[44] Affairs of the Archbold, the Goldshell, and the Muskogee. André Tardieu's reply to the oil magnates when challenged by them to state exactly when and how his mission was impeded by their proceedings.
The oil-men revenged themselves for the State collaboration which was imposed upon them by a bitter criticism of the system of the consortium in the Revue Politique et Parlementaire: accounts badly kept; profits arising from the State's arbitrary allowances for working expenses; ships arriving in ports where they were not expected, and without bills of lading (hence no means of control), etc....
HOW GREAT BRITAIN WON OVER FRANCE TO HER SIDE IN THE STRUGGLE WITH THE UNITED STATES
I. Activities of the Royal Dutch and the Anglo-Persian.
On the morrow of the Armistice, on November 21, 1918, Lord Curzon gathered together all the members of the Inter-Allied Petroleum Conference at a great banquet, and there uttered the famous saying: "The Allies floated to victory on a wave of oil." M. Henry Bérenger, the French Commissioner for Petrol, proposed to retain the great inter-allied organizations for the distribution of oil, wheat, coal, etc. The Standard Oil refused. Besides, Sir John Cadman, Sir Marcus Samuel and Lord Curzon were not sorry to regain their freedom. They had only one idea—to bring to a successful conclusion their vast scheme, followed up for ten years with such admirable tenacity, in every country of the globe, for the acquisition of oil-bearing territories.
France, in compensation for the great damage she had suffered during the War, was to receive important rights for the development of concessions in Galicia, Rumania, and Turkey, formerly belonging to Germany. The great thing was to keep out the American rival. To attain this end, as M. Delaisi pointed out, the task was rather complex. Several things were necessary:—
1. To negotiate directly with the Quai d'Orsay in order to get the principle admitted of an exclusive association between France and Great Britain, for the exploitation of French concessions throughout the world;