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SECRET DECLASSIFIED E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (E) -3- Dept. of State letter, Aug 9, 1973 By NLT. NARS Date(2.7.79 The party in power, the Democratic Action Party (Partido Accion Democrática), was organized during the period of semi-dictatorship which ended with a military revolution on October 18, 1945. The revolutionaries handed over the executive power at once to this Party. A Constituant Assembly was elected in December 1946 in which the Party won about 70% of the electoral vote. This was the first "fair" election by United States' standards in Venezuela's history. A second election was held in December 1947 for congressmen and for the presi- dent, which resulted in a similar victory by Accion Democratica. President Gallegos was inaugurated on February 15, 1948. The "Opposition" and its Activities The chief opposition party (called COPEI) is composed of conservative elements in the propertied classes, chiefly rural land owners. Certain groups associated with this party have been plotting against the Government fairly continuously since October 1945, with the collaboration of minority elements of the Venezuelan Army. Three or four attempts have been made to overthrow the Government, each of which has been suppressed, apparently with little difficulty. TESMAR NATIONAL RECORDS UNITED B. CURRENT ECONOMIC PROBLEMS WITH VENEZUELA Petroleum: Production, Concessions and Taxes Venezuela is currently producing almost 1 1/3 millions of barrels of crude oil daily (42 gallons per barrel) which is about one fifth of the United States' production. Our principal diplomatic objective in Venezuela is to have this production continued, and if possible increased. New concessions have been refused to foreign oil companies since the revolution of October 1945 for the avowed purpose of safeguarding national interests. The three largest producers received sufficient new acreage between 1943 and October 1945 to satisfey them for the next three to five years (94% of Venezuela's crude oil is produced by Creole Petroleum Company which is a subsidiary of Standard Oil of New Jersey; Mene Grande -- pronounced "Men-aa", to rhyme with "ten A" -- which is a subsidiary of the Gulf Oil Corporation; and the Shell group of com- panies). But the smaller companies, which together account for the remaining six precent of the country's production, need new acreage now. Venezuelan authorities have repeat- edly declared that they will grant no new concessions, nor other facilities for increasing production, until the Government's large dollar income can be utilized fully in obtaining increased imports of certain commodities from the United States. These are chiefly steel, machinery and food. The SECRET

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    "ocrText": "SECRET\nDECLASSIFIED\nE. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (E)\n-3-\nDept. of State letter, Aug 9, 1973\nBy NLT.\nNARS Date(2.7.79\nThe party in power, the Democratic Action Party\n(Partido Accion Democrática), was organized during the\nperiod of semi-dictatorship which ended with a military\nrevolution on October 18, 1945. The revolutionaries\nhanded over the executive power at once to this Party.\nA Constituant Assembly was elected in December 1946\nin which the Party won about 70% of the electoral vote.\nThis was the first \"fair\" election by United States'\nstandards in Venezuela's history. A second election was\nheld in December 1947 for congressmen and for the presi-\ndent, which resulted in a similar victory by Accion\nDemocratica. President Gallegos was inaugurated on\nFebruary 15, 1948.\nThe \"Opposition\" and its Activities\nThe chief opposition party (called COPEI) is composed\nof conservative elements in the propertied classes, chiefly\nrural land owners. Certain groups associated with this\nparty have been plotting against the Government fairly\ncontinuously since October 1945, with the collaboration of\nminority elements of the Venezuelan Army. Three or four\nattempts have been made to overthrow the Government, each\nof which has been suppressed, apparently with little\ndifficulty.\nTESMAR\nNATIONAL\nRECORDS\nUNITED\nB. CURRENT ECONOMIC PROBLEMS WITH VENEZUELA\nPetroleum: Production, Concessions and Taxes\nVenezuela is currently producing almost 1 1/3 millions\nof barrels of crude oil daily (42 gallons per barrel)\nwhich is about one fifth of the United States' production.\nOur principal diplomatic objective in Venezuela is to have\nthis production continued, and if possible increased.\nNew concessions have been refused to foreign oil\ncompanies since the revolution of October 1945 for the\navowed purpose of safeguarding national interests. The\nthree largest producers received sufficient new acreage\nbetween 1943 and October 1945 to satisfey them for the\nnext three to five years (94% of Venezuela's crude oil is\nproduced by Creole Petroleum Company which is a subsidiary\nof Standard Oil of New Jersey; Mene Grande -- pronounced\n\"Men-aa\", to rhyme with \"ten A\" -- which is a subsidiary\nof the Gulf Oil Corporation; and the Shell group of com-\npanies). But the smaller companies, which together account\nfor the remaining six precent of the country's production,\nneed new acreage now. Venezuelan authorities have repeat-\nedly declared that they will grant no new concessions, nor\nother facilities for increasing production, until the\nGovernment's large dollar income can be utilized fully in\nobtaining increased imports of certain commodities from the\nUnited States. These are chiefly steel, machinery and food.\nThe\nSECRET"
}