Texas Triva

When World War II broke out, it was obvious to many that industrial production would have as much to do with winning the war as would traditional military operations. Texas, because of its resource base, was seen as the place to create much of that industrial production. Some industries such as gasoline and aviation fuel refining were obviously well suited for Texas since it was the leading petroleum producing state, and they did boom. Others were connected with more global patterns. A good example is synthetic rubber. The Japanese conquest of Southeast Asia had cut off supplies of natural rubber. Trying to restart the Brazilian industry seemed risky too. A crash plan was instituted to develop methods of producing rubber from petroleum. Texas seemed to be the most likely place to do it. Similar experiences occurred in light metals such as magnesium and aluminum. As a result Texas became a national leader in all three of these commodities. It is significant that although they were part of a wartime effort, they were not decommissioned after the war. These three industries continued to provide employment well after the war was over.