against their products would not go into effect until today, pending arrangements for dropping the embargo against Israel.

“I must compliment and hold up as exemplary,” said Mr. Santangelo today, “the conduct of the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, in cooperation with the Federation, in reversing their pro-Arab policy in boycotting Israel, a freedom-loving nation of the Middle East and this country’s most reliable ally in that troubled area.” He also announced his appreciation for help “to make this campaign successful” to the Jewish War Veterans, the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith, the American Jewish Committee and the Anglo-Jewish press.

Qualified circles today confirmed that the Brown & Williamson corporation have informed the commercial representatives of the Israel Government here of its decision to discontinue the discriminatory trade practice toward Israel. The communication asked for the establishment of normal relations with Israeli importers. It was forwarded to the competent authorities in Israel and a formal reply is expected.