In October 1938, Cotillo lobbied Mussolini "for more lenient consideration of the Jewish problem in Italy." In a letter to Il Duce he tried persuade the Italian dictator that Fascist Italy's recent anti-Semitic legislation was unwise, and asked to "postpone execution of such drastic action for a reasonable time until an opportunity has been afforded me to appear before you and present the worthy cause because your edict may result in serious consequences in America."Justice Cotillo Asks Duce To Stop Anti-Semitism, The Jewish Transcript, October 21, 1938 He asked for the repeal of the anti-Jewish laws and warned for a boycott of Italian goods in New York, where, as he wrote, "we live in close interdependent relationship" with Jewish people.U.S. Asks Italy To Respect Rights Of American Jews, The New York Times, October 8, 1938Grover, Nazis in Newark, p. 227
