AD-X2 was an additive purported to extend lead-acid
automotive battery life,
marketed by
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
bulldozer operator
Jess M. Ritchie in the late 1940s and early 1950s. After it was declared a
fraud by the
National Bureau of Standards (NBS), a media blitz alleging collusion between battery manufacturers and the government led
Commerce Secretary Sinclair Weeks
Charles Sinclair Weeks (June 15, 1893February 7, 1972), better known as Sinclair Weeks, served as United States Senator from Massachusetts (1944) and as United States Secretary of Commerce from 1953 until 1958, during President Eisenhower's adm ...
to request NBS director
Allen V. Astin’s resignation. After subsequent
Senate hearings, the NBS's position was vindicated and Astin was reinstated.
References
Fraud in the United States
{{crime-stub