Evening star., 1939-08-13


The 10Th century cliche to the effect
that an army marches on its stomach is
no longer valid in this age of motoriza-
ton. Today not only armies but naves
and air forces march" on their gasoline
supply, and woe awaits that nation at
war whose oil tanks run dry.
One of the most powerful weapons in
the national arsenals of the democratic
powers is their virtual control of the
worlds oil. Through resources in their
own territories and concessions in other
parts of the world, three members of the
peace bloc"-the United States, Great
Britain and France-and one potential
member, Soviet Russia, control well over
80 per cent of the rich, black oil which
is the very life blood of modern fighting
machinery.
Last week the war Offices of the "totali-
tartan bloc" received unpleasant news.
Americas vast oil empire, which already
covers the globe, was expanded a bit
farther when Standard Oil of California
received new petroleum concession cov-
ering all of Soudi Arabia-a largely un-
explored but potentially rich oil territory
which German and japanese diplomats
had angled for during many months. Re-
ports said that the King of this Near
Eastern desert land was very frank in
explaining why he turned down the large
offers of Japan and Germany and ac-
cepted the much smaller one-s1 500 900
in cash, $750,000 annually in royalties
after oil is discovered-of Standard Oil.
The King said he feared that economic
exploitation of his kingdom by one of the
Fascist states would be the forerunner of
political control. The American COM
pany, he said, was interested in acquiring
oil-and nothing more
AT any rate, the concession was granted
and the American oil empire, which al
ready covers the vast United States
fields with the worlds greatest produc-
ton, rich pools in Peru, Venezuela, Co.
lombla, parts Of Rumania and Poland
and interests in Sumatra, Java and Irau,
now stretches over new domain.
Mightiest Raw Material.
Military inventions of the last 80 years
-airplanes, tanks, motorized cavalry and
the conversion of naval vessels from coal
to oil for fuel-has given petroleum
military Importance no one raw material
ever had before. 1t is probably no ex-
aggregation to say that gunpowder is no
more vital to modern military machine.
than is petroleum.
Without gunpowder armies and navies
cannot fight. But without petroleum
they cannot move. Imagine an army and
navy without oil and you picture one
whose airplanes are grounded, whose
tanks are struck, whose warships stand
idly at their docks and whose infantry
cannot move because there would be no
operatable supply trucks to keep it fed
and munitioned.
The amount of oil, and its distillate,
gasoline, required to keep a modern
army and navy in motion is. tremendous
the product of thousands of wells. The
American Army, for instance, estimates
that its new streamlined experimental
division at Fort Sam Houston-a higlNS
motorized unit-requires nearly 10000
gallons of gasoline for days march
or enough to drive an ordinary six
cylinder passenger automobile around
the world II times.
Hence, this question of oil supply is
one which is giving bad dreams to the
leaders and general stats Of warlike ma
tions like Germany. Italy and Japan,