234. Editorial Note
In mid-November 1956, officials in both the French and British Governments stressed that the oil situation in their countries as a result of the blockage of the Suez Canal and the closure of the Iraq Petroleum Company pipelines was extremely serious. They argued that failure by the United States and other countries to take measures to supply Western Europe with the oil it needed in the coming months would precipitate grave social, political, and economic repercussions. (Memorandum of conversation by Tyler, November 17, relating his conversation with the French Ambassador; for text, see volume XIII, page 605) They claimed that by the middle of the month, their supplies of oil had dropped 25 to 30 percent below their normal needs. (Telegram 2810 from London, November 19, and telegram 2474 from Paris, November 19; both in Department of State, Central Files, 840.04/11–1956) Moreover, they charged that American hesitancy to cooperate with them in meeting their oil deficit was a means of putting pressure on the two governments to withdraw their forces from Egypt as well as an imposition of needless hardship on their countries. (Telegram 2496 from Paris, November 20; Ibid., 840.04/11–2056; telegram 2597 from Paris, November 26; Ibid., 840.04/11–2656)
Until the end of the month, the United States Government remained unwilling to ease the oil shortage in Europe by activating the plan of action prepared by the Middle East Emergency Committee for two reasons. One reason was not to give any impression of supporting British and French action against Egypt, especially as [Page 640] such an impression would have impaired the position of the United States in the United Nations. Another was to avoid any impression that could have led Arab oil-producing States either to sabotage additional facilities or impose additional restrictions on the use of oil. (Circular telegram 411, November 17; Ibid., 840.04/11–1756) Throughout the month, however, the United States Government continued to assure Great Britain and France that the United States was willing to supply oil to Europe if those two countries complied with the United Nations resolutions on the Suez crisis and withdrew their forces from Egypt. (Message from Eisenhower to Eden, November 11; Ibid., 974.7301/11–1156; telegram 2620 from Paris, November 27; Ibid., 840.04/11–2756) The United States Government also urged American and European oil suppliers to cooperate through the Organization for European Economic Cooperation to achieve the maximum possible efficiency of supply and an equitable sharing of shortages.