 Realizing that all of the world's tin smelters could no longer supply the US demand, Jesse H. Jones, head of the Defense Plant Corporation, decided to build such a smelter in Texas City.The government also funded construction of a petrochemical plant to make styrene monomer, a vital raw material for synthetic rubber.Monsanto Chemical Company contracted to operate the facility, which became the nucleus of an even larger petrochemical complex after the war.