§ 86 and 87. Mr. Footasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) whether he will make a statement on the French Government's protest against the terms of the recently-concluded agreement between British and U.S. oil companies;
361W(2) whether the political implications of the recently-concluded agreement between British and U.S. oil companies were considered by his Department before His Majesty's Government representatives in the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company were instructed to approve the agreement.
§ Mr. BevinI presume the Agreement to which my hon. Friend refers was that recently concluded between the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey and the Socony Vacuum. My Department did consider the political implications of this Agreement, and it did not appear to me that there were any such considerations of a nature to affect the attitude of His Majesty's Government towards a commercial transaction between two companies which, there is reason to believe, will be of economic benefit to the United Kingdom and to the other countries concerned. The French Government have, however, made certain representations to His Majesty's Government, about which I am at present unable to make any statement. I should, however, make it clear that the French Government have not protested against any action taken by His Majesty's Government or by British oil companies, nor were these representations primarily directed against the Agreement to which my hon. Friend refers in his second question.