Chapter 983 Oil Reserve Plan

"Will it go so smoothly?" Harold Wilson looked thoughtful when he heard this, and then seemed to think of something, "Can we work with France to get the United States to side with Britain?"

"This is unlikely, minister. There are many reasons why the United States chose Iran. Iran had enmity with the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. The United States is far away and has a good reputation. There are many other factors. And if we involve France, France's interests in the Middle East Almost not. If Britain and France stand together, first we exclude the factor of war. The United States is nothing more than supporting the opposition in our two countries' spheres of influence. Iran is naturally the most suitable choice, and if we choose France to deal with it together, it may not be effective."

"France's interests are mainly concentrated in Africa, while the priority of our interests is obviously Asia, including the Far East and the Middle East. It is impossible to be intimate. Now let's talk about this memorandum first. What France requires is to be on an equal footing with Britain and the United States. , not to mention the United States, but we actually disagree in our hearts."

"If we tell the truth, the UK is an auxiliary within the NATO framework, and the real leader is indeed the United States. We have interests in NATO, and the interests of the United States are greater. If nothing else is mentioned, since France's claim is to be on equal footing, then The commander-in-chief of NATO must not be reserved for the United States. Does the minister think Washington will agree?"

"I don't think I would agree." Harold Wilson thought along the lines of thinking of the Deputy Secretary-General, shook his head and smiled bitterly, "France is still not skilled enough in diplomacy, and it is impossible to do this kind of thing forcefully."

"So, France's request will indeed not succeed. If we don't object, the United States will definitely oppose it. If the United States puts pressure on the United Kingdom and the United States to oppose it together, we must oppose it after the Americans."

Alan Wilson said a tongue twister, "I believe that General de Gaulle's memorandum does not have such a simple purpose. There will be more things to do in the future. But at the moment, it will not be of much help to the Iran issue. But we can postpone the problem to and When France’s attitudes overlap, I wonder what the current government’s attitude is in the face of Iran’s move to take back state-owned enterprises?”

"We must show a tough stance." Harold Wilson said categorically. The election is coming soon. This time the Iran issue may be made a fuss by the Conservative Party. There is only one choice before the Labor Party. It cannot be settled like this. .

"Let's first have a good talk with Iraq, Kuwait, and the emirates that can still exert influence. This time let Iran seriously appreciate the strength of the United Kingdom."

When it came to the Iranian oil crisis five years ago, the UK didn't have many solutions. The US's foreign debt had not been repaid, and Malaya's development had not yet taken shape. Although it was within its capabilities to impose sanctions on Iran, there was no comparison.

"Alan, what do you want to say?" Harold Wilson already felt that his deputy secretary had some ideas.

"This needs to be supported by cabinet decisions, in sync with plans for our markets and energy base. And the first step is to get good news, to pass a decision called the oil reserve plan, which requires communication between the minister and the prime minister."

Alan Wilson took out the results of several days of work, which was certainly not the part about manned spaceflight.

"The French oil reserves?" Harold Wilson looked at this plan and muttered involuntarily.

The first country in the world to establish oil reserves was France. As early as the 1920s, France required oil operators to maintain adequate oil reserves. France established the "National Liquid Fuels Agency" to manage oil reserves. France's strategic petroleum reserves are jointly managed and borne by the state, specialized agencies and oil producers and operators.

As a world power at the time, France did not control the oil producing areas, so it first established oil reserves. The UK is different. Its scope of strength includes the Middle East, so it naturally does not need to build large-scale oil reserves.

Most countries in the world only established national oil reserves during the world oil crisis in the 1970s.

As the Foreign Secretary looks at oil reserve plans,

Alan Wilson explained, "In the last Iran crisis, Britain was still recovering. Although its influence in the Middle East was not damaged, it could not bring much benefit to the Arabs. This time it is completely different. Malayan Industry The base has been formed, and whatever the pro-British Arab countries need, we can provide it.”

"To establish an oil reserve that can last for 180 days across the UK? Isn't that too much?" Harold Wilson saw the key point and was obviously surprised by this number.

"Minister, in this way we can reduce the losses of BP and have enough share to win over pro-British countries." Alan Wilson crossed his fingers. "It would be great if it can bring other European countries along. The most important thing is , which should have an impact on the government’s support rate.”

The last words are nonsense from Alan Wilson. The support rate of the two parties in the UK has been stable for a long time. If you don’t know, you might think it is the supporters of the two parties in the United States in the future. No matter how good you are in favor of it, I will oppose it.

But the fact is that a large number of voters in the UK have become slack with the Labor Party being in power for so long.

"It does require the Prime Minister's support to succeed." When it comes to approval ratings, Harold Wilson is no longer sleepy. Cabinet ministers and shadow cabinet ministers are not the same thing.

"Wise decision, my minister. We use the oil reserve plan and the upcoming negotiations with Iraq and Kuwait as leverage. We should be able to avoid losses due to a tough attitude. This is a moment that tests the government's capabilities."

Alan Wilson wasted no time in singing the praises of Harold Wilson and Prime Minister Attlee.

Sanctions on Iran can be imposed in one day, but as long as they last for more than a year, they can coincide with France's substantial withdrawal from NATO. Things are generally connected, as Lenin said.

Making trouble in front of a country with an electoral system is a hugely risky thing. Either you will win a big victory or you will suffer heavy losses. Although several important figures in the Labor Party knew that the Labor Party was going to dissolve parliament and call for an election, they were only aware of it, including a few ministers and the Prime Minister.

Not even Eden of the Conservative Party knew about it, let alone other countries. When Prime Minister Attlee suddenly showed a tough attitude in the House of Commons in London, he wanted to sanction Iran, and he came up with the idea that the United Kingdom would establish enough for 180 days. When the oil reserve plan was used, the House of Commons suddenly turned into a wet market.

This was completely unprepared for the Conservative Party. The number one and number two figures of the Conservative Party, Eden and Macmillan, were silent and sensed something unusual.

"Should Attlee want an early election?" This is the question that Eden and Macmillan thought of in unison.

Through the BBC's broadcast, the entire British public also knew about Iran's unfriendly actions towards the United Kingdom.

"We support the Prime Minister's decision. All patriots cannot tolerate this kind of insult to Britain." The Conservative Party has always appeared as a patriot. After a brief controversy, Conservative Party leader Eden immediately made the final decision and expressed his position in the House of Commons. , "The Persian Gulf is the energy center of the world, which is closely related to the prosperity of the United Kingdom. It is a consensus issue for all British citizens, and we all support the Prime Minister's response to the Iranian oil crisis."

Eden's statement brought endless applause in the House of Commons. A united Parliament and a united Britain. The leader of the Conservative Party is devoted to the country and fully supports this government. This attitude has also spread throughout the country.

Under the consensus politics of the two parties, the British oil reserve plan was passed in the House of Commons. The British took this attitude to indicate that the United Kingdom will fight a protracted war with Iran.

"Isn't this an extra card out of thin air?" Alan Wilson said to Dixon, holding the local telegram, "When we hold talks with Iraq and Kuwait in two days, we will have even more room for maneuver."

The British hegemony of public opinion is also good at influencing it. All the responsibility lies with Iran, and the Iranian oil industry will be severely damaged as a result.

In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Dulles arrived at the White House and met the current President Eisenhower not long after. Dulles held two telegrams in his hand, one was the 2:00 version of the Iranian oil crisis, and the other was France's proposal to reorganize NATO and make it bigger. Memorandum of Power.

"We still have to support Iran, Mr. President. Iran and Israel are the keys for the United States to enter the Middle East. Intellectually, of course we are willing to choose the Arabs. But we cannot abandon Israel. After all, Israel is alone, which requires other Middle Eastern powers. To capture the attention of the Arabs. There is no better option than Iran.”

Dulles looked embarrassed, "Of course we don't want to be unhappy with Britain, but Iran's establishment of American influence is very important to America's interests in the Middle East."

If the United States cannot give up on Israel, it is doomed to stand on the opposite side of the vast majority of Arab countries. Even if there are a few pro-American countries in Arab countries, they dare not openly side with the United States. The only Middle Eastern power that still has influence is Iran.

"Try to be more tactful when rejecting British support." President Eisenhower pondered for a moment. "In terms of economic assistance to Iran, we do not want the United States to directly express its position, but we agree to support the actions of late-developing countries."

"I understand." Dulles nodded, and immediately left the White House to start handling the matter. As for the memorandum on France's proposal to reorganize NATO, he forgot about it.

Before the meeting between the United Kingdom and the Gulf countries, the International Monetary Fund provided $60 million in economic assistance to Iran despite the opposition of the United Kingdom. The news spread around the world. The entire United Kingdom was filled with consternation and was confused about this move.

"Is this my Suez Canal War?" Alan Wilson burned the telegram transmitted from London, but it was better than the real Suez Canal War.

When the International Monetary Fund makes such a decision, there is no doubt that the United States has expressed its stance, because the United States has a veto power in this organization.