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Source: McClatchy

WASHINGTON — Recently released confidential and secret cables show that U.S. diplomats have sought to help orchestrate the sale of about $4.4 billion worth of Boeing fighter jets to Brazil, but the French aerospace industry, a longtime Boeing nemesis, may have the inside track.

The cables, released online by WikiLeaks, offer an inside look at how U.S. officials sometimes act as super-salesmen in promoting American products abroad. They also give a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes diplomatic intrigue that the United States, France and others engage in as they court such emerging powerhouse nations as Brazil.

Boeing is caught in the middle, as a simple sale of planes carries international ramifications. It's not an unusual position for Boeing and other major U.S. exporters to find themselves in.

Over the years, Boeing often has been a pawn in the U.S. relationship with China. When Chinese leaders are angry with the U.S., they place multibillion-dollar plane orders with France-based Airbus, Boeing's chief rival in the commercial jet market. When relations thaw, Boeing receives an order.

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