photo courtesy American Petroleum Institute SHOFAR ARAB OIL B'nai B'rith Youth Organization BLACKMA ALEPH ZADIK ALEPH (AZA) B'NAI B'RITH GIRLS (BBG) 17 SEPT.-OCT., 1973 B9 18017 RD JEFFREY COOK EA IDGE 18017COKOJ H WI BAK The myth of Israel's relevance to the oil situation has been manufactured to hide the real reasons for an "oil problem"- and to force a change in United States policy. This article is reprinted from the September, 1973, issue of the ADL BULLETIN, national publication of the Anti- Defamation League of B'nai B'rith. By Arnold Forster, associate director and general counsel of the Anti-Defamation League. Seeking to exploit their pivotal position as a major and others, Mr. Miller sent a letter to a representative of sources has lagged. Israel's existence and safety have world source of crude oil in a period of rapidly escalating the Jewish community declaring in part that: "Some nothing to do with the world's rapidly accelerating need demand for it, the Arab states have launched a campaign people have indicated that they thought I meant to imply for energy sources. of propaganda and political pressure to blackmail the in my statement that peace and stability in the area could The alleged "oil shortage," however, is related to the United States into changing its policy in the Middle East. be established without regard to the existence of Israel or declining value of the American dollar. There is an eco- The campaign, aided in this country by pro-Arab forces its legitimate interests. This is simply not true and no nomic reason for keeping oil in the ground. Why sell now and giant international oil companies, is aimed at con- such implication can or should be read into what I have for cheap American dollars, when the output can be held vincing Americans that a reversal of U.S. Middle Eastern said down until it can command higher prices in a more policy-away from support for Israel's survival-is the He refused, however, to send this second letter to the stable economy? only way to assure a continuing flow of Arab oil. employees and shareholders who had received the first Afraid of stating their case in such crass money terms, In recent months, the American public has been de- one. the Arab oil potentates have adopted the position long luged with articles, analyses, editorials and cartoons In a June 21 ad in the New York Times titled "The U.S. urged on them by their non-oil-producing allies: Crude linking a so-called "oil shortage" and "energy crisis" to stake in Middle East peace," the Mobil Oil Company said oil supplies will continue to flow to the West, and even American policy in the Middle East. Two oil companies, in part: be increased, if the United States ends its support for Standard Oil of California and Mobil, have joined the Like it or not, the United States is dependent on Israel and expresses far greater sympathy for the Arabs' attempt to influence public opinion. the Middle East even just to maintain our present living political position. In a July 26 letter to its 40,000 employees and 262,000 standards in the years immediately ahead We in the To cite "United States support for Israel" as the reason shareholders, Standard Oil of California brazenly lobbied United States must learn to live with the peoples of (Saudi for an oil shortage is to make Israel a convenient tool and for support of Arab policies. According to the letter, signed Arabia and Iran) and to understand that they look to us scapegoat. The incentive for greater profits would exist by Standard's board chairman, O. N. Miller: for policies that recognize their legitimate interests and and the Arab oil-producing countries would be crying "oil There now is a growing feeling in much of the Arab aspirations If our country's relations with the Arab shortage" even if there were no Israel. world that the United States has turned its back on the world continue to deteriorate, Saudi Arabia may con- Arab people The Arab States-and Iran-hold the key clude that it is not in its interest to look favorably on U.S. Crude Oil Supply Not The Problem to the energy resources which fuel the industrialized requests for increased petroleum supplies It is there- Many experts have pointed out that the United States nations They represent the only major source to which fore time for the American people to begin adapting has a sufficient supply of crude oil; what ïs lacking is the the United States can look for any substantial increase in to the realities capacity to turn it into useful commodities for autos, its crude oil imports to meet our needs. It is highly im- Oil or Israel furnaces and air conditioners. This refinery capacity has portant at this time that the United States should work not been achieved because American oil companies-in- more closely-with the Arab governments to build up and Some articles and comments in influential and widely cluding those which have been publicly bemoaning a enhance our relations with the Arab people. We as Ameri- circulated newspapers and magazines have posed the issue shortage-have been concentrating on big profits from cans have a long history of friendship and cooperation bluntly: Oil or Israel. Yet Israel is extraneous and wholly crude oil. A major part of the oil problem has been the with Arabs. It goes back more than 100 years, long before irrelevant to the oil situation. The current oil supply failure of our own government, the oil companies and the first oil operations, and involves cultural relationships squeeze would have confronted the United States even if other private interests to build the necessary facilities for which encompass education and religion, as well as com- the Jewish state had never been born. And the "energy refining crude oil. mercial trading There must be understanding on our crisis" and "oil shortage" are not the same. Thus, the "oil problem" is not a political problem at all part of the aspirations of the Arab people, and more posi- One is related to the rapid growth in demand for oil and but an economic one. The relevant aspects involve supply tive support of their efforts toward peace in the Middle oil products while the oil companies, for many reasons, and demand, American refining capacity, alternative East have failed to expand refinery capacity to meet the in- On August 6, in response to massive protest from Jews creased need and the development of alternative energy (Contd. on page 2) MIKE, JAN ELECTED See Story Pg. 2