79-11-B7
- Main Page \ Reagan Radio Commentaries \ 1979
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Showcase U.S.A.[edit]
Transcript[edit]There is something about a catalogue that grabs everyone. When we were kids we called them wish books. I've wondered now and then if we didn't have a secret weapon we've never used. What if we dropped umpteen million Sears catalogues on the U.S.S.R.? When the people there saw the kind of consumer goods available to those who worked and earned in a free society there just might be another revolution. Well, this commentary is about a magazine, not a catalogue, but there is something of a relationship. There is also further evidence of the magic of the free market; this way of life that allows an individual to dream, then turn that dream into a saleable commodity. "Showcase U.S.A." is the magazine I'm talking about--the dream that became reality. It isn't on the news stands. It has a controlled circulation aimed at a particular reader list for which it performs a most useful purpose. A young man named George St. John is the publisher. His dream became a six-issue-a- year magazine aimed at importers throughout the world who are interested in American exports. "Showcase U.S.A." brings them useful information on every facet of America's export business. A look at the index of the current issue indicates why this magazine fills a heretofore unmet need. There are articles on trade shows and conventions, transportation , and information on American ports and shipping facilities. Others are titled "Small Business, The Available Resource" and "Expanding Trade for Small Business." There is another, "The Future's Market; an Essential Trade Tool." A couple of those titles reveal what could well be a new chapter in international trade, the entry of small and independent American businesses in the export market. Then there are regular features listing companies in export and there's an industry round-up. In this latter are brief summaries of products available, separated into types such as food stuffs, manufactured goods, consumer goods, and so forth. From the beginning, publisher George St. John encouraged correspondence from his readers with regard to inquiries directed to American companies. He sees that the correspondence reaches the proper business or provides the answer such as sending a foreign executive a complete roster of companies making automobile air conditioners. This correspondence has led to a new feature in the magazine, "Trade Inquiriers & New Products" which is published in cooperation with the U. S. Departments of Agriculture and Commerce. Adding to the flavor of the magazine is the colorful and great variety of advertising by American companies involved in export trade--another evidence of the free market in action. "Showcase U.S.A.", published in Woodland Hills, California, is a handsome and interesting magazine, filled with illustrations, and it's performing a real service for buyer and seller alike. And isn't that what free enterprise is all about? This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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