July 23, 1954
CAMPAIGN AGAINST ONASSIS: London, 19 – According to telegrams from Copenhagen, the government of Denmark has added its voice to protests at the monopoly agreement reached by the shipowner Aristotle Onassis with the government of Saudi Arabia to transport its petroleum in his ships. (…) In today’s session of the British House of Commons, Deputy Secretary of State Arthur Dodge Parker, replying to questions, said that the foreign secretary, Mr Anthony Eden, had informed the ambassador of Saudi Arabia of his government’s grave concerns over the decision to grant these privileges to Mr Onassis. «We hope that Saudi Arabia will think carefully before continuing with a course of action that will certainly lead it into difficulties with other friendly nations,» said Mr Dodge Parker, adding that Great Britain was in close consultation with the United States and other countries who had similar objections. «There is no doubt,» he said, «that this agreement constitutes discrimination in that it forces buyers of petroleum to use the tankers of just one private shipowner.»
