“The Longest Street” is an early 1960s color film that explores international trade — which, we are told at mark 00:36, involves not only the trading of goods and services but also plants the seeds needed for the development of mutual respect that leads to world peace. Produced by the International Trade Communication and Research Institute (in association with the University of Redlands in California), the economic-themed film explains, in detail, how the United States had been initially reluctant to trade with other nations following World War I and into the “Roaring ‘20s” and 1930s. By 1940, we are told at mark 01:49, the United States had almost entirely withdrawn from world trade. A shortage of raw materials during World War II helped America change its minds about exporting goods, which also led to American businesses to sell goods overseas. Rising incomes worldwide, we are told at mark 05:12, is helping to sweep away ancient biases, helping world trade grow in leaps and bounds. The most wanted cargo, the viewer is told, carries the “Made in the U.S.A.” stamp.

In 1957, representatives from the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, West Germany, France, and Italy signed the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community (TEEC). That international agreement led to the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) and aided the free-flow of goods. “The economic recovery of Western Europe was the marvel of the world,” says the narrator at mark 07:22, as the scene shifts from countries in ruins following World War II to bustling metropolises. Free trade markets sprouted up all over the free world, the viewer is told, all with the encouragement of the United States. In 1962, the US approved the Trade Expansion Acte, which gave the President of the United States unprecedented authority to negotiate tariff reductions, we are told at mark 08:18. American Embassies worldwide keeps tabs on world markets and provide that information to the US Department of Commerce to assist American businesses who trade overseas. “American-style free competition now extends abroad,” it is said at mark 17:37, as we see scenes of cargo ships and airplanes carrying American goods to all corners of the world. “Making Main Street USA the longest street in the world!”