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Alcoholic Beverage EXECUTIVES?╟╓ NEWSLETTER No. 1327 - August 27,1965 -6- into agreement with the code. At the meeting it was pointed out that some advertis- ers continue to submit all copy for prior approval to States which have dropped man- datory prior approval requirements, and it was suggested that from a psychological point of view this practice is undesirable since it may lead to the reinstitution of mandatory prior approval requirements for all. In our letter of August 13th we reported that we had read in another trade publication that the industry is expecting another increase in the Federal excise tax to help .pay for the war in Vietnam - inecchange for the Government not ordering distillers to stop production. An industry spokesman has advised us that while the industry may and always does fear an extra tax, it certainly does not EXPECT one. Also there is no crisis in our economy today and even if Vietnam turned out to be a full-fledged war like World War II, there should be no reason for the Government to stop production as the industrial alcohol plants today can turn out more than enough alcohol for the Govern- ment's use. We are glad to hear this because the item certainly was a "shocker" to us. Russell B. Douglas, Director and V. P. for Marketing of Taylor Wine Co. has just re- turned from a "gratifyingly successful" 12 week tour of Europe. He covered 14 coun- tries and 33 cities for the purpose of helping American embassies and military installa- tions follow up the suggestion to serve more American wines. Mr. Douglas began his trip abroad shortly before the government's famous "Drink American" policy was given wide-spread publicity in the U. S. press. He reported a surprising awareness of American wines throughout Europe. He found a cordial and cooperative attitude on the part of American embassy personnel and "a spirit of greater pride in American products, including wines, than ever before". He attributed this to the U. S. wine industry and the U. S. State Department. He reported that 15 embassies have placed initial orders for Taylor wines and several have also ordered other premium quality American wines, too. The problems of storage facilities and small numbers of personnel tends to limit the brands which can be stocked. A number of U. S. military commissaries have also placed orders - some of which not only supply U. S. installations but also supply embassies and consulates. Prior to this trip, he said, only two embassies actually stocked American wines and these were not well known brands. Mr. Douglas feels it is too early to tell how American wines will go over at official functions because some embassies have only begun ordering them, and all deliveries have not yet been made. He stated that, in his opinion, Europe is not quite ready for an attempt by American wine companies to market to the general populace. "The intent of the government announcement was to insure that American wines would get proper exposure to U . S. personnel in these countries who are in a position to represent American to Europeans," he explained. "When we might expect Europeans to insist on 'imported' American wines isibr the future to tell." LOOK. . .----1 7,732,110 Life .... . . . 7,236,853 Post . ...... 6,641,954 Source: publishers' statements to ABC, first quarter, 1965. First in circulation in its field