The New York herald., 1921-05-01
U. S. JOINS WORLD
OIL CONTROL FIGHT
Dutch Action in Barring
American Interests
Clears Field.
RETALIATION CERTAIN
Harding Expected to Act
Firmly in Upholding
U. S. Rights.
MAY CLOSE FIELDS HERE
This Country Holds Whip
Hand, as 1t Leads All in
Producing.
MAY CLOSE FIELDS HERE
Special Despatch to THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,

Special Despatch to THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
Washington, ID. c., April 80.
The world fight for control of petro-
leum has been brought into the open
by the action Of the Dutch Legislature
in barring American interests from the
Suratra oil fields.
The letter addressed by the Ameri-
can Minister to The Hague, William
Phillips, to the Netherlands Foreign
Minister announcing the probability
OF retaliatory American policy is re-
garded here as evincing firm deter
mination on the part of the Harding
Administration to see to it that the
United States is not barred from the
oil fields of the world.
With America producing the major
portion of the oil on which the world
Is now drawing, it is realized that
vigorous retaliatory measures can be
adopted, and it seems certain they
will be.
The American position is in process of
formation. but it starts with the as
sumption that every nation should have
clear field. That is the position which
this Government has taken in connec-
tion with the Mesopotamian dispute with
England which revolves about the ques-
tion of OIL
So far as the Dutch interests are con-
cerned the United States is in position
Il -
they are widely represented in this
country. 1t is not impossible that all
foreign access to the American oil fields
may be denied unless there is a general
determination to accept the American
position of clear field for all every
where in the world.
The Dutch action Is confidently be-
lieved to have been dictated by foreign
interests chiefly centered in England
which is credited with an effort to DOM
mate oil productive fields of the world.
The Royal Dutch Shell Company is
a socalled Dutch company which is sup
posed to be dominated by British con-
Germs. and it is this company which is
believed to have dictated the position of
the Dutch Government The ramifying
interests Of the Dutch Shell Company
have been exposed by letter which was
written by Gen Avery ID Andrews OF
Boston, American representative of the
Royal Dutch Shell Company in this
country
Gen. Andrews sent this letter to Sena-
tor Lodge in the hope of destroying the
effect of charges recently made by
Secretary of the Interior Fall. alleging
the British Government controlled the
Dutch organization. The effect of the
letter has been to produce evidence in
support of the contentious made by
Secretary Fall.
The company in question through its
various subsidiary companies controls
the oil supply Of many sections and has
widespread interests in this country In
the United States 1t Is represented by
the Roxanna Company, which has many
interests in Oklahoma and by the Shell
Company In California. The Roxanna
Company of Oklahoma controls such Inn
portant subsidiaries as the Turner Oil
Company and the New Orleans Refining
Company. The Shell Company of Cali
fornia controls the Simplex Refining
Company. the Turner Oil Company, the
Valley Pipe Company and other con-
Germs