synthetic rubber was limited by lack of knowledge of the chemical structure of rubber compounds until after 1945. DuPont had developed neoprene in the 1920s in response to the Stevenson Plan, but neoprene was too costly for making tires. During this period the International Rubber Research & Development Board and the Research Association of British Rubber Manufacturers were founded. Also other technologically advanced countries like Germany and the Soviet Union developed in the interwar period synthetic rubber (e.g. Buna. But this was always more expensive than natural rubber. International Natural Rubber Agreement, 1979 The first and only agreement to come from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Integrated Programme for Commodities was an International Natural Rubber Agreement. The agreement had similar objectives. It introduced the concept of joint responsibility for financing international stock. References International Rubber Research & Development Board History of Natural Rubber (Part 3) The Story of Rubber:Supply and Demand Paul R. Samuelson, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT SYNTHETIC RUBBER PROGRAM 1941–1955, Working Paper MIT-EL 76-027WP, Energy Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (November, 1976) Notes Rubber industry Economic history of the United Kingdom Economic history of India History of international trade Commercial treaties Interwar-period treaties