Which of the following, if true for the United States, most weakens the argument above? A. Federal funds, which constituted a significant portion of the support for industrial research from 1968 to 1978, fell annually and substantially during that period. B. The inflation that occurred between 1968 and 1978 was more severe than leading economists had expected. C. Industrial executives generally favor investing an appreciably larger portion of corporate funds in short-term product development than in basic research. D. The scientists and engineers who worked in industry from 1968 to 1978 were, as a group, more experienced in their jobs than were those who worked in industry during the previous ten-year period. E. Corporate financing of industrial research increased in several of the years immediately following 1978 (after correcting for inflation)