AMERICAN investment in foreign countries is often an irritation to foreigners, who worry about alien economic dominance. What is far less visible and less controversial is the great foreign stake in the U.S. Few Americans realize that when they launder clothes with Lever Brothers' Lux, drink Lipton's Tea, open a can of Libby's tomato juice or groom their hair with Beecham's Brylcreem, they are buying from companies owned or controlled by foreigners.
At least nine huge U.S. corporations are foreign-controlled. The Netherlands-British Royal Dutch/Shell Group controls 69% of Shell Oil; Belgium's Petrofina owns two-thirds of American Petrofina; AKU of The Netherlands controls...