The Purist wrote:
I don’t want to argue, just show me the documents from that time as evidence. Not someone’s recollections from decades later. Patent info would be fine.
Besides, WW2 ended in September 1945. There’s a lot of time between Dr. Howald’s June 1944 documentation and September 1945.
Purist, Do you have images of the Phantom catalogs that you could post?
If patent information is the only criteria, Libby Owens Ford gets the prize with patent
GB627255A. Dr. Howald was working for Plaskon, a division of Libby Owens Ford, but surprisingly no authors are listed on the patent documentation. Libby Owens made the glass fiber and licensed their patents to anyone and everyone (potential customers).
Howald and Harrington used fiberglass on their fishing tackle 'projects' during WWII. Howald and Havers worked for large research organizations that would support strong patent protection. Both did basic research on the raw materials and processes. Harrington did not have corporate support and relied on the 'trade secret' approach to protect his technology. How McGuire and Phantom/It came by their technology, I don't know.
The technology developed 75+ years ago and the catalog prose was spun soon after. The people involved are long past their days of filing patents, writing memoirs, or replying to emails. Unless new
primary sources are uncovered, all we can do is speculate.
Tom