293. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between Acting Secretary of State Herter and the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Murphy)0
CAH telephoned Mr. Murphy to discuss previous conversation with Goodpaster 1 about study by State and Defense on ways of easing oil import question for the Canadians.2 Mr. Murphy will talk to Mr. Mann, and look into best way of approaching the Canadians.
[Page 594]Mr. Murphy said he had just seen Eugene Holman of Standard Oil who thought there should be some NSC or other review to take a hard look at the Middle East as to where we are going and what we should be doing and expressed the anxieties of the oil companies operating in the area. CAH said he entirely agreed; that Allen Dulles had a very interesting map this morning indicating the concentration of oil reserves in Kuwait, Iraq and Iran. CAH said this question of the Persian Gulf and what we do if the Russians get control is vitally important and may very likely be a subject of discussion with Macmillan. It was agreed Mr. Murphy would get in touch with the JCS and start taking a good look at this in anticipation of the Macmillan visit.3
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Herter Papers, Telephone Conversations. No classification marking. Transcribed in Dillon’s office.↩
- Not found.↩
- On March 2, the Canadian Minister in Washington, A.E. Ritchie, discussed with Assistant Secretary Mann the forthcoming oil import program. Mann informed Ritchie confidentially that the United States would “do its best to obtain a Western hemisphere exemption.” (Department of State, Central Files, 400.116/3–2959)↩
- British Prime Minister Macmillan met with Eisenhower at Camp David, Maryland, on March 22.↩