AMERICAN oil magnates have

now admitted publicly that
they are pressing official Wash-
ington to horse-trade millions of
Jewish and Arab lives in Pales-
tine to protect the profits of
privately-owned Middle East oil
concessions.

The confession was disclosed
in a United Press dispatch from
Saudi Arabia, which announced
the King Ibn Saud, who has been
sharing handsomely in the profits
of the U.S.owned Arabian-Ameri-
can Oil Company (Aramco) will
not oust the company because of
American government policy in
Palestine. Aramco is seeking
similar cooperation from other
Arab chieftains for its projected
construction of a $200 million
trans-Arabian pipeline.

“In return for Ibn Saud’s con-
tinued friendship,” the UP re-
port paraphrased an Aramco
official as saying, “Aramco has
redoubled its lobbying efforts
in Washington to convince the
government that support of (Pal-
estine) partition might force
abandonment of this project,
potentially the greatest Ameri-
can investment in any foreign
country.”

The UP story was dated Feb-
raary 24 but publication was de-
layed until February 27. On
February 24, U.S. spokesman
Warren Austin told the United
Nations that the American gov-
ernment was not prepared to
enforce the partition of Palestine
voted by the UN general assem-
bly. The U.S., Austin said, would
agree to consultation on whether
Palestine bloodshed represents a
“threat to the peace” but inter-
preted the UN charter to bar UN

enforcement of its political settle-
ments.

The UP report also disclosed
that Aramco has appointed Wil-
liam A. Eddy, former U.S. state
department expert on the Middle
Bast, to argue the company’s case
before the U.S. government.
Aramco is owned by four Ameri-
can companies: Texas Oil, Stand-
ard Oil of California, Standard
Oil of New Jersey and Socony-
Vacuum.

Ibn Saud is guaranteed 23 cents
for each barrel of oil pumped.
The current output rate is 300,
000 barrels daily and it is expec-
ted the yield. will eventually
reach one million barrels daily.
With taxes on the U.S. conces-
sion thrown in, Ibn Saud last
year earned a neat $24 million.

¢ e@

owners of Aramco have
done even better. The com-
pany was started in 1936 by
Standard Oil Company of Cali-
fornia and Texas Oil to develop
the Saudi Arabian concession
bought by the California com-
pany for $225,000 in 1933. When
the two firms sold a 40 percent
interest to Standard Oil in New
Jersey and Socony Vacuum in
1947 the price was $102 million.
This covered the $80 million the
two original companies said they
had invested and the $22 million
paid out in dividends, leaving
Aramco completely paid for.

Aramco has as subsidiaries one
Canadian corporation and one
Bahaman corporation which, by
virtue of the incorporation out-
side the U.S., pay no taxes to
the American government. This
fact was pointed up during the
recent Senate war investigating
committee study of Aramco,
which disclosed the company had
made huge profits at the expense
of the American navy after the
U.S. government supplied Saudi

Arabia with lend-lease under oil_

a pressure.

’

War games in the Pacific

Italy’ s new front for democracy

—ROME

The recent formation of Italy's

‘Democratic Popular Front is con-

sidered here the most important
political event since the Com-
mittee of Nationa] Liberation was
born out of the wartime fight
against facism.

First suggested by the Socialist
party, the Democratic Popular
Front’s real attraction was only
made evident after a series. of
national congresses held last No-
vember and December.

The first of these was the Con-
gress of Joint Production Coun-
cils held in Milan. Seven thous-
and delegates turned out from
all important factories and de-
cided to set up councils in all
factories. Council activity will not
be of a union character but will

_ éonsist of technical participation
* in and control over production

together with employers. Organ-
izers of the Milan congress were
on their own admission, taken by

surprise by the enthusiasm of. the
delegates.

Shortly after a congress of
farmers, farm workers, share-
croppers and technicians was
held at Bologna where there was.
also an unexpectedly enthusiastic
response. The conference adop-
ted a precise plan for agrariam
reform and established farm and
homestead committees with func-
tions on the land corresponding
to the work of the production
councils in industry.

Despite opposition from em-
ployers and right-wing political
parties, farm and joint product-

ion committee have been spring-

. ing up everywhere.

Two other meetings contribut-
ed to proving the widespread
desire for a countrywide organ-
ization which ‘expressed the peo-
ple’s demands. In Naples, a De-
mocratiec Congress of the South
drew tremendous peasant re-

sponse for a program to relieve
the economic backwardness of

Italy’s “depresed areas.” In Fior-
ence, mayors and city councillors
form about 3,000 towns admister-
ed by Socialists, Communists, Ac-
tionists, Democratic Laborities
and independents found consul
tation valuable enough to was-
rant’ formation of a League of
Democratic Communes.

The Democratic Popular Front
took shape from the bottom up as
a result of the ferment evident at
these meetings. Key character-
istic was the participation of
people who had never before

-shown interest in politics Suppor-

ting the DPT are Socialists,
Communists, Democratic Lahbor-

ites, the Christian Movement for

Sicilian Independence, the WNa-
tional League of Cooperatives,
the Union of Italian Women, the
National Veterans Association. .

Leadership of the DPF includes
people ranging from Catholic
leader Guido Maglioli to noted
Selcolo and to General Secretary,
Seleolo an dto Genera) Secretary,
Guiseppe Di Vittorio of the Gen-
eral Confederation of Labor.

Truman doctrine fails in Greece

Aid to Turkey too

\

_ + Further American military and” economic aid to the reaction-
ary regime in Greece is being linked to new aid to the equally
undemocratic government of Turkey. Here Major General Luns-
ford E. Oliver, U.S. army, and Brigadier General Erdelhun
(right) inspect a Furkish army guard in Istanbul.

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1948

sat : =

By OLIVE SUTTON

HEN General James A. Van

Fleet of the U.S. Army takes
his place at the hea@ of the strat-
egy table in the Athens war cou-
ncil, President Truman will have
dragged the American people
close to open war without an act
of congress. Yet the appointment
of a full-fledged lieutenant gen-
eral to take over military com-
mand in Greece is a move of des-
peration, and bears out Truman’s
admission in ‘his recent report:
“The military situation in Greece
has shown no improvement dur-
ing the period under review.”

Truman acknowledged that the
present $300,000,000 grant was in-
sufficient and that he would have
to ask Congress to appropriate
more money for arms and mili-
tary personnel.

Three recent developments have
pointed up the blood-letting char
acter of the Marshall - Truman
Plan in Greece,

The first was the hoaxed ‘“vic-
tory parade” through the streets
of Salonika after the Democratic
Army had shelled the city and
been pursued by Athens army
troops under the leadership of
American officers. The prisoners
turned out to be not guerillas, but
in fact wood cutters and charcoal
workers the facist police had seiz-
ed in the outskirts of the city to
use for the staged parade. Press
correspondents and photograph-
ers were given full opportunity
to cover the hysterical scene.

Meanwhile, the puneeatuc Army «
disclosed that the casualties of
the Salonika battle were: Athens
troops, 50 killed and wounded,
Democratic Army, seven. wounded
and three missing.

The second event was the white-
wash of Greek terror attempted
by Clinton Golden, “CIO United
Steel Workers official attached to

the Griswold Mission as labor ad- :

viser.

American workers, however,
had made f up their minds that
death penalty laws for striking,
court martial decrees for trade
union leaders, exile and execu
tions, complete suppression of
trade union councils and the
Confedération of Labor was
hardly “fair treatment.” Their

trade union representatives sent.

the word to President Truman
and many turned out in front
of the Greek consulate in New
York to protest the American-
sponsored fascist policy.

A third development that cast
a glaring light on USS. Policy in
Greece was the record of the UN
Balkan Commission’s hearing in
Salonika, which were the basis
of the report that the guerillas
received “logistical” support from
Greece’s northern neighbors.

Account of the testimony given
by one man amply illustrates ,the
unreliability and venality of the
witnesses provided by the Athens
regime.

Spiridon Vertsayas, the witness,
asserts that “Albanians or Andar-
tes’ burned a Greek frontier post.

_ questions him:

Miller, the U.S. delegate,
“Exactly where
were the men who attacked your

post when you saw them?”

Vertsayas: Our guard stated
that they came from Albanian
territory.

Col. Vernier (France): Who are
the men who have seen the
enemy in Albanian territory?

Vertsayas: One of my friends,
who was a guard, stated that
they came from Albanian terri-
tory.

Col. Miller: Have you seen
them there yourself?

‘Vertsayas: I have not: I was
on another spot and it was night
time and I could not see them.

Yet, on the basis of such
“evidence,” Loy W. Henderson,
director of the U.S. state depart-
ment’s office of Near Eastern
Affairs and top expert on Greece,
recently asserted: “The United
States will not stand idly by
while foreign aggressors deprive
Greece of its territorial integrity
and political independence.”

This statement, regarded both
as an admission that less direct
American intervention has failed

Col..

and a sounding out of public

opinion on the critical issue of
Sending American troops to
Greece, drew from Senator Ed-
win C. Johnson (Dem., Colorado)
the retort: “I don’t believe Con-
Sress should sit idly by and: let
Henderson commit us to a more
aggressive part in the civil war
in Greece.” ”

_ PACIFIC ,TRIBUNE—PAGE 6