Oil, God and Gold: The Story of Aramco and the Saudi Kings

by Anthony Cave Brown

Here is the extraordinary tale of what the U.S. State Department once called "the most valuable commercial prize in the history of the planet," the vast oil reserves beneath the sands of the Arabian desert. Using Aramco files never before available to scholars or journalists, dozens of personal interviews, and U.S. and British government documents, Anthony Cave Brown recounts the unceasing diplomatic and corporate maneuvers aimed at obtaining this unimaginable wealth, an ongoing drama that involved such figures as the great warrior-king Ibn Saud, founder of the Saudi dynasty; H. St. John Philby, the British scholar-adventurer who was a chief advisor to the king; the American philanthropist Charles Crane; Winston Churchill; Franklin Delano Roosevelt; and assorted oil-industry executives and engineers across the United States. Played out against a background of war and the turmoil of an ancient culture thrust abruptly into the twentieth century, the struggle to obtain the prize was won b

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Economics, Middle East

420 pages, Hardcover

First published February 26, 1999

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Brown's account of Aramco rather accurate. I lived in Dhahran working for Saudi Aramco for 10 years. It was a wonderful company for me and my family. I made lifelong friends with people from different countries, but the country who became my very good friend was Saudi Arabia itself--a culture that charmed me when as a kid I used to dress up as an Arab for one of my mother's many lectures to church groups around Houston, Texas. From that time I wanted to go to the heart of the country of Islam, historic kings, T.E. Lawrence and the Bedouin. I Ioved it there. I loved the desert and the moon shining through the palms. I loved it so much so that I could never say goodbye completely. The Saudi people that I worked with possessed many admirable qualities--loyalty, trust, pride, family fealty among other noble traits. After I retired from Aramco, I worked more intimately with Saudis than I ever had while living in the country, being employed as the senior academic consultant to the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia Cultural Mission in Washington, D.C. I loved the Saudis and other Arabs that I worked with and those I have known in the past. Sometimes we are vastly different in our ways; but I respect their religion and their customs and am still essentially the curious, awestruck little boy acting as a prop for his mother's lectures. I haven't changed much. I have learned immeasurably from the Saudis and intend to keep learning from them for the rest of my life.

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and well done history. I lived in Saudi as a kid while my dad worked for Aramco. This book unfolds the whole story of which we were tiny part, and provides a greater depth of knowledge about the whole reason we were there.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative but painstakingly dry.

[Bookflier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book, and it is good for anyone who wants to know about the kings (and exxonmobil) of Saudia Arabia.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing story of how the U.S. paved the way for theirs and Saudi Arabia's amazing capacity for greed and decadence...with a little "God" thrown in to boot.