An American boycott which may be expanded worldwide against cigarettes manufactured by the Brown and Williamson Tobacco Co. of Louisville, Ky., for recognizing the Arab boycott against shipments to Israel, was threatened today by Congressman Alfred E. Santangelo. He said the Brown and Williamson Tobacco Co. was following “an un-American trade policy abhorrent to the American way of life.”
Congressman Santangelo, New York Democrat, revealed that he had written to W. S. Cutchins, president of the Brown and Williamson Tobacco Co., giving the firm a deadline of August 14th to offer satisfactory assurances the boycott against shipments of Brown and Williamson cigarettes to Israel will be lifted. Cong. Santangelo advised Mr. Cutchins that he had scheduled an emergency meeting of the Federation of the Italian-American Democratic Organizations of the State of New York for August 14th, formally calling for the launching of a boycott against cigarettes produced by the firm.
The Congressman recalled to the Brown and Williamson president that this will be the second time this year that the Federation spearheaded a fight through boycott means. On March 9th, a boycott began against Liggett and Myers, producers of Chesterfield, Oasis, L&M and Duke for sponsoring the A.B.C. TV show “The Untouchables” for defaming Italians and Americans of Italian extraction. The boycott lasted only 48 hours when the McCann-Erickson Advertising Agency for Liggett and Myers, announced termination of prime sponsorship of the “Untouchables” this fall.
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