approve and pay for its original plans for the Alabama plant, with some modifications, to help with the war effort. A separate company, the Air Nitrates Corporation, was set up for this government contract to build and operate the plant for the duration of the war, with Cyanamid earning some fees and to later inherit the plant for the fertilizer business. This raised concerns of cronyism, but the critics were outnumbered by local supporters in Congress. However, when the war ended, the first stage of the plant had only just begun limited production. A few months later, the Justice Department began an investigation into the contract and possible graft. Washburn died October 9, 1922. At the time, the government still owned the Muscle Shoals plants. A year later, a number of interests were competing to buy or lease it, including Air Nitrates/American Cynamid, General Electric, and Henry Ford. However by 1926, the list of bidders was far different as the Senate debated the merits of Air Nitrates in a joint venture with Union Carbide, the local power companies (who were most interested in the generating station), and a New York financial consortium. In the end, after much lobbying and debate, none of the bids were accepted. The government elected to run the plants itself, balancing the regional power requirements against farming needs for inexpensive fertilizer. The company grew to over 100,000 employees worldwide, and had over 200,000 shareholders by the mid-1970s. Its stock was traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ACY. It was repeatedly reorganized after the mid-1990s, merged with other firms, and saw brands and divisions sold or spun off. The bulk of the former company is now part of Pfizer, with smaller portions belonging to BASF, Procter & Gamble and other firms. Product lines Although originally a manufacturer of agricultural chemicals, the company broadened its product lines into many types of industrial chemicals and specialty chemicals. The company then diversified into synthetic fibers, pharmaceuticals, surgical products, plastics, and inorganic pigments before World War II; and later added, by acquisitions, cosmetic and toiletry products, perfumes, building products, home building, and several smaller product categories following World War II. From 1931 to 1943 American Cyanamid produced the pesticide Zyklon B under license. Cyanamid's pharmaceutical division included "Lederle Laboratories", maker of Piperacillin, an antibiotic drug used as a penicillin substitute; Centrum, a multivitamin supplement; Stresstabs vitamins; and