BY ripping the dollar loose from gold and slapping a 10% surtax on imports, Richard Nixon inaugurated a global power play designed to boost U.S. exports and cut the country's worsening balance of payments deficit. Though his moves came as a shock, it appears that he acted none too soon; last week the Commerce Department reported that in July U.S. imports had exceeded exports for the fourth straight month. Still, now that some of the excitement surrounding the Nixon initiative is subsiding, a hard truth is hitting bankers, businessmen and government leaders the...
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