How to Become a Top Banana

When a fruit baron wanted to conquer more of the European market, he got Washington to launch a trade war for him. The victims of the cross fire? A bunch of ordinary Americans who never saw it coming

In Summerville, S.C., Rick Reinert has built a small business called Reha Enterprises that sells bath oil, soap and other supplies. But now he is selling many of his products, imported from Germany, at no profit or at a loss. This is the result of an order by the U.S. government.

In New York City, Arthur Kaplan, owner of Galaxy of Graphics Ltd., a retailer of decorative prints, has stopped selling the popular English lithographs produced for him by a venerable London art dealer for two decades. This is the result of an order by the U.S. government.

In Somerset, Wis.,...

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