"The Surest Augery For Ultimate Success:" The Release of Proprietary Technical Knowledge By U. S. Firms In The Early Twentieth Century

Abstract

Introduction In 1914, M. C. Whitaker, editor of the journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry and president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, criticized "the reluctance of many in the chemical industry to share technical knowledge with each other," thus impeding "the Progress of chemical engineering by preventing the free interchange of technical knowledge" (cited in Rhees 1987, 95). His views were shared by people in a variety of industries, many of whom made calls for such a freer exchange. Some looked to trade or technical associations to mediate such exchanges of knowledge, others also to the universities, perhaps through the continued use of industry sponsored research fellows. James McGibbon of the North American Rayon Corporation, writing a technical piece on crepe fabrics for a technical journal, hoped for similar or complementary work "on the part of dyers and finishers and on the part of machine manufacturers" (1937, 36-37). Two employees of a ceramic pot manufacturing firm observed "the need of sincere cooperation, mutual criticism and common counsel of the pot manufacturer and the glass maker" (Brownlee and Gorton 1921, 98). A Rochester, New York, boat manufacturer writing on the problems of inland water transportation felt that "shippers, barge builders, engine builders and their associated industries should work out the problem of water transportation" (Lacy 1921, 61). In a paper touting the virtues of gas versus electricity in types of enamelling furnaces, George M. Parker of the Mississippi River Fuel Corporation stressed the need for the gas industry to maintain its competitive position: "Let us continue our experiments, carry on extensive research, and make full use of all facilities at hand for the exchange of research" (1937, 8-9). In fact, many facilities were at hand and such free exchange of information had long been a characteristic of U.S. industry (Usselman 1985, 184-89). The effects of the second industrial revolution only enhanced the situation and thus made the exceptions more conspicuous. Many would have agreed with W. K. Hatt when he stated, "against the background of research and a common effort to determine the facts, acrimonious disputes are quieted, mere opinions are held in abeyance under the benign influence of research for the truth" (1922, 29).