The winter rain slanted coldly down into the crowds, but not enough to dampen the homecoming. Nearly 500,000 cheering chilenos lined the nine-mile route from Los Cerrillos airport into downtown Santiago, waving their red, white and blue colors and chanting "Frei-Frei! Chile-Chile!" Smiling, tearful with gratitude, President Eduardo Frei was home after a 22-day goodwill tour through Italy, France, England and West Germany.
Frei's "journey of international understanding" was a first-class success. In Italy, he arranged for expanded trade and for technical assistance from Fiat, Marelli (electric motors) and Breda (railway equipment). In France, he picked up a $20 million...