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Senate Ignores Administration Opposition, Votes Bill Banning Egyptian Cotton

July 24, 1968
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The Senate ignored Administration pleas yesterday and adopted a bill prohibiting the further import of Egyptian extra-long staple cotton. The action was taken on a voice vote after unsuccessful attempts by Allen J. Ellender, Democrat of Louisiana, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, to kill the measure.

The bill, sponsored by Senators Anderson and Montoya, New Mexico Democrats, was aimed at Egypt because that country severed diplomatic relations with the United States last year. The Senate acted after Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman and Assistant Secretary of State Lucius D. Battle had pleaded that the bill be killed. Secretary Freeman had warned that passage of the bill would frustrate growing hopes of a re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Egypt. Mr. Battle warned that the measure would tend to disrupt normal economic relations in the Middle East. A similar measure barring the import of Egyptian cotton was recently adopted by the House of Representatives. Long staple cotton is the major Egyptian export.

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