REQUESTED COMMENTS ON OCI MAP 70000 'GRAPHIC PRESENTATION OF MIDDLE EAST OIL SITUATION AS OF OCTOBER1956'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP60-00346R000100260002-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 7, 1998
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: January 30, 1957
• Content Type: MF

Sanitized - Approved For R eI s A-RDP60-00346R000100260002-1
30 January 1957
MEMORANDUM FOR: Assistant Director, Research and Reports
THROUGH: Chief, Geographic Research
SUBJECT: Requested Comments on OCI Map 70000 "Graphic
Presentation of Middle East Oil Situation as
of October 1956"
25X1A9a
1. It is our understanding that this map was initiated by
the same likable and impetuous young man who
wrote articles on oil in the Middle East in the OCI Weekly Reviews
of 10 and 17 January 1957. These two articles, and in particular
the maps that accompanied them were the subjects of memos to me
from the Near East-Africa Branch, copies of which are enclosed.
2. Map 70000 appears to have taken considerable information
from CIA 25338, a copy of which is enclosed, and a map by the maga-
zine Oil Forum which periodically puts out a large scale map somewhat
similar to Map 70000. The most recent Oil Forum "Map of Middle East
Oil," dated November 1956, became available in December 1956 and the
25X1A9a six co ies ordered by D/GL at $12.00 per copy have been very popular.
was issued copy #1 on 17 January 1957 and was reported
as being highly enthusiastic about it. If it was a source for the
preparation of Map 70000, it was not followed slavishly; more likely
an earlier edition was used.
3. Cartographically Map 70000 leaves much to be desired, proba-
bly due to production under forced draft. A more judicious selection
of symbols, line weights, and of other information such as railroads
and unnamed towns would have gone far to remove the cluttered appearance.
-k Ownership and control of oil properties is a fairly complicated
picture and the map makes a good start at consolidating our company-
relationship information for the area. For the Arabian Peninsula this
information is already contained on CIA 25338, except for company
affiliation #1 which has changed since research for the map was completed.
However, we'should note that Southern California Petroleum sold its
interest in Sinai to Petrofina in August 1956 and the two concession
areas of Moriqui Exploration Company in Somaliland were taken over by
Sanitized - Approved For 1~ IA-RDP60-00346R000100260002-1
 Sanitized - Approved For
NOW
DP60-00346R000100260002-1
SUBJECT: Requested Comments on OCI Map 70000 "Graphic
Presentation of Middle East Oil Situation as
of October 1956"
Standard Vacuum Oil Company between February and August 1956.
Continental Oil Company is the sole owner of Sahara Petroleum
Company, which has an operating contract on concessions held by
Continental, Ohio, Richfield, and Cities Service.
5. The following errors or omissions in information on oil
have come to light as a result of an examination that was something
less than exhaustive:
a. The information on Libya is incomplete in concession
areas granted and on Egypt it is incomplete in both concession
areas granted and in concession areas applied for. The
Alexandria refinery has been omitted.
b. There appears to be ample room to show oil zones and
possibly concessions in Turkey. Both of these are omitted.
c. The alinement of Tapline between southwestern Syria
and the Iraq-Saudi Arabian Neutral Zone is incorrect.
d. The Basra refinery is not linked to Abadan by pipe-
line; the line shown has been removed.
e. In the Kuwait Neutral Zone, if the loading terminal at
Mina Al Ahmadi is shown in the inset, then the one at Mina Al
Abdullah should be shown also. In the northern part of the
area shown on this inset are several errors in the number of
pipelines shown between points.
f. The inset showing the Ain Dar area in Saudi Arabia
should also show the rest of the Ghawar field to the south.
On this inset the number of lines from Qatif to Ras Tanura is
four rather than three, and from Dhahran to Bahrain the number
is two rather than one. The town of Awali is the headquarters
of the Bahrain Petroleum Company in central Bahrain, rather
than on the coast of Saudi Arabia north of Ras Tanura.
g. A pipeline is under construction between Ras Tanura
and Safaniya in Saudi Arabia. It will open in April 1957-
h. The Kavir Kurian concession in north central Iran has
been given up by USSR although the actual signing of papers
may have occurred after October 1956.
Sanitized - Approved For Re - DP60-00346R000100260002-1
 Sanitized - Approved F ? CIA-RDP60-00346R000100260002-1
SUBJECT: Requested Comments on OCI Map 70000 "Graphic
Presentation of Middle East Oil Situation as
of October 1956"
i. The J. W. Menhall concession does not cover all
of Syria but consists of 300 sq. km. in northeastern Syria.
6. Some of the basic information, not closely connected with
the oil industry, is also in error:
a. The railroad across Cyprus has been removed.
b. There is no railroad from Banias, Syria, southeast-
ward to the unnamed town which is Homs.
c. The Egypt-Sudan boundary as plotted is a combination
of the administrative and political boundaries which are
shown correctly on CIA Map 13869, "Terrain and Transportation,"
dated January 1956.
d. The railroads under construction to Tabriz and Meshed,
Iran, have progressed considerably farther than shown on the
map.
e. The Hadramaut is a regional name for a part of Aden
Protectorate. The boundary shown between Aden and the Hadramaut
is not an international boundary. Incidentally, this line on
the map is made up of three different symbols.
. f. Likewise, Dhofar is part of Muscat and Oman and the
boundary shown between them is not an international boundary.
g. If the name "Trucial Coast" is intended to represent a
political entity, then it should not extend to the base of the
Qatar Peninsula.
h. The Department of State has informed us that an inter-
national boundary should not be shown between Ethiopia and
Eritrea.
i. The boundary between China and West Pakistan is in error.
7. Map 70000 makes very little contribution to the knowledge or
presentation of oil information on the Middle East other than the lists
of oil companies and the fact that it is unclassified.
25X1A9a
Enclosures: (3) 3
S iti~0~ 30 , p- r-
d~o~7ReI~ ?RDP60-003468000100260002-1
OCI Map 70000
1. Memo dated 7 Jan 57