Chapter 2: Establishing Credibility

In this book we will at first give only observations and not opinions. This will set the stage for others to arrive at informed conclusions. At the summation of the book, however, we will allow ourselves the luxury of expressing some opinions—where they are clearly justified by the observations we have made. My primary objective is to report observations, factual material that often could not otherwise be known. Some of it is startling and highly controversial, in that it relates to decisions of policy and high prices, and it is certainly highly relevant to America's national interests—which, of course, makes it of dramatic importance to the rest of the world, as well.

Such statements might seem to be sweeping—some people will even regard them as outrageous. Nevertheless, they're made with the knowledge that they are accurate and vital, and with the conviction that they ought to be told. That being so, why should they not be taken seriously? Plenty of people have said there is no true energy crisis, but almost always they make those statements based on rumors and hearsay; seldom are they able to back up their statements with solid facts.

That is where this book is different. At the risk of being misunderstood, it is necessary to demonstrate that the observations that follow come from a reputable and unprejudiced witness. Credibility must necessarily be established.

Probably it should first be stated that I am an ordained Baptist Pastor and have been a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for over 20 years. In fact, that is an important reason why I received access to the information presented in this book—first, because I was a Chaplain to the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline; second, because that position gave me executive status, and with it access to a great deal of information that would not be available to the “man on the street.” On the other hand, I have not revealed anything of a confidential nature. At no point have I been asked to withhold any of the information that is presented in this book. Officials have talked to me freely, have shown me technical data, and have explained the intricacies of their highly complex operations at every point that I showed interest. They have never embarrassed me because of my original lack of knowledge about their field, but have been courteous and have led me to an in-depth understanding of the workings of the total oil field. They carefully went through all sorts of detail when I was there with Senator Hugh Chance, explaining from their own model of the field where the wells were, what their depth was, how much oil was available in the areas where they had drilled—and so much more. I saw their seismographic information, discussed with them their ideas as to how much oil was at one point and another, and asked all those questions which might be asked by any intelligent observer with an interest in this, the greatest project ever undertaken by private enterprise in the whole of the history of the world.

I learned that there were two ways to know how much oil was in a particular area—by seismographics and by actually drilling right into the oil field itself. I had free access to the jobs where the men were working, even on the rigs themselves, and I was able to watch them drilling. Later we shall see that this is highly relevant to some of the important conclusions that many will draw after reading this book.

I always had access to the technical data in the offices; it was made readily available to me. It was open and aboveboard; there was no question of confidentiality being breached, and indeed after my eyes had been opened to the fact of a non-energy crisis, the cooperation was even greater than it had been before. Many officials are likewise concerned at what the government was and is doing to oil companies, and to the supply of oil to the people of America.

We headed our chapter with a reference to credibility. Another aspect that must be stated is that I did not have the proverbial ax to grind, either with the oil companies or with the government. The oil companies never asked me to be a Chaplain on the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline—indeed, the opposite is true. It took six months of pleading my case, of being shuttled from official to official, of being given a regular runaround, before I managed to obtain status as a Chaplain. Eventually, the personnel relations official with Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, Mr. R. H. King, gave me authorization to work directly under the auspices of Alyeska Pipeline Service Company as a Chaplain. The company that was formed by a consortium of nine major oil companies of America was called Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. The Pipeline officials allowed me on the Pipeline as Chaplain with considerable reluctance. I was the first Chaplain appointed, and I was the only Chaplain who stayed right through the entire project. The original thinking of the officials was that a Chaplain would be out of place with the type of personnel associated with the rough and tough oil industry. After being on the Pipeline for a period of time, they realized the value of having a Chaplain. Mr. R. H. King, himself, the Personnel Relations man from Alyeska who appointed me, acknowledged that I was saving the company thousands of dollars every week through my counseling and the general atmosphere I was creating in
the camps.

At that point, because the company could not pay me, due to the original agreement at the time of my appointment, they decided to give me executive status. This meant that I had highly valued privileges, as well as access to data which was not classified confidential, but nevertheless was highly important in the national interest. In lieu of monetary payment, they decided to compensate me by giving me executive privileges.

In going to the Pipeline, I had no intentions of being (or becoming) involved in political issues. Indeed, my whole motivation was to help the men spiritually. I totally believe in my work as a Baptist Minister, and here was a tremendous challenge. I have always been ready to see a challenge and to fight for what I believe. When I found that the idea of a Chaplain to the Pipeline was almost anathema to the Pipeline officials, it made me realize even more than ever before that this was a real mission field. I regarded those men on the Pipeline as sheep without a shepherd, and simply stated, my heart went out to them.

It was only after my eyes were opened at the time of the discussions with Senator Chance and Mr. X that I was led into a totally different understanding of a troublesome situation—which I realized must be faced and presented to the American people. Hence this book.

I submit that my credibility is established. I worked on the Pipeline for two and one-half years. I was not paid by either the oil company or any government agency for all of that time, and I believe that I am entitled to claim in sincerity that I had no bias and no particular pleading. I was simply put into an unusual position of seeing and hearing facts firsthand, bringing with it the responsibility to do my part in awakening the American people to the situation—as it really is.