Spence, David L.

When WW II cut off the United States supply of natural rubber it became imperative that synthetic substitutes be produced. The Rubber Reserve Company was created for this purpose. Two different approaches were pursued: one sought to cultivate natural rubber substitutes, the other sought a wholly synthetic substitute. David Spence was a leading specialist in the production of rubber and had already been involved in an earlier attempt to produce rubber from the guayule shrub during the period 1926-1936. He was therefore put in charge of the guayule cultivation project. It again proved itself economically impractical and synthetic rubber became the norm.

From the description of David Spence : Guayle Project Records, 1910-1950 (bulk 1942-1946). (Chemical Heritage Foundation). WorldCat record id: 62712145