 In 1917, AMCO refined 250 million pounds of copper, 547 million pounds of zinc, and 168 million pounds of lead.Before the United States entered World War I in October 1917, Metallgesellschaft (then led by Richard Merton, the son of Wilhelm Ralph Merton), transferred its 51% ownership in AMCO to several American citizens who were also AMCO managers.Once the US entered the war, the US passed the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917 which required that German-owned business assets be held by the Office of Alien Property Custodian.