Year book of motion pictures (1940)

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PROMOTES EXPORTS OF MOTION PICTURE PRODUCTS By NATHAN D. GOLDEN Chief, Motion Picture Division THE chief function of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce of the Department of Commerce, is "to promote and develop the foreign and domestic commerce of the United States." The organization of the Motion Picture Division and its method of operation, will be outlined herein, and it is hoped that the reader will be enabled to visualize the working of this branch of the Government which is now generally recognized as contributing much toward expanding sales of American manufactured products in all parts of the world. Major Sections of the Bureau The Bureau oi Foreign and Domestic Commerce should be considered in its four major sections: 1. The Washington headquarters may be regarded as the central switchboard of American business. It respons to the vital need for information on commercial conditions at home and abroad. From here the Director (who reports to the Secretary of Commerce) and his assistants control the operations of the bureau staff in both the foreign and domestic fields. Here is to be found a completely coordinated group of service divisions, both commodity and technical, working under the direction of men of practical experience and intimate acquaintance with the industry or specialized branch which they serve. 2. SERVICES OF THE FOREIGN OFFICES: Since the Foreign Offices form a vital element in the Bureau's service, it seems desirable here to summarize their functions concisely. They constantly provide data on all the significant economic, commercial, and financial developments of the various countries. They interpret the decrees, laws, and regulations that are promulgated with great frequency under modern conditions. They report on the general business situation in a specific foreign market — the completion between American goods and the products of other countries— the import duties and restrictions that may be imposed — sales methods and credit terms — and the foreign-exchange situation, when pertinent. They conduct surveys covering specific commodities in definite foreign markets, and provide a variety of other current ■pedal data. These Foreign Offices call the attention of American business to specific "Trade Opportunities" abroad where such opportunities call for the actual purchase of American products. The publication of such an "Opportunity" in Commerce Reports, the Bureau's weekly magazine, means that a market actually exists or is capable of development, that the prospective buyer is qualified to distribute successfully, and that no trade obstacles exist to a degree serious enough to preclude business. 3. INDUSTRIAL DIVISIONS: To keep abreast of the changes taking place in individual industries, and to correlate the endless supply of facts and figures and the specialized problems relating to them, the Bureau maintains 12 Industrial Divisions, staffed by experts conversant with the details of a given industry. These divisions bring the Bureau into direct and vital touch with producers and dealers, making possible the establishment of mutually helpful relationships. For each industry there is provided a highly specialized service, satisfying some of its peculiar and characteristic needs for statistical and other information. Necessary and valuable data are gathered under competent supervision, and material is disseminated to the many trades in the most efficient ways that can be devised. Most of the material is provided by representatives of the Department of Commerce and State stationed in foreign countries; the information covers a wide field of industrial and trade activities and is released to business in periodical and special bulletins. 4. ECONOMIC AND TECHNICAL DIVI 1079