Evening star., 1942-06-16
Failure 10 Release
All Synthetic Rubber
Patent Rights Charged
Truman, in Forum,
Soys U. S. Is Forced to
Negotiate With Stundord

Senator Truman, Democrat, of
Missouri, chairman of the Special
Committee Investigating National
Defense. charged last night that the
Standard Oil Co. has yet to give
10 its Government the patent rights
on all its processes for synthetic
rubber"
In a speech delivered over the
National Radio Forum, sponsored
by The Star and heard over Station
WMAL and the Blue Network, Sem
ator Truman reviewed the circum-
stances of the rubber shortage.
He recalled that his committees
Investigation had revealed that the
Standard Oil Co., in an agreement
with the I. G. Farben company of
Germany, had restricted use of syn
,hetic rubber formulae for produc-
ton in this country.
Due to Government action
against Standard Oil, that company
agreed to provide certain Of its pat
ents royalty free for the duration
Of the war" he said.
u. S. Negotiates.
However, up to the present time,
the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey
has yet to give to its Government
the patent rights on all its processes
tor synthetic rubber.
This company's unwillingness to
voluntarily release these patent
rights has forced the Government
10 seek to obtain these rights by
negotiation.
Every effort must be made to
produce the best and cheapest syn
shetic rubber possible. Obstruction
from any source or for any selfish
reason will not be tolerated"
Senator Truman warned that
there will be no new tires for civilian
use for three years. although he
held out the hope that the scrap
rubber collection now going on
might alleviate the rubber shortage
for essential purposes.
The fact is that there will be no
new rubber at all for non-eSSential
civilian use and very little even for
the most essential civilian uses. 1t is
certain that there will not be any
new tires for civilians for at least
three years.
Conservation Problem.
The civilian problem, therefore,
Is one of conserving whatever rub
Der is now available. Most Of the
conservation which can be achieved
by governmental control has now
been accomplished. However, we
may reach the point where further
eurtailments will have to be made" p"
The country. by the foresight OF
the Government. acquired large
stockpile OF crude rubber before the
japanese shut off supplies-the
largest possessed by any govern
ment. But this supply is far short
of the needs of the United Nations,
he said
He pointed out that We fortu-
nately possessed vast supply OF
scrap rubber.
IN the junk heaps of America is
hidden a greater wealth OF vital
rubber than our enemies could as
semble from all sources available to
them today. Estimates Of the total
amount of scrap rubber in this
country range upward to untold
millions of tons.
Rubber reclaimed from scrap is
not a 100 per cent substitute for
crude rubber. Some reclaimed rub
Der has always been used by the
industry mixed with crude in low
priced tires and other manufactured
goods.
Cites Other Sources.
1T is hoped that it will be possible
10 make tires out of reclaimed rub
Der which will give satisfactory
service"
Outside of the stock pile of crude
rubber imported before the war with
Japan and the scrap supplies, he
pointed out that other rubber might
come in small quantities from
sources in this hemisphere and from
the synthetic program.
A small amount of rubber can be
obtained from guayule plants in this
continent and from rubber trees in
South America. An additional 10000
tons can be imported from Africa.
But these sources Senator Truman
s. described as ''meager."
He was critical of the slowness
with which the synthetic rubber
program has proceeded, but said
that he was confident that with
the brains and ingenuity and re-
sources we have in this country, 1t
cannot and will not fail"
I'VE cannot and we will not be
satisfied until the crushing effect of
American efforts results in utter
destruction of our enemies. We and
our children must live in a world
liberated from forces of darkness
and oppression, forces which now
enslave and terrorize so many ma
tions. These nations will rise again
and take their place in world dedi-
Gated to freedom and honor among
men,"