Coll 30/216 'Development of oil supplies in the Middle East.' [‎50r] (100/131)

1 .
BRITISH O IL PROCrR.\MME OCTO BER 19U3 - SEPTEMBER 19^4-
THE BOARD had Before them a report By the Executive
Committeeo (OoC 0 3c(43) 82)©
SIR WILLIAM 3R0Y/N said that this twelve months forward,
programme had Been rather difficult to produce. The Board
would know that a small Mission was now/at work in Washington
endeavouring to produce the first real United Nations programme
They were expected Back in this country in the near future;
and when the results of their work had Been studied, it
should Be possible to produce a somewhat Better forecast,
although he did not expect they would Be aBle to produce
aBsolutely firm figures 0 The main point revealed By the
Paper Before the Board was the magnitude of the requirements.
These figures had Been steadily increasing from programme to
programme 0 The Board would see that a Memorandum By the
Ministry of War Transport was annexed to the Paper to give
an indication of the tanker aspect of the problem.
MR, HUMPHREYS said, that Sir Cyril HurcomB, who was
unable to Be present, had asked him to draw attention to the
fact that as compared with the imports of the past two years,
the overall increased requirement from the tanker aspect was
4 million tons© This/ was an enormous increase, ^and he
wished to ask whether/the Board considered that it represented
a firm and reasonable requirement© It v/as very desirable
to have an .answer tS this question as it would have an
important Bearing on the new construction programme for
tankers in relation to other ships.
2. DEVELOPMENT. OR OIL SUPPLIES IN THE MIDD LE EAST
THE BOARD had Before them a memorandum By the Ministry
of Fuel and Power (Petroleum Division). (0 o C.B.(43) 83)*
MRc START■ ING-, in introducing this_ memorandum, said
that the gradual developing of a United Nations oil programme
indicated°a greatly increased requirement for oil. The
United States were accordingly planning to increase oil
production in the Western Hemisphere. Tnere had some
criticism of our policy as regards production from the
Middle East and although there were good answers to these,
there was a need to increase production m Iraq and Persian
onTf* r i'pms« Three projects were now put forward for
increasing Middle East production, as set out in the Paper
under qonsideration «
(i) Persia; Developmen t of Agha Ja ri c This scheme neeoed
U; Tittle txolanacx'on-SrT^ advantages were obvious.
The additional crude oil v/as needed for refin y