1. Foreign trade, by continents and by trade regions.. 7. Imports into the United States from the Latin American Republics (including the Canal Zone) by commodity groups and by principal 8. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Central 9. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Cuba.. 10. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Mexico_. 11. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Argentina- 12. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Brazil... 13. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Chile_- 14. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Colombia... 15. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Peru____ 16. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Uruguay. 17. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Venezuela__ 18. Trade with Europe, by commercial regions and by countries... 19. Percentage distribution and changes in trade with principal European 20. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Belgium__ 21. Principal commodities imported into the United States from Czecho- 22. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with France_- 23. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Germany. 24. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Ireland.. 25. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Italy. 26. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with the Nether- 27. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Sweden- 28. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Norway. 29. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Denmark. 30. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Finland.. 31. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Poland and 32. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Spain. - 33. Principal commodities imported into the United States from Switzer- 34. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in Europe and in Asia... 35. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with the United 36. Trade with Asia and Oceania, by commercial regions and by countries. 37. Percentage distribution and changes in trade with Asia and Oceania, 40. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with China... 41. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Hong Kong__ 42. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Kwantung 46. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Australia__. 47. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with New Zealand. 48. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Western 55. Principal commodities in merchandise shipments to the United States from Alaska-- 56. Principal commodities in merchandise shipments from the United States to Alaska....... 57. Principal commodities in merchandise shipments to the United States from Hawaii____ 58. Principal commodities in merchandise shipments from the United States to Hawaii___ 59. Principal commodities in merchandise shipments to the United States from Puerto Rico... 53. Principal commodities in trade of the United States with Egypt. Page 141 147 149 149 151 158 154 60. Principal commodities in merchandise shipments from the United States to Puerto Rico.‒‒‒‒ 155 SUMMARY ILLUSTRATIONS Figure I. Total merchandise exports and imports of the United States, 1901-38_. Figure II. Percentage distribution of exports of United States merchandise Figure III. Changes in quantity, unit value (price), and value of United Figure IV. Changes in quantity, unit value (price), and value of imports Figure V. Exports of leading commodities, 1937 and 1938. Figure VI. Imports of leading commodities, 1937 and 1938- TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. Percentage distribution of exports and imports, by trade regions IX IX X ΧΙ XII XIII XIV Figure 2. Trade of the United States with Canada...... Figure 3. Trade of the United States with Latin America_ Figure 4. Trade of the United States with Central America 5 12 16 20 Figure 6. Trade of the United States with Bermuda and the West Indies other than Cuba... 23 Figure 7. Trade of the United States with Mexico_ 25 Figure 8. Trade of the United States with Argentina. 29 33 36 39 47 50 54 59 63 17 71 Figure 19. Trade of the United States with the Netherlands - 75 79 80 Figure 22. Trade of the United States with Denmark. 81 Figure 23. Trade of the United States with Spain__ 90 Figure 24. Trade of the United States with the Union of Soviet Socialist 93 Figure 25. Trade of the United States with the United Kingdom. 97 101 Figure 27. Trade of the United States with British India, including Burma. 104 106 Page Figure 29. Trade of the United States with China. Figure 30. Trade of the United States with Japan, including Chosen and 109 Figure 31. Trade of the United States with the Netherlands Indies. Figure 35. Trade of the United States with New Zealand. Figure 36. Trade of the United States with Africa.. Figure 37. Trade of the United States with British South Africa. Figure 40. Trade of the United States with Alaska. Figure 41. Trade of the United States with Hawaii.. Figure 42. Trade of the United States with Puerto Rico.. NOTE 116 120 123 126 126 129 134 137 140 141 148 151 153 Previous issues of this series of annual bulletins on foreign trade were Trade Information Bulletins Nos. 104, 225, 332, 387, 460, 537, 602, 684, 749, and 808; and Trade Promotion Series Nos. 151, 156, 162, 166, and 174. FOREWORD This bulletin constitutes Part II in the seventeenth issue of an annual series on United States foreign trade. Part I, which was published early in 1939, contains a statistical and analytical summary of our foreign trade during the calendar year 1938. Part II, which amplifies material presented earlier in the year, is devoted primarily to the analysis of United States export and import trade in 1938 by regions and by countries. The text deals mainly with the changes in our foreign trade during 1938 as compared with the preceding year, although in various instances the discussion relates to trends over a period of years. The statistical data presented in most of the tables cover the years 1929, 1932, 1937, and 1938, while data forming the basis of the charts relate to a series of years. This bulletin presents final figures on our foreign trade during 1938, whereas figures published in Part I were preliminary and subject to revision. In further amplification of Part I, seven summary charts precede the text of the bulletin. These charts deal with United States total trade and its distribution by economic classes and by leading commodities. The detailed analysis relating to the geographic distribution of our exports in 1938 shows that the value of exports of manufactured articles to both Europe and Asia was above the relatively high levels of 1937 and that a marked increase occurred in exports of grain to Europe. The value of our total exports to these two markets nevertheless fell 3 percent and 10 percent, respectively, below the levels of 1937, largely as a result of relatively small cotton exports and a decline in the value of shipments of semimanufactured products to these continental areas. The decline of 12 percent in the value of exports to Latin America reflects mainly a drop in shipments of manufactured products, with notable exceptions in the case of machinery and aircraft to several important export markets. The year's decline in import values, which applied rather generally to the various market areas, was materially influenced by the weakness of certain basic commodity prices, as well as by the appreciable reduction in this country's purchases of industrial materials and certain foodstuffs. The reduction was initiated in the one instance by the recession in domestic business during the second half of 1937 and in the other by our improved crop yields of 1937, which had coincided with poor crops in certain of the other exporting countries. The reader's attention is directed to the change in the basis of the commodity statistics from "general imports" in 1933 to "imports for consumption" in 1934. General imports cover mechandise entering consumption channels immediately upon arrival in the United States, plus entries into bonded warehouses; while imports for consumption cover merchandise entering consumption channels immediately upon arrival, plus withdrawals for consumption from bonded warehouses. The change in the basis of reporting is indicated in headnotes to the various tables. The values stated are in United States dollars, without reference to changes in the gold content of the dollar. (The statu |