British Diplomatic Oil Crisis: Contemporary Anglo-Saxon Geopolitical Rivalries in the Persian Gulf: Drawing a Lesson? Or Sir Anthony Eden‘s Delusion of Grandeur.
position.
On the other hand, if the Persians by their own
mismanagement were to reduce the oil industry to chaos, then they
might eventually recognise the desirability of British co-
operation.28
Attlee continued by saying:
An
occupation of Abadan Island would not necessarily bring about a
change in Persian Government and might well unite the Persian people
against this country, and neither the oil wells nor the refinery
could be worked without the assistance of Persian workers. It would
be humiliating to this country if the remaining British staff at
Abadan were expelled, but this step would at least leave Dr.
Musaddiq with the task of attempting to run the oil industry with
inadequate facilities for refining oil and getting it away from
Persia and he might then be driven to accept some form of agreement
with this country.29
The
Attorney General on 28th September 1951 in a communication made
a serious attempt to deter the British Government from taking
military action against Iran. ‘I think the International Court would
not consider Persian expulsion orders as a justification for British
forcible intervention in Abadan.’ 30 The
Attorney General continued by stating that
It is
more likely that His Majesty’s Government would have to defend
British action before the Security Council and probably
28. PRO, London, CAB 128/20
CM 60 (51) 257, Cabinet Minutes,
27th
September 1951.
29. Ibid.
30. PRO, London, FO 800/653, The General Political
Correspondence of,
Sir P. Nicholas, to Secretary of State, Top Secret, 28th September 1951.
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