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QUINCY, ILL. -- A Quincy CEO is making world headlines for comments he made to a French official.

The controversy began after a French Industrial minister asked Titan International Chairman Maurice Taylor to buy a struggling Goodyear tire factory in France.

Morry Taylor said in a letter to the French Industrial Minister that his company doesn't have any interest in buying the french tire plant. In fact he says in his letter, "how stupid do you think we are?"

That letter was eventually released to the French media.

In the letter he said he would never invest in the doomed factory because it didn't make business sense. 

"You're going to tell me my plan? You're going to tell how? I said, "Why don't you go to the union and all the government and they give you the money and you buy the plant. Okay? And you show me you want me to tell you something, you'll be broke, you ain't got enough money because you don't know what the hell you're talking about." That's really what I said," Taylor explained to KHQA's Jim Whitfield Thursday.

Click here to read from Reuters about the CEO's crushing summary of how some outsiders view France's work ethic.

Click here to view a French news story with a worker speaking out about Taylor's comments.

Taylor says the French workforce at that factory gets high wages for just three hours work every day. "You're at the highest paid of notably any industry and we're not looking to cut your pay, but I can tell you now, if we buy this facility, then I'm expecting six hours for the seven hours I gotta pay you," Taylor elaborated.

“They’re very sensitive — the people in government in France,” Taylor told ABC News today. “Maybe they should not wear briefs and use boxer shorts instead.” Click here to read Taylor's response from ABC News.

Taylor is unapologetic for his letter.

"The reason my letter went to him, I thought maybe I could shame him as a minister and government people that he would start thinking of the working men and women, he didn't, he thought of himself that's why he leaked it," Taylor said regarding the letter. "After he leaked it and got my letter, he sends me this, you're an extremist, no, I'm not the extremist, you guys are the extremists, you're the extremists because you're running, you don't really give a damn about the working French men and women. He really doesn't. He's only interesting in trying to manipulate something so he's fighting an industrial American."

A no nonsense stance is nothing new for Morry Taylor ... According to Titan's website, he was nicknamed "The Grizz" by Wall Street analysts for his tough negotiating style."

Joblessness in France is at a 15-year high and the closing of the plant means the loss of another 1,173 jobs.

The French minister did say he plans on replying to the letter that was sent by Taylor. But at this time there has been nothing noted.