Consumer protection became an important social trend by the early 1970s. Ralph Nader, a Washington, D.C., lawyer in the Department of Labor, became interested in the safety of American auto-mobiles in 1958 while a student at Harvard Law School. In 1965 he left government service and published a best-selling book, Unsafe at Any Speed, which was critical of automobile industry designs and standards. Nader was especially concerned with the safety of the Chevrolet Corvair, a popular compact car with a rear engine, which was reputed to be unsafe at high speeds.

By the 1970s Nader had expanded the scope of his concerns. Nader's campaign for safe, reliable products — cars, food, natural gas — aroused much national interest. He won greater attention in 1970 when General Motors (GM) settled a lawsuit for $425,000 and the president of GM apologized publicly for using GM detectives harass Nader and...