Evening star., 1951-02-04
Middle East Strategy
Importance Attached to Plans to Move
British Base From Suez to Persian Gulf
By RondoIph Leigh

Pc, The least heralded of the Eisen-
hover conferences during his re-
cent tour of Western Europe as its
= newly appointed commander in
chief may prove to be the most
important. In this category should
be placed the talks over plans for
moving the British Middle East
base from the Suez Canal Zone to
the Persian Gulf. These talks
were Influenced by the recommen-
dations of Gen. Robinson, British
commander in chief in the Middle
East, plus the pledges of co-opera-
ton from Moslem leaders. notably
those of Iran and Iraq. Gen. Rob-
inson and some of the local leaders
few to London for the Eisenhower
visit.
Egypt has notified Britain that
the 20-year lease on the present
canal base and the privilege of
crossing Egyptian soil in wartime
will not be renewed when the
agreement expires in 1856. In any
case, the base was obsolete and
is no longer at the areas strategic
center. which has shifted to the
Persian Gulf. Thus Egypt's atti-
tude will have a beneficial effect
by forcing the Allies either to
abandon the strategic oil fields or
to move in close enough and in
sufficient strength to protect them.
Oil Is Vital
That Europe had to choose soon
between a strong stand in the
Middle East and going entirely
out of business as an industrial
and military factor was shown
last year when the balance for
the oil trade between Western and
Eastern hemispheres was struck
Then for the first time since pc
troleum came into history it was
found that the Americas are not
only not capable of carrying Eu-
rope as regards oil, but that they
have actually become net import
ers of the major Middle East
product.
The extent to which Western
production fell short of actual
needs in the Americas alone was
only few thousand tons. Never
theless the handwriting was
plainly there. Europe must look
to the East for oil. or go without
1t, and to go without it means to
fold up completely.
Under such circumstances to
disregard the Middle East in stra-
tegic planning would be on a par
with attempting to make war
while leaving all the gunpowder
and steel in the hands of the
enemy. 1t has long been under
stood that our top strategistS here
in the United States favored max
ing major stand against COM
munism near enough to the Per-
sian oil field to deny them to the
enemy and at the same time to
menace and perhaps destroy Rus
Sia's own oil fields, which are
highly vulnerable to an attack
based on the Indian Ocean.
Reds Busy in Ceylon
However, the defense of that
area involves other factors and
a wider zone. A base on the
Persian Gulf serviced by the way
of the Indian Ocean would also
call for a balancing base at the
other end of the Asia Minor land
arch, namely, at the tip OF the
Indian peninsula. For this pur-
pose the island of Ceylon is gen.
orally regarded as the most de-
sirable location.
1t is noteworthy that for months
Communist agents have been busy
In Ceylon. stirring up strife on
the rubber and tea plantations,
and particularly between the Cey-
lonese and the Indians, who have
come in large numbers. A tre-
mendous agitation is under way
there now to allow only Ceylonese
to occupy top positions in basic
industries, or in any activities.
British investors have been so
discouraged by this agitation that
they have been selling their prop
critics for whatever they would
bring. despite the fact that since
the war begun in Korea rubber
has been bringing fabulous prices.
Fortunately two Of the main
causes of Ceylonese discomfort
can be corrected without much