The Sunday Times: Business Letters
Posted 23 May 2004
IN Irwin Stelzer’s article last week was the line “The Saudis have excess capacity and have talked about opening the valves, but have not actually done so.”
According to BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy June 2003, Saudi oil production peaked in 1997 at 9,370,000 b/day, since when it has declined to 8,680,000 b/day in 2002. The big question therefore is whether they can actually raise production. We should not have long to wait before it is clear whether Matthew Simmons, Houston energy investment banker, is right when he says production from the huge Ghawar field is failing.
Another mystery is whether the OPEC proven reserve figures refer to the remaining reserves or whether for the purpose of quota raising in the 1980’s the figures were upgraded to represent the total endowment reserves including those already extracted.
BP’s statistics for 2004 (giving figures for 2003) would normally be released next month, but they have been challenged to publish their own figures rather than simply quoting the Oil & Gas Journal. As this is such a “hot potato” at the moment they may delay publication or withdraw the facility rather than be accused (like Shell was) of obfuscation. We shall soon know their intentions. We live in interesting times!
John Busby
Lawshall, Bury St Edmunds
This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
