WI: Nixon invades Saudi Arabia, 1973

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I may have ready somewhere that the original plan was simply to capture and occupy the oil refineries and get the oil flowing whether or not OPEC liked it. What was James Schlesinger's role in all of this?
 
Don't you think that Arabian armies retreating from oil fields (I assume they would be defeated rather quickly) would try to destroy oil fields? After destruction of oil fields prices would be horrible increased. Automotive industry would be forced to seek alternative fuels (maybe electrical engines), Soviet Union would became richer sue to its oil trade which would led to no Gorbachev as economy is not in bad shape. Or contrary, Chernenko or other old First Secretary could still choose him as young politician and his reforms would work.
 
Wouldn't a coup be easier, get some prince and install him or go down the route of a presidential republic, invading in the earlier 70s with Vietnam fresh in people's minds seems rather tactless
 
Would the USSR offer it's support against the "imperialist agression"? By supplying a lot of equipment, via Syria/Jordan?
 
I may have ready somewhere that the original plan was simply to capture and occupy the oil refineries and get the oil flowing whether or not OPEC liked it. What was James Schlesinger's role in all of this?

Apparently his role was to frighten Heath's government by saying that he couldn't rule out the use of force any longer.

Wouldn't a coup be easier, get some prince and install him or go down the route of a presidential republic, invading in the earlier 70s with Vietnam fresh in people's minds seems rather tactless

Maybe a blockade would be better - if they couldn't export their oil anywhere, then they'd buckle faster.
 
Did Nixon expect to do this in alliance with any Saudi neighbors (thinking especially of Iran), or would they all be hostile because they were getting increased oil prices too?
 
Did Nixon expect to do this in alliance with any Saudi neighbors (thinking especially of Iran), or would they all be hostile because they were getting increased oil prices too?

I don't think we have any evidence that this got to advanced planning stages.
 
I don't think we have any evidence that this got to advanced planning stages.

Correct. The evidence I've seen is this was discussed in a series of meetings as one of a half dozen or more options. Central Command & its predecessor the Rapid Deployment Force did not yet exist so actual military operational plans may have been very thin. The old Drop Shot plans reached back 25 years & were oriented northwards towards the south borders of the USSR. Any actual military plans for Saudi Arabia existing then seem to have been in the nature of defending the Persian Gulf oil industry from outside (Soviet) attack.
 
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