Abstract
Among the most distant isles of the sea are those of Indonesia. The United States has taken a major part in the development of the oil resources of those islands. The story begins with kerosene.
Petroleum is the light of the world. It is carried wherever a wheel can roll or a camel’s foot be planted. The caravans on the desert of Sahara go laden with Pratt’s Astral and elephants in India carry cases of ‘Standard-White’ while ships are constantly loading at wharves for Japan, Java, and the most distant isles of the sea. Standard Oil advertisement of the 1890’s l
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References
Version quoted by Tarbell, Ida, History of the Standard Oil Company (New York: McGlure, Phillips, 1904), Vol. II, p. 245.
Folger, H. C., “Petroleum, Its Production and Products,” Official Doc. No. 10 in Commonwealth of Penna., Annual Report of the Secretary of Internal Affairs, 1892 (Harrisburg: State Printer, 1893), Part III, Industrial Statistics, Vol. XX, p. 157.
U.S. State Department, Commercial Relations 1863, p. 81.
Dummler & Co. market report for 1872 encl. to U.S. Consulate General Batavia Des. No. 29 to Washington, March i, 1873, Batavia Despatches, Vol. VII, National Archives, Washington.
Batavia Consular return, 2d quarter 1865, Batavia Despatches, Vol. VI. The first shipment from New York arrived on June 25, 1865 on the Weld’s “Down-Easter” Enoch Train, Capt. Lane.
By an American oil man in Indonesia, Coumbe, Albert T., Jr., Petroleum and Trade of the Dutch East Indies, Trade Information Bulletin No. 111, U.S. Department of Commerce (Washington, G.P.O., 1923), p. 17.
Norden, Hermann, From the Golden Gate to the Golden Sun (Boston: Small Maynard, 1923), PP. 264–265.
Hidy, Ralph W. and Muriel E., Pioneering in Big Business 1882–1911 (New York: Harper, 1955), p. 12.
Tarbell, Vol. II, pp. 238-240.
A Short History of the Atlantic Refining Company: 1870-1936 (Philadelphia: Atlantic Refining, 1937), P. 5.
Data on U.S. brands in Indonesia from Batavia Des. No. 203, Feb. 24, 1887, Batavia Despatches, Vol. IX. !2 Hidy & Hidy, pp. 85, 86, 189.
Padang Des. No. 11 to Wash., Dec. 11, 1882, Padang Despatches, Vol. II (Consular returns are missing for 1870 to 1886, but this one recorded import, by the Norwegian bark Glimt in 1882 was hardly the first. Singapore Des. No. 352 to Wash., Dec. 18, 1880, Singapore Despatches, Vol. XV; Batavia to Wash., May 29, 1889, Consular Reports 1889, p. 162.
Singapore Des. No. 644 to Wash., June 18, 1886, Singapore Despatches, Vol. XVIII; March 25, 1887, Consular Reports, No. 84, Sept. 1887, p. 642.
Padang to Wash., Dec. 11, 1882 in Consular Reports 1883/4, p. 412; Dec. 9, 1884 in Cons. Repts. 1885, p. 682; May 5, 1886 in Commercial Relations 1884, p. 1023.
Singapore Des. No. 719 to Wash., June 11, 1888, Sing. Des., Vol. XVIII; Batavia Des. No. 4 to Wash., July 20, 1889, Bat. Des., Vol. XI.
Gerini’s “Researches on Ptolemy’s Geography of Eastern Asia,” cited by Ter Braake, Alex L., Mining in the Netherlands East Indies (New York: Institute of Pacific Relations, 1944), p. 66; History of the Sung Dynasty, Book 489, in Groenevelt, W. P., Notes on the Malay Archipelago and Malacca compiled from Chinese Sources (Batavia: Bruining, 1876), p. 64.
R. H. Hopper, “A Summarized History of Central Sumatra,” typed, June 1954, p. 26; Gerretson, F. C, History of the Royal Dutch (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1953-1957), Vol. I, pp. 20-22.
Gerretson, Vol. I, pp. 80, 114-115; Hidy, p. 264; Oil Well’s catalog for 1892 advertised a complete rig for $ 10,000.
About 400 yards northwest of the discovery well, on the Telaga Said anticline (3°56′ N., 98°17′E.); Gerretson, Vol. I, pp. 130-132.
Passport issued March 5, 1891; died Sept. 4, 1904 at Pangkalan Brandan; Batavia Des. No. 101 to Wash., April 21, 1904, Bat. Desp. Vol. XIV; Gerretson, Vol. I, p. 132; Oil Well’s catalog for 1892 offers to hire “skilled workmen” for $ 125 a month, plus travel both ways.
Gerretson, Vol. I, pp. 140-143.
Gerretson, Vol. I, pp. 259-269; Hidy, p. 263 stopped with the Atjeh raid and missed the real reason for Standard’s failure; though they cite Gerretson, the citation is incorrect (262-269, not 362-367).
Batavia to Wash., Sept. 23, 1898, Cons. Repts. Vol. 59, pp. 116-118.
Gerretson, Vol. I, p. 229; Hidy, p. 265.
Gerretson, Vol. I, pp. 282-286; Hidy, pp. 263-265.
Gerretson, Vol. II, p. 47.
Text printed by Bataviaasche Nieuwsblad, March 14, 1898, in Cons. Repts., Vol. 57, pp. 380–381.
Gerretson, Vol. II, pp. 52-76; Hidy, pp. 265-266.
Instructions to the Netherlands, Feb. 28 and March 2, 1898, cited by Bemis, S. F., ed., The American Secretaries of State and their Diplomacy (New York: Knopf, 1927–29), Vol. IX, pp. 17, 366.
Recommended by Lufkin on his return from Sumatra in 1897, Hidy, pp. 341-342, 498.
Aug. 21, 1911, Lubbock, A. Basil, Coolie Ships and Oil Sailers (Boston: Lauriat, 1935), pp. 117, 158-159.
Steamer Seminole left San Francisco for Calcutta May 31, 1906 Wright, Benj. C., San Francisco’s Ocean Trade (San Francisco: Carlisle, 1911), pp. 138-139.
Hidy, pp. 532, 549.
Hidy, p. 502; Gerretson, Vol. II, p. 316.
Gerretson, Vol. II, p. 340, Vol. III, pp. 280-283; Hidy, p. 502.
Hidy, pp. 523, 532; Gibb, G. S. and Knowlton, E. H., The Resurgent Years 1911-1927 (New York: Harper, 1956), p. 506.
Forbes, R. J. and O’Beirne, D. R., The Technical Development of the Royal Dutch Shell (Leiden: Brill, 1957), pp. 162, 185, 222, et passim.
Hidy, pp. 502, 780 note 20.
Gibb, pp. 91-92, 644; the area had been closed in 1904 on the accession to the governor-generalship of the nationalistic Gen. J. B. van Heutsz, the conqueror of Atjeh, after a brief “open” period in which no permits were granted; Gerretson, Vol. II, pp. 309 ff.
Gerretson, Vol. II, p. 312, Vol. IV, p. 92; Van Heutsz’ threat of 1909 to admit Standard seems to have been less a serious consideration than a threat to force Shell to share with the government.
Gerretson, Vol. IV, pp. 213, 217, 224, 229, 241, 247.
Art. 28 (2a), translated excerpts in “Restrictions on American Petroleum Prospectors,” Senate Doc. 11, 67:1, May 16, 1921 (Ser. Set 7932), pp. 10-12.
Dept. of State Petroleum Adviser Charles Rayner, Report of Feb. 10, 1944 to (Truman’s) Special Senate Committee Investigating the National Defense Program, 78:2, 1944, Sen. Report 10, Part 15 (Ser. Set 10839), p. 73: U.S. Senate Special Committee Investigating Petroleum Resources, American Petroleum Interests in Foreign Countries, 79:1, June 28, 1948, pp. 22, 316-317.
Dept. instruction, Aug. 16, 1919, in “Restrictions on American Petroleum Prospectors in Certain Foreign Countries,” Sen. Doc. 272, May 17, 1920 (Ser. Set 7671), p. 17, and Cong. Rec., 66:2, p. 7152; The Board of Directors of the American Petroleum Institute was requesting “effective steps” to obtain equal footing for American firms, through diplomatic channels. Sept. 27, 1919, Foreign Relations, 1920, Vol. III, p. 265.
S. 1269, June 2, 1919, later S. 2775, Cong. Rec. 66:1, pp. 3886, 4054.
Cong. Rec. 66:1, p. 4160; Sec. 1, P.L. 146, 41 Stat. 437; The House Committee on Public Lands (chairman Nicholas J. Sinnott) brought the amendment on Oct. 21, 1919 in H.R. 398 (66:1, Cong. Rec. 66:1, p. 7513) as finally accepted in conference (H. Rep. 600, Cong. Rec. 66:2, p. 2558).
S.R. 331, March 10, 1920, Cong. Rec. 66:2, pp. 4117-4118;S. Doc. 272 (cited above), p. 9.
Text of contract in S.D. 11 (cited above), pp. 12-14.
A. A. Adee to Phillips, No. 6, April 24, 1920, file 856d. 6363/2 in Foreign Relations 1920, Vol. III, pp. 266-267; A useful summary of these negotiations in Fraser, Henry S., Diplomatic Protection of American Petroleum Interests, Sen. Doc. 43, 79:1, April 25, 1945 (Ser. Set 10951), pp. 31-51.
Deptel. 493 to Hague, July 17, 1920, file 856d. 6363/6, For. Rels. 1920, Vol. III, p. 271; acted upon July 22, Phillips note No. 62, July 22, 1920 in Sen. Doc. 11, p. 24 is not as strong as his verbal representation reported to Dept. No. 198, July 22, 1920 in For. Rels. 1920, Vol. III, pp. 272-273, file 856d. 6363/9.
Phillips tel. 237 to Dept., Aug. 27, 1920, file 856d. 6363/12, For. Rels. 1920, Vol. III, p. 275.
Phillips tel. to Dept. 254, Sept. 15, 1920, file 856d. 6363/13, For. Rels. 1920, Vol. III, p. 278. This strong action was quite the opposite of inaction implied by Reed, Peter, “Standard Oil in Indonesia, 1898-1928,” The Business History Review, Vol. XXXII, No. 3 (Autumn, 1958), p. 321.
Deptel. 573 to Hague, Sept. 22, 1920, file 856d. 6363/13, For. Rels. 1920, Vol. III, pp. 278-279; Phillips note No. 101, Sept. 25, 1920 in Sen. Doc. 11, pp. 25-26.
Phillips tel. 269 to Dept. Oct. 7, 1920, file 856d. 6363/15-, For. Rels. 1920, p. 281.
Dept. to the Hague, No. 97, Nov. 11, 1920, file 856d. 6363/21, For. Rels. 1920, p. 287.
Hague No. 440 to Dept., Jan. 31, 1921, file 856d. 6363/38, For. Rels. 1921, Vol. II, p. 529; Reed gives an undocumented account of the Sinclair meeting, p. 323.
Deptel. 21 to Hague, April 12, 1921, file 856d. 6363/72, For. Rels 1921, Vol. II, pp. 534-535.
Phillips tel. 53 to Dept., April 29, 1921, file 856d. 6363/83, For. Rels. 1921, Vol. II, pp. 540-541.
Reed, pp. 327-328.
Sen. Doc. 11, cited above, and Sen. Doc. 39, “Oil Prospecting in Foreign Countries” 67:1, June 13, 1921 (Ser. Set. 7932).
Foreign Min. van Karnebeek to Phillips, April 29, 1921, Phillips tel. 53, cited above, and note 10088, May 10, 1921 in Sen. Doc. 39, pp. 6-7.
Phillips tels. 20 and 37 to Dept., March 8 and April 2, 1921, file 856d. 6363/71 and 72, For. Rels. 1921, Vol. II, pp. 531, 534.
Decree of Feb. 22, 1921, Official Gazette No. 15 cited by Coumbe, p. 9.
Higgins, Benjamin, Stanvac in Indonesia (New York: National Planning Assn., 1957), p. 22.
Gibb, p. 393.
S. Res. 311, June 27, 1922, passed June 29, 1922, Cong. Rec. 67:2, pp. 9461, 9674.
Federal Trade Commission, Foreign Ownership in the Petroleum Industry, Feb. 12, 1923, p. 123.
Interview with The New York Times, March 20, 1923, p. 23. He based his decision in part on the Djambi case cited by the commission; The New York Times, March 7 and 18, 1923.
Beaton, Kendall, Enterprise in Oil: A History of Shell in the United States (New York: Appleton-Century, 1957), pp. 231–233.
Reed. pp. 330-332.
For. Rels. 1928, Vol. III, pp. 375-407; texts, pp. 399-402.
Standard of Jersey information memo., Oct. 4, 1944, cited by Amer. Petrol. Interests, P. 323.
Amer. Petrol. Indus., p. 228.
“Merger in the Orient,” The Lamp, Feb. 1934, pp. 20–27.
Vandenbosch, Amry, The Dutch East Indies (Berkeley: University of California, 1941), pp. 383–384 gives an amusing example of the nationalist press objections.
Amer. Petrol. Indus., pp. 274-275, 283-284.
Amer. Petrol. Indus., pp. 233, 382.
For. Rels. 1929, Vol. III, pp. 540-548.
Article by L. J. C. van Es in De Mijningenieur, No. 8 (1930).
Amer. Petrol. Indus., p. 228.
“Maintenance is a Major Challenge at this Indonesian Refinery,” Oil and Gas Journal, Dec. 22, 1952, pp. 274–276.
Higgins, pp. 39-45.
A good technical description of the field, “How Minas Crude is Produced,” Oil & Gas Journal, December 29, 1952, pp. 50-51, 66; an excellent account of the now abandoned shuttle, “Tankers on the Siak River,” Caltex Circle, March-April 1957, pp. 18-21.
Oil & Gas Journal, Vol. 58, May 9, 1960, p. 121.
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© 1961 Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, Netherlands
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Gould, J.W. (1961). Black Gold — The History of American Enterprise in Indonesian Oil Development. In: Americans in Sumatra. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-8846-3_3
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