American Jewish Committee
charged 50 American utilities
with discrimination against Jew-
ish employment applicants, Mor-
ris E. Jacobs, chairman of
Bozell and Jacobs, Inc., an adver-
tising agency with offices at 230
Park Ave., New York, accused
Abraham Sonnabend, president
of the Committee, of emotional
ism, and made this declaration:
"I have been a member of the
American Jewish Committee for
many years and I am now serving
as a member of its National
Policy Committee. I was sur-
prised and amazed by the start-
ling statement made by Abra-
ham Sonnabend that a large
number of utilities are guilty of
discrimination in the employ-
ment of Jewish people.
"As the owner of Bozell &
Jacobs, a national advertising
and public relations agency with
offices in 13 cities in this coun-
try, I have been closely asso-
ciated with these industries for
more than 40 years. During this
time I have had a close personal
and business relationship with
the managements of these indus-
tries and I take sharp issue with
the statements made by Mr.
Sonnabend that they have been
anti-Jewish in employment dis-
crimination. Because of my close
relationship with these indus-
tries, I happen to know that their
applications of employment in
every instance of which I am
aware do not even ask the reli-
gion of the applicant for employ-
ment. I am sure these com-
panies could not tell who in
their employment were Cath-
olics, Protestants, or Jews. I
therefore challenge Mr. Sonna-
bend's statements regarding anti-
Jewish feeling and anti-Semitism
from the standpoint of employ-
ment among these companies.
"The agency I head represents
gas companies serving one-third
of the gas meters in the United
States. We also represent,
through the Electric Companies
Public Information Program, 66
per cent of the investor-owned
electric utilities industry of the
United States. We also represent
telephone, water, and transporta-
tion companies in the United
States. During the 44 years in
which we have been closely iden-
tified with these utilities, I have
never noted discrimination in
employment from the standpoint
of race or creed.
"As the owner of Bozell &
Jacobs and with the close rela-
tionship I have had with these
utilities, I am sure I would know
if this were the case. Certainly
I have been closer to the situa-
tioan than Mr. Sonnabend. For
example, Mr. Sonnabend listed
Northern Natural Gas Company
as one of the companies carrying
on discrimination. I have been
closely identified with Northern
Natural Gas Company, whose
headquarters are in my home
town of Omaha, Neb., from the
day it opened its doors mere
than 30 years ago. Any state-
ment that this company has prac-
ticed discrimination from the
standpoint of employing Jews is
absolutely untrue. I have had an
intimate relationship with this
company and I know the inner
workings of this company. One
of the most important positions
in the company is now occupied
by a person of the Jewish
they have never shown discrim-
ination from the standpoint of
employing Jewish people.
"As a member of the Ameri-
can Jewish Committee and of its
National Policy Committee, I
cannot understand how Mr. Son-
nabend can make the emotional
statements he made because
from my experiences for more
than 40 years I know that his
statements are not factual."
* * *
Government Body Checks
Complaints on Bias
WASHINGTON, (JTA) — A
spokesman for intergroup rela-
tione under Army Materials
Command said that a check
was being made with many of
the government contractors in-
volved in the American Jew-
ish Committee's discrimination
charges against utilities.
While the AJC has not yet
filed a formal complaint to the
President's Committee on Equal
Employment Opportunity, the
Army Materials Command has
the authority to survey any
contractors.
It is under this authority
vested in the Army Materials
Command via the President's
Equal Employment Oppor-
tunity Order, that the charges
are being looked into.
It is understood that among
those being reviewed within
the next few months will be the
American Telephone and Tele-
graph Co. and its affiliates.
Charges by the AJC will be
taken into consideration.
The American Telephone and
Telegraph Co., which already
discussed the matter with the
Army Materials Command, has
signed a plan for progress
agreement under President
Johnson.
Through this agreement sign-
ers undertake to work out dis-
crimination problems directly
within their respective organiza-
tions.
UNITED NATIONS — (JTA)
— Secretary General U Thant
warned that 1964 will be "a
crucial year in the history of the
United Nations" and singled out
the Middle East as a region
where trouble may develop.
"I believe," he said, "that
1964 is a crucial year in the
history of the United Nations."
He pointed to three troublesome
issues facing the United States.
One, he said, was financing,
with the UN facing now a
deficit of $134 million. The
second, he said, was the sit-
uation in the Middle East.
The third is the issue of de-
colonization.
He pointed to the fact that
the United Nations Emergency
Force — on guard on the Gaza
Strip and in the European Sinai
overlooking Israel's waterway in
the Gulf of Akaba — is con-
tinuing to function "and will
continue with a little reduction
in expenditure."
He noted that "through the
good offices of the United
Nations Truce Supervision
Organization, we were recent-
ly able to arrange for the ex-
change of prisoners between
Syria and Israel.
"But," he continued, "the
over-all outlook in the Middle
East today is threatening, and
I am very much afraid that
there will be more than one oc-
casion in 1964 when Middle
Eastern problems will engage
the attention of the United Na-
tions."
He did not identify either the
problems or the exact parts of
the Middle East where he ex-
pects trouble this year. He made
his prediction in speaking at
Columbia University.
Walter "Mousey" B 1 u m of
Brooklyn has captured the na-
tional riding championship, the
first Jewish jockey to turn the
trick since Walter Miller in 1906
and 1907.
To Serve You Better . .
Staebler Reveals Egyptian Gold
Purchases Totaling $198,000,000
WASHINGTON, (JTA) —
Arab countries, including such
recipients of heavy American
aid as Egypt, used $198,000,000
of their foreign currency re-
serves in the past five years
to purchase American gold, ac-
cording to figures submitted to
the Congressional record by
Rep. Neal Staebler of Michi-
gan. Israel, in the same period,
purchased $14,400,000 worth of
American gold.
The heaviest buyer of Amer-
ican gold among the Arab
countries was Saudi Arabia
which purchased $71,400,000
worth, followed by Lebanon
with $53,100,000. Even Egypt,
which in recent years was re-
cipient of various forms of
emergency assistance from U.S.
and international bodies, used
$17,400,000 worth of foreign
currency to buy gold reserves
in the United States.
It was reported here that the
International Development As-
sociation, an affiliate of the
World Bank, has extended an
$8,500,000 loan to Syria for
highway development. The loan,
which is repayable in 50 years
and is interest free, except for
a three-fourths of one per cent
service charge, will finance the
improvement of two of Syria's
most important highways —
the road from Damascus to
Aleppo, the country's principal
north-south highway, and the
road from Aleppo to Raqqa, the
main route for the transport of
agriculture produce from the
eastern farm region.
Milee Belkin of Miami Beach
was the top-ranked player in
the recent Orange Bowl Junior
Tennis Championships.
JOHNNY LEBOW
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training. Phone for appointment, Mr. Morris, 356-5244.
• •
THE BEE KALT TRAVEL SERVICE
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religion.
"I regret greatly that Mr.
Sonnabend has taken it upon
himself to make these public
statements and unless he has
absolute proof of these practices,
it is regrettable that he made
these charges of anti-Semitism
on the part of these utility com-
panies.
"Philip Sporn, president of
American Electric Power Com-
pany, is a Jew. He is highly re-
garded in the electric industry
and has served in many im-
portant capacities in the electric
industry.
"Our agency also represents
WE INVITE YOU
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IMMEDIATE CONFIRMATION and TICKET DELIVERY
Member
7—THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS—Friday, January 10, 1964
AJCominittee Charges of Industries' Mid East Woes
Bias Denied by Advertising Exec Singled Out for
Commenting on the statement the Northwestern Bell Tele- '64 by Thant
Issued last week in which the phone Company and I know that