Evening star., 1944-07-22
| beayerbrook Joins
Conference Here on
Near East Oil Issue
BY JOSEPH H. BAIRD.

An attempt to map out an orderly
program for the exploitation and
distribution Of oil so as to avoid the
keen economic warfare of the past
will be made here, beginning Tues
day, by a group of cabinet ministers
and other high officials representing
the American and British govern
ments.
Foremost among the problems to
be attacked is that of sharp COM
petition between giant British and
American corporations in the Near
Eastern countries of Iran, the Per-
sian Gulf island and Saudi Arabia.
The British delegation, headed by
Lord Beaverbrook, arrived at the
National Airport yesterday after a
flight Of 10 hours and A minutes
from London to Washington. They
will meet with an American group Of
which Secretary of State Hull Is the
chairman. The meetings will be
held IN the new conference room OF
the State Department.
On Important Level.
The discussions which now reach
the cabinet level" will be based on
the findings Of group of British
and American technical experts who
conferred here from April l8 to May
3 This first group was not expected
to make any final decisions but
merely to prepare the factual data
which will be considered now by
higher officials who are empowered
to reach binding agreement.
Two projects which threatened to
intensity the long "oil war" in the
Near East were responsible for the
present effort of Great Britain and
the United States to end intense
competition and try to arrive at a
peaceful and orderly program for
supplying their respective petroleum
markets. One was the proposal last
winter OF Secretary of Interior
Ickes. acting as petroleum adminis-
traitor for war, to build a S125 ,000,.
900 pipeline from the American
dominated fields to a Mediterranean
port.
The other was plan Of the Brit
ish-owred Iraq Petroleum Co. to
build new pipeline from Kirkuk,
Iraq, to Haifa. Either project would
have put competing interests at a
distinct disadvantage.
Although the conversations thus
far have been concerned only with
British ard American interests, it
is recognized that any strictly BIZ
partisan division of oil made by
these two countries is likely to
arouse antagonlsm in other nations
with stake in the Near East.
France, for example, has minor oil
interests in that region. Also the
giant Russian fields around Baku
compete for markets with the.
Anglo American firms in the Near
East.
| At the beginning of the prelim-
mary converse tions, Mr.. Hull an
nounced that no decision affecting
producing areas would be taken
without consultation with the gov
ernments of the countries con-
cerned." He added that the United
States will welcome discussions
with the government of any other
friendly country concerning petro-
leum questions of mutual interest"
So far, however, no talks with other
interested governments have been
announced.
Others in Delegations.
Inc American delegation to the
OIL conference includes Secretary
Hull, Secretary Ickes, Secretary OF
the Navy Forrestal, Undersecretary
OF War Patterson, Leo Crowley.
foreign economic administrator;
Charles E. Wilson. executive vice
chairman of the War Production
Board; Ralph K. Davis, deputy
petroleum administrator for war,
and Charles Rayner, petroleum ad-
wiser to the State Department.
Great Britain will be represented
by Lord Beaverbrook, Lord Privy
Seal Richard Law. Minister of
State; Godfrey Lloyd, parlia-
mentary secretary of the Ministry
of Fuel and Power. and Ralph
Assheton, financial secretary to the
treasury.