ABSTRACT
American business leaders are a generally well-educated group of men in highly responsible posts. Since they must, if only to do their jobs well, keep posted on what is happening in the world, they are avid information-seekers. American foreign-trade policy is an issue which is in large part involved with information about events outside the United States. International information comes to respondents via one more major channel, foreign travel. Foreign travel introduced international political problems and America's relationship to them increasingly into the businessman's consciousness. The political effect of travel on tariff attitudes was to counteract the force of self-interest. An interesting instance of broadened perception has to do with the ideas respondents had for increasing foreign trade. Considering the reading habits of respondents and the media coverage given the reciprocal-trade controversy in the years 1953–1954, the men who are interviewed had ample opportunity to become acquainted with the general features of the controversy.
