The Great U.S. Auto Industry Pollution Control Devices Antitrust Case of 1969

What is it about?

This article discusses the federal antitrust litigation against the U.S. auto industry (then "the Big Four": GM, Ford, Chrysler, and American Motors Corp.) for conspiracy to prevent or delay the introduction of automobile exhaust control devices on their cars from the mid-1950s onward. The litigation began with a federal grand jury in Los Angeles finding cause to prosecute the auto industry in 1965-66. The federal Department of Justice filed suit in early 1969 (right before the administration of President Lyndon Johnson left office), and the Nixon administration settled the litigation and sealed the court records in the early 1970s. Long-time Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth F. Hahn was instrumental in keeping pressure on the auto industry from the 1950s onward, persistently writing letters to inquire what the industry was doing to control its vehicles' pollution; Hahn's letters and industry responses became part of the record and evidence in the case, which consumer advocate Ralph Nader referred to at the time as "the antitrust case of the century."

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Although now mostly forgotten, the auto industry antitrust suit of 1969 was a major event in the history of air pollution control and environmental policy that became a national event as many U.S. state and major city governments joined the City of Los Angeles and the State of California in seeking to punish the U.S. auto industry.