Even as the Germans sought equality, the British Navy was committed to maintaining naval supremacy, and oil offered a vital edge in terms of speed and flexibility. The deal assured the British government a large supply of oil. It provided Anglo-Persian with a much-needed infusion of new capital and a secure market. It spoke directly to the need for survival of Anglo-Persian, and indirectly, to that of the empire. Thus, by the summer of 1914, the British Navy was fully committed to oil and the British government had assumed the role of Anglo-Persian’s majority stockholder. Oil, for the first
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