Evening star., 1940-05-15
Oil Shortage 10 Halt
Nazi War Machine
Soon, Says Moffett
Believed Sticking All
On BIitzkrieg. os Fuel
Will Lost Only for 1910
BY IRA WOLFERT.

NEW YORK, May is (N.A.N.A.).
enormous blitzkrieg in
the west was described by James A.
Mof1ett in IN interview today q not
merely q race to destroy, but also
~ . race against It's own destruc-
ton.
Mr.. Mohett, chairman Of the
board Of the California-Texas on
Co, said figures Indicated Germany
would be In desperate straits for oil
before the year was out and that it
might well have to demobilize sub
stantial portions Of its war machine
then. If not strike its colors en-
tirely.
The complete capture of Holland
and Belgium would not change the
picture. I" he declared, NOR would the
entrance Of italy on the German
side. nor even the capture Of Ru-
mania by these powers.
"Oil and the transportation Of oil
are on the side Of the allies. The
Germans did not have the oil last
fall to carry on the war q year, and
what they have bought and cap
tured since then has added only q
few months to their allotted span.
II they try to get more by conquest
with Italy's help, as in Rumania,
they will not be able to transport
the loot In sufficient quantities to
help them.
Stalking All on One Shot.
$50 it can be seen that the Ger
mans are stalking their whole fate
on one shot. It's now or never for
the Nazis while all the allies have
to do is to stabilize the situation
in the army phrase-short of de-
feat"
Mr.. Moffett was In charge of pur-
chases Of fuel oil and gasoline for
the allied armies and navies in 1911
and 1918. When the United States
entered the war, he became secre-
tary Of the National Petroleum War
Service Commission, which allocated
fuel to the machines battling the
central powers.
Mr.. Mo6ett said the figures he
had available presented Germany's
oil situation In its rosiest hue and
that "the complete facts would prob
ably scale Nazi resources downward
Naxis Bought Heavily.
I'VE know that the purchase and
shipments Of petroleum to Germany
for the last four years have shown q
greater increase than those to any
other European market and 1t Is
apparent that these supplies were
accumulated as reserve stocks fol-
military purposes and for emergency
Shortly before the war began In
September. the Germans bought
aviation gasoline heavily In this
country. Then suddenly they can
celed several cargoes and we came
to the conclusion that their stock.
had reached Q maximum and that
they were switching their interna,
production from the manufacture
Of motor gasoline to . maximum
production Of aviation gasoline
They curtailed the non-essential Use
Of motor gasoline and imported this
grade. which cost approximately
one-haH as much as aviation gaso-
line.
I'VE know also that over the past
few years q very great development,
under the hydrogenation process fol
the hquefaction Of coal has taker
place. In addition, they are now II
possession Of production in Poland
have. under a treaty arrangement, 1
call on Is per cent Of the Rumaniar
production Of oil: are allied at thi.
time with Russia and have had, BY
virtue Of Italy's neutrality up to.thi.
time, door through which petro.
leum supplies could pass.
Some Are Captured.
Let us, for purposes of this esti.
mate, concede that Norway, Den.
mark, Holland and Belgium eact
had q years supply Of oil in reserv.
and that the bulk Of this oil hat
passed intact into German hands
This amounts to approximately t..
000, 900 tons.
The consumption in Germany ir