The Hemisphere: German Comeback

Six West German trade experts stepped out of an airliner this week at Buenos Aires' Ezeiza airport. Their mission: to negotiate a new trade agreement with Argentina. Said Dr. Günter Seeliger, the mission chief: "It will not be double the old [$132 million] agreement, but we hope it will be a good deal larger."

With nine bilateral trade treaties in effect and exports to the area running at the rate of $300 million a year, Germany is staging a noteworthy comeback in Latin America. Once again, the Argentines, the Brazilians (who once bought more from Germany than from any other supplier) and their smaller neighbors are getting

German iron & steel, machinery, chemicals, cameras and harmonicas. There is a possibility that this year Germany may nose ahead of Britain as No. 2 exporter to Latin America (No. 1: the U.S., with $3 billion a year).

Latin Americans are rediscovering German thoroughness. "Our correspondence is answered promptly in correct Spanish," reports a pleased Caracas merchant. "German salesmen are technicians who not only know what is in the catalogue but how to dismantle and reassemble every item. If there is any difficulty with any piece of equipment it is replaced immediately without question."

As in the years before World War II, Germans are offering more flexible credit terms than their competitors. "Americans often display a take-it-or-leave-it attitude toward their latino customers," explained a German in Lima. "We don't. We plan to treat them better than we treat our customers at home."