ABSTRACT
IN our trade with Latin America two forces are at work, each troubled by contradictions. The one lies in the traditionally close cultural and human contacts between Germany and the Latin-American world. The other works towards a relaxation of our economic connection with Europe in general and compels us to look for fresh bases on which to build a larger world trade. Indeed, our trade with the so-called clearing countries is characterised by the fact that the most important among these-at least in the Middle East and in Latin America*-generally felt a cultural and political sympathy towards Germany though at the same time our normal trade with them involved difficult if also interesting problems. Visible trade in the sense of exchanging goods for goods appears to be growing more and more difficult, since most of the countries concerned are in a process of a capital development which is changing the structure of their foreign trade and increases their demands on our technical, economic and financial help.
