Rhodesia: And Now for Oil

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Support from Lyndon. The next day, following consultations in Washington with Lyndon Johnson, Wilson imposed an embargo on all oil shipped by British nationals to Rhodesia. The embargo drew instant complaints in London, where right-wing Tories are already protesting that Wilson is being too severe on Smith and "our kith and kin." Nonetheless, the embargo subjects violators to maximum legal penalties of six months in jail and a $1,400 fine. The U.S. "welcomed and supported" the move, promised to ask U.S. companies and citizens to voluntarily comply. The London headquarters of Royal Dutch/Shell ordered the 20,000-ton tanker Staberg, carrying a cargo of Shell oil destined for Rhodesia to the Portuguese colony of Mozambique, to change its course.

Oil for landlocked Zambia normally passes through Rhodesia—and Ian Smith's first response was to embargo it in turn. Both the U.S. and Britain had expected that. The R.A.F. was already preparing to airlift supplies to Zambia, and the U.S. promised to provide supplementary aircraft. From London, Wilson's Deputy Prime Minister George Brown telephoned both Kaunda and Nyerere, who agreed to the plan.

The big question was what effect the embargo would have on Rhodesia. Rhodesia uses only 280,000 tons a year, virtually all of it piped in from the port of Beira in the Portuguese colony of Mozambique to a new refinery at Umtali on the Rhodesian border. Normally, the nation has only a six-week reserve, but there are signs that Ian Smith has been quietly stockpiling a six-month supply. This would not be too hard, for oil supplies only 27% of Rhodesia's energy, primarily for autos and airplanes, with the bulk of its factories, utilities and its trains still coal-powered.

There are also two large loopholes in the wall that Wilson is seeking to build around Rhodesia: South Africa and Portugal, which share borders with Ian Smith's rebellious land. In Washington, British and U.S. officials stoutly maintained that both countries would uphold the embargo rather than risk diplomatic breaks with the Western powers. But would they? "This is obviously an internal affair between Britain and Rhodesia," declared a Lisbon official. "If tankers arrive in Mozambique with oil for Rhodesia, Portuguese authorities will not interfere." South Africa maintained a stolid silence. But there was small doubt where its true sympathies lay. And even though 90% of the refineries in South Africa are controlled by British and American companies, the smaller operators could still easily meet Rhodesian requirements.