Reproduced at he Dwight D Eisenhower Presidential Library Wc tj t tmn l7 SPECIAL HANDLING A REPORT TO THE The President COPY NO 1 I NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL by THE NSC PLANNING BOARD on NSC 176 4- DECLASSIFIED with deletions Authority By NLDDIE Dec-ember 22 1953 WASHINGTON PARTIALLY 0n 2 15 2006 by NARA on the recommendation of the NSC under provisions of ED 12958 as Dc emgraded To lg 5 Ey r ibtt-cdty 0f I NLE Dale DRS amended b N300175 Denial and Conservation of Middle East Oil in Event of War Reproduced a fire Dwight D Eisenhower Presidential Library NSC 176 UNCLASSIFIED December 22 1953 NOTE BY THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY to the NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL References A NSC 2 2 3 '2 and 26 5 B Progress Report dated August 7 1953 by the Apting Secretary of State on the NSC 26 Series The enclosed draft statement of policy on the subject prepared by the NSC Planning Board is transmitted herewith for consideration by the National Security Council at its meeting on Wednesday December 30 1953 The report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the NSC Planning Board which re examined the need for a U S policy on this subject is enclosed for the information of the Council No financial appendix is enclosed since the proposed policy does not appear to involve any unusual expenditures over or beyond amounts which have been appropriated for normal operating programs of the agencies involved The enclosure is intended if adopted to supersede NSC 26 2 26 3 26 h and 26 5 It is recommended that if the Council adopts the en- closed statement of policy it be submitted to the President with the recommendation that he approve it direct its imple- mentation by all appropriate executive departments and agencies of the U S government and designate the Operations Coordinating Board as the coordinating agencyverv strictly limited 9p an need-tg gngw basis JAMES S LAY Jr Executive Secretary cc The Secretary of the Treasury The Director Bureau of the Budget The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff The Director of Central Intelligence 01 NSC 176 3 WCRET Reproduced at the Dwight D Eisenhower Presidential Library ii UNCLASSIFIED STATEMENT OF POLICY Proposed by the NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL on AND VS MIDDL URC A ST OIL OF l The interests of the United States and the free world indicate that in the event of war oil wells surface oil stocks other petroleum facilities and certain accessory equipment in the Middle East should be denied to the USSR by action prior to any occupation by its forces of the area The need is less to deny the facilities and resources to the enemy for his general use than to conserve the resourcss for later use by the free world and to deny them for local use by the Soviet forces It is unlikely that the USSR could utilize oil and oil facilities of the Middle East for general wartime operations outside the area 2 Although denial planning should be carried on con- tinuously such planning does not lessen the importanCe of keeping the Middle East from communist domination by such g9 a forcible action as may be feasib and in accordance with 41 239 r-Srdmer plenee 1 O k ktLL hn Middle East for the purposes of this paper includes Saudi Arabia Iraq Iran Kuwait Bahrain Qatar the Kuwait-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone Jordan Israel Syria and Lebanon243 at I Fur- 25x 1 25x 6 Reproduced at the Dwight D Eisenhower Presidential Librm'y UNCLASSIFIED 3 a The United States should continue to be responsible for denial in Saudi Arabia The U K should continue to be responsible in Iraq and lran Q The Secretary of State is authorized to transfer the present U S responsibility for denial in Kuwait Bahrain Qatar and the Kuwait-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone to the U K Government and upon such transfer to make available to the U K plans developedF g The Secretary of State should study the question of country responsibility in Jordan Israel Syria and Lebanon and make recommendations on this matter to the National Security Council d The 1950 agreement between the Uhited States and the U K providing for mutual consultation before either party executes denial operations should be con tinued in force under the new territorial division of responsibility h The Secretary of State should continue to be re- 73 3 sponsible for policy planning and for coordination with the British Government with respect to denial operations 5 Wherever the United-States has responsibility denial plans should include well-plugging as a conservation measure NSC 176 Reproduced at the Dwight D Eisenhower Presidential Library i UNCLASSIFIED Q Destruction of surface oil stocks particularly refined products oil producing refining where feasible on a selective basis and transporting facilities and certain accessory equipment such as that for construction and maintenance water-well drilling and road building 6 a At present the United States does not have the capability to continue to make in Saudi Arabia denial plans becauSe Aramco is unwilling to cooperate in Saudi Arabia until the Saudi Arabian government concurs 2 No concurrence has been obtained from the Saudi Arabian government 1 25x 6 v-m 'EnnL g The Secretary of State appropriate seek to obtain from the Saudi Arabian Government concurp rence in a program for the United States to make in Saudi Arabia denial plans for selective surface demolition and for well-plugging and for the eXecution of these plans in time of enemy attack NSC 176 - 3 - Reproduced at he Dwight D Eisenhower Presidential Library 1 UNCLASSIFIED Lia f g Mhen such concurrencerhae-been obtained from the Saudi Arabian government responsibility for further denial planning and for the implementation of such plans in time of enemy attack shall be transferred to the Secretary of Defense 7 In the event of enemy attack before the prior con- currence of the Saudi Arabian Government has been obtained plans for selective surface demolition and wellaplugging 25x 1 25x 6 by military means if military forces are immediately available for use in accordance with then current war plans 8 In time of enemy attack to the extent selective surface demolition cannot be executed as provided above destruction of surface facilities should be accomplished by available military means NSC 176 a a