On the fourth day of his U.S. visit, Argentine President Raul Alfonsin arrived in Chicago for lunch at the Mid America Club in the Standard Oil Building, where he spoke to a group of Chicago executives, many of whose companies do business in Argentina. Alfonsin, who is seeking economic aid from the United States, expressed optimism for his country`s future despite financial problems fueled by an inflation rate of 800 percent and a $50 billion foreign debt. To ease that debt, he encouraged more investment in Argentina by U.S. multinational companies and a widening of U.S. markets for Argentine agricultural products. After the meeting, he reached a new pricing agreement with the Standard Oil Co. (Indiana), which has drilling operations in Argentina.
