You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
alternatehistory.com
The United States has the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) which–as the name might suggest–is a government controlled oil reserve equal to roughly just over a month supply at current usage in case of interruptions to oil supplies, prompted in large part by the 1973 oil crisis. It's the largest strategic reserve in the world and the most famous–as these things go–but a number of countries have them, including European Union members thanks to a European Economic Community directive issued back in late 1968 that mandated they create a strategic petroleum equal to 90 days average consumption.
So that prompted me to wonder what would the effects be for the US if they had an SPR operational in 1973 with say 60 or 90 days worth of oil imports stored when the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries declare their embargo? I don't really know much about the period so was curious. As for a point of divergence perhaps Nixon or some influential member of Congress reads about the EEC's directive and thinks it's a good idea or simply gets a case of keeping up with the Joneses, it's not really important.