EPISODE · Apr 6, 2026 · 19 MIN
20 The Secret WWII Scramble for Saudi Oil
from Crude Ambition: This is the story of power · host By Seven Media
In the middle of World War Two, America's top geologist looks at the Saudi desert and declares the age of American oil dominance is over. This is the episode where presidents draw maps on napkins, kings sleep in tents on warships, and a bureaucrat tries to nationalize an entire oil company to stop the British from stealing it. FDR gives Ibn Saud his spare wheelchair. Churchill insults the king with perfume and cigars. Two meetings, two very different futures - and the birth of the alliance that still shapes the world today.
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20 The Secret WWII Scramble for Saudi Oil
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