ÎNFIINȚAREA BIROULUI COMERCIAL AL REPUBLICII POPULARE ROMÂNE DE LA NEW YORK. CONTEXT POLITIC ȘI ECONOMIC (1958-1961)
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMMERCIAL OFFICE OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ROMANIA IN NEW YORK. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXT (1958-1961)

Summary/Abstract: The Evolution of the Cold War, from the Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe and the establishment of communist regimes to the stabilization of international relations after the Cuban Missile Crisis, also involved the use of the economy as a weapon. The United States of America, which held technological supremacy in the world at that time, understood that it could use commercial and economic instruments to maximize its advantages.Economic relations between communist Romania and the United States reflected the political developments during the Cold War. Only after Stalin’s death and the Hungarian Revolu-tion, and with the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Romania, did the leadership of the Romanian Communist Party – at odds with the new Soviet leadership – seek closer ties with the West. Romania’s signals were understood by Washington, but the American response was cautious.In this context, discussions about opening a Romanian Trade Office in New York pro-gressed slowly, taking several years for the Romanian proposal to materialize. After the most intense phase of the Cold War had passed, the US accepted that Romania could have an economic representative in New York, even though it was clear that Bucharest wanted to turn a simple trade office into a full-fledged agency.On the other hand, Bucharest hoped for spectacular growth in economic relations with the United States and for the introduction of a wider range of Romanian goods onto the American market. Romania’s rapid economic development and new major political events (such as the Cuban Missile Crisis) helped the country become one of America’s few favorites within the Eastern Bloc.

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