800.6363/1088
The Ambassador in Argentina (Armour) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 26.]
Subject: Negotiations with Argentine authorities regarding tanker pool and other petroleum matters
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Embassy’s previous despatches on this subject:
- No. 6464—September 5, 1942
- No. 6753—September 25, 1942
- No. 7621—December 7, 194227
The last despatch, No. 7621, transmitted a copy of the Embassy memorandum which informed the Foreign Office that Merwin L. [Page 380] Bohan, Counselor for Economic Affairs, and Philip Clover, Technical Adviser, had been appointed to act with the Commission designated to conduct the negotiations.
On December 2 the first conversations were held between the representatives of the Embassy and the Foreign Office, and at this meeting it was decided that the first question to be discussed was the quantity of oil industry material needed. Mr. Clover has had several meetings with Sr. Villa (General Manager of the Y. P. F.28) which established that about 30,000 tons of oil industry material, including tubular goods, are reported by the operating companies as required to equip producing fields and prospective areas already geologized, excluding absolute wildcats. This information was presented to the Commission at a meeting attended by the Embassy representatives, at which time we brought out the fact that this estimate was based upon restricting the use of the material to producing fields. Therefore Ultramar29 would not receive any material, as they do not have production, and Standard30 would receive very little.
After some discussion, the Commission requested Mr. Clover to take a geologist from each oil company to Mr. Villa’s office, to explain to him as a technical member of the Commission just what producing and prospective oil properties were held, and thus show more exactly the use which could be made of any drilling material received. This was done and the companies were requested to submit their statements in writing.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Respectfully yours,
Counselor for Economic Affairs
- These communications, not printed, dealt with the preliminary efforts to balance the Argentine need for equipment from the United States for its oil industry against the need of the United States and other American Republics for Argentine oil (811.20 (D) Regulations/8634; 800.6363/931, 1042½).↩
- Yacimientos Petrolif eros Fiscales.↩
- An Argentine petroleum firm.↩
- Standard Oil Company, S. A., Argentina.↩