‘One can sell far less to coolies . . . than one can to highly qualified . . . factory workers.’69 Furthermore, Germany’s aggressive ‘invasion’ of Latin America did nothing to ease relations with the United States. Most notably in Brazil, Germany and America were in direct conflict. Germany’s urgent drive to increase its imports of cotton and coffee allowed Rio to extricate itself from Cordell Hull’s vision of a hemispheric free trade zone.70 Indeed, such was American concern about the growing German influence in Brazil that Rio was able to follow Germany in defaulting on its large debts to
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