Interest is paid only to foreign lenders, not owners of real American assets.
By 1938 the gross value of American assets abroad amounted to $11.5 billion.
And the performance of American financial assets, which continue to do extremely well, is attracting capital.
More significant is the issue of a "proportional response" to military attacks on American assets abroad.
This increased demand for American assets tends to raise the value of the dollar.
"What happens if foreign investors decide they don't want to accumulate American assets any more?"
In fact, the Government argued, the American assets alone were worth more than $15 million and should have been reported.
Among stock funds, the move back to American assets has also been pronounced.
Leave your hotel room stained with the blood of an American asset in good standing?
The American assets, by contrast, have been among the company's better performers.