Oil policy of UK in Middle East

This file concerns the UK's oil policy in the Middle East. It contains correspondence and memoranda relating to:

• Oil borrowing
• Conclusions taken from an informal treasury-bank meeting held on 3 November 1975 to discuss the indexation of financial assets; a brief which a UK representative of the Financial Commission of the Euro-Arab Dialogue took to Abu Dhabi in November 1975; and a meeting held by HMG’s Treasury Working Party to discuss the financial aspects of the Washington Energy Conference
• The UAE’s attitude towards British and US policy in relation to the Palestine problem
• Foreign interest in BP and the Burmah Oil Company; and the Labour Party’s intention to urge HMG to take a substantial direct stake in Burmah Oil and to treat BP as part if the public sector
• Cuttings from the Daily Telegraph, ‘Britain prepared to disrupt energy conference’ and ‘UK exports to OPEC doubled’
• A letter from Sir Kenneth Berrill to Prime Minister Harold Wilson stating that it is not a good time for HMG to approach Saudi Arabia on a possible oil for oil deal
• Background information on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the oil producing countries in the Middle East; and talking points for a OPEC meeting
• A table of the UK’s imports of crude oil in 1974
• A luncheon between British officials and the Chairman of BP and Shell on 16 January 1975
• The handling of oil matters in The Economist
• Kuwait's oil and financial policies
• Telephone numbers of members of the oil divisions as from 9 December 1974
• A J Wilton’s meetings with Shell representatives, including reference to: the consortium’s difficulties in Iran and cutbacks in production