Garment Industry Leaders Divided on Boycott over De Gaulle Charges

Sources in Manhattan’s garment district confirmed today that a number of ready-to-wear manufacturers planned to organize a committee to determine whether a boycott should be established against French fabrics in protest against President de Gaulle’s recent anti-Israel, anti-Jewish and anti-American attacks.

Eight heads of such firms held a secret meeting late yesterday which was also attended by representatives of other garment district firms. According to the sources, there was a sharp division of opinion over whether such a boycott should be launched by the garment industry and, if such a decision was approved, how the boycott should be organized. Many of the Jewish businessmen expressed concern over the known State Department opposition to such boycotts as well as over the possibility that such an action might cut both ways.

Among the industry’s top designers and manufacturers attending the secret meeting yesterday were Jerry Silverman, Adolph Klein, president of the New York Couture Business Council, Shannon Rodgers, Chester Weinberg, Nat Rubin, Pauline Trigere and others. Mr. Klein said today that “nothing definite has been decided. The gathering was just a meeting between friends.” 8 Mr. Weinberg said that the meeting constituted “a useful exchange of ideas which provided us with what the other man was thinking.” He added that “definite steps will emerge once the committee has been formed.” None of the participants would say when a meeting would be held to form the committee.

Mr. Silverman insisted that “there was no talk at all concerning any boycott of the French fabric mills because the French couture is still the lifeblood of this business to a lot of people.”

New York importers in the accessories business were reported to be thinking about stopping imports of such items as handbags but avoided talk about a boycott, While many retailers said that women customers were avoiding such imports with “Made in France” labels, some of the major New York specialty stores indicated a cautious attitude toward the boycott idea. William Hanson, president of Julius Garfinckel, said that his stores, which include Brooks Brothers, would not join in any boycott although “we are hearing more and more customers saying they won’t buy anything French.”