U.S. Firms Need Support to Do a Better Job in Exports

Two articles, “Imports Squeeze Growth Out of the Economy” and Viewpoint “If U.S. Smokestack Industries Fade, All Will Suffer” (April 21), made many important points that all U.S. business people and politicians should heed.

However, the key factor not specifically stated is to encourage more private-sector investments in doing a better job at exporting our products. This will require either city, state or county support of many kinds.

We must do as good a job at international marketing research as the Japanese to be able to compete with their expertise in exporting worldwide. Then and only then will imports to the United States not “squeeze growth out of the economy” and our “smokestack industries won’t fade.” Our production resources will be realigned to meet new export challenges.

We must not keep looking to merely the U.S. market to survive, and we must not wait any longer to comprehend this fact.

HARVEY C. SACKS

Los Angeles