Reagan Urges U.S. Embassies to Boost Business

As the Reagan Administration works to promote American business abroad (see MM, July, 1981), an increasingly active role will be played by U.S, embassies overseas.

Ambassadors have been urged in telegrams from the President and members of the Senate Export Caucus, a bipartisan group devoted to promotion and sale of U.S. goods abroad, to involve themselves "personally in leading the U.S. commercial effort."

The Commerce Department is also establishing new training programs for commercial attaches and assistants including a marketing correspondence course. Designed and implemented with the help of the Sperry Corporation, the program will equip these embassy officials "to be far more responsive to American businesses overseas," according to William Tatge of the State Department's Foreign Commercial Service.