{"value"=>"<p>The Import and Export Department handled all matters related to customs clearance for the importation of all goods used for construction, display and sale at the Fair. Supervisor of Import Clearance J. Gerald Cole (later Director of Import and Export) coordinated all brokerage, entry and shipping activities. In order to facilitate the massive movement and tracking of goods, a centralized operation was established on site in the Press Building. A satellite office of the Port of New York's U.S. Customs Service was maintained with a full staff of entry clerks, liquidators and inspectors. The Fair's customs broker, American Express Company, and two trucking companies, the Motor Haulage Company and United States Trucking Corporation, also established outposts in the Press Building.</p> <p>Working collaboratively with Cole and his staff, this team made all necessary arrangements for the receipt and clearance of 2,403 separate shipments of goods from 92 different nations for the pavilions of the 55 participating countries. These shipments, some valued in the millions, included a diversity of goods: exhibition trains from Great Britain and Italy; the stainless steel statue of the iconic worker that capped the Soviet Pavilion pylon; and elephants, snakes and orchids from countries in Asia, Africa and South America. Following the Fair, this department was responsible for the exporting of goods back to their countries of origin, a challenging task made more difficult by issues stemming from the hostilities in Europe and a Presidential order that froze all assets in the United States of invaded countries. Following Cole's resignation in April 1941, Herbert J. Slingo assumed the duties of director to manage outstanding customs withdrawals and claims.</p>"}