As World War II raged in Europe in 1941, the British government found itself short of magnesium alloy. The metal—a third lighter than aluminum—was an important component in effective aircraft and weapons construction. One American company, Basic Refractories, Inc. (BRI), of Cleveland Ohio, felt it was in a position to help. BRI was already exploiting raw components of magnesium in Brucite, a small mining camp in northwestern Nye County, Nevada.