> Yes, didn't the U.S. chemical industry really get going by stealing
> German patents during WW I?
This is true. In the distant past I did this research paper on the rise of the Dupont corporation -- quite a fascinating story, they basically made a mint as 19th century arms manufacturers (Dupont was the family name, and they remain wealthy indeed), then tried to copy the Germans in the dye biz and utterly failed. Basically, they had to hire German chemists away from IG Farben in the Twenties to get rolling, a move which caused a huge scandal at the time. Dupont was also one of the first firms to sponsor huge research bureaus and invest in long-term R & D. This enabled them, for example, to invent things like nylon and cellophane, as well as provide lots of turnkey projects for the Manhattan Project (gathering the right isotopes meant lots of expensive chemical engineering).
-- Dennis