Broad support for a bill prohibiting cooperation by American businessmen with Arab boycott practices was voiced today by a number of Senators and Congressmen, when the International Trade Subcommittee of the House Banking and Commerce Committee resumed its hearings on this subject this morning. The law would forbid American businessmen from filling out questionnaires submitted by the Arab League Boycott Office, aimed to pressure American firms against doing business with Israel.
Last week, Department of State and Department of Commerce representatives, while expressing opposition to the Arab boycott, strongly opposed the bill for a number of reasons, the main one being that such legislation would interfere with the Administration’s policy of “economic denial” against Cuba. This argument was firmly rejected by all witnesses today.
Senator Harrison A. Williams, New Jersey Democrat, co-sponsor with Senator Jacob K. Javits, New York Republican, of the bill, disclosed today to the Subcommittee that during the lengthy conferences with the State Department on the bill, before the hearings, they always stressed their concern over the reaction of the Arabs to such legislation, but not once did the State Department mention the argument about Cuba or Red China. “This bill has nothing to do with Cuba, an attempt to draw an analogy is appalling,” Senator Williams stated in his testimony.
The difference between the anti-boycott legislation and American economic measures against trade with Cuba were also discussed in detail before the Committee by Senator Javits, who was today’s first witness. The New York Republican stressed that “the anti-boycott bill will halt boycotts and also has the virtue of being consistent with present U.S. policy with respect to trade with Cuba and Communist China.” “At the time when the need for firmness in foreign policy seems to be recognized by the Administration, our policy with respect to the Arab boycott is one of weakness,” Senator Javits charged.
An impassioned plea for “unqualified backing of the law by the Government” for American businessmen against the insulting boycott practices was voiced by Congressman Emanuel Celler, New York Democrat, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who also rejected the Administration’s claim of analogy between the Arab boycott and American trade destructions against Cuba. Rep. Celler stressed that, if the legislation were adopted and the Arabs said that blackmailing American firms was no longer possible, they would continue to trade with the U.S. without attempts at boycott practices.
Strong support of the anti-boycott measure was also voiced in testimony today by Rep. Abraham A. Multer, of New York; James Roosevelt, of California; and Leonard Farbstein, of New York. All are Democrats. Rep. Thomas L. Ashley, Ohio Democrat, chairman of the subcommittee, conceded to Rep. Multer that the Administration has not conclusive evidence that the adoption of the anti-boycott measure would destroy U.S.-Arab relations.
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.
