West Germany: Caviar Emptor

In its new campaign to woo West Germany into bilateral political talks, Moscow dangles the bait of profitable trade agreements. Even without additional deals, reported Bonn last week, West German trade with the Soviet bloc last year topped $1 billion—13% higher than in 1960. (U.S.-German trade last year: about $2.3 billion.) Most of the exchange with Moscow consisted of West German machinery and semifinished metal goods for Soviet petroleum products and commercial gold used in jewelry. A third major category of Russian exports is foodstuffs, but, said one Bonn official last week: “There’s a limit to how much caviar this country can absorb.”