| Description | Tape 1 Side A: EDWARD (TED) DEAN STRACHAN born Elgin 24.01.1930. Current occupation, Editor Aberdeen Petroleum Report, Europe Petroleum Newsletter. Family background. Grandfather a Yorkshireman. Brother 15 years younger. Upbringing partly by grandmother, uncles. Explains. Went to Canada for 4 years after war. Details re parents' marriage, younger brother's upbringing; he joined army. Recalls paternal grandparents, death of grandmother. Maternal grandmother a war widow, grandfather died of wounds at Ypres. Father, paternal grandfather butchers. Uncle had another butcher's shop in Elgin. Recollections of father's butchery, trips to Aberdeen market. Recalls aunt's shop in Aberdeen, going to Tivoli theatre (cinema). Maternal grandfather a miner, later a regular soldier. Details. Grandmother active in British Legion. Early ambition to be an engineer. Recalls first journalistic reporting, enjoyment of reading. Mentions comics, Dandy, Beano. Religion in growing up years - went to Episcopal and other churches, still involved with Church of Scotland. Details. Father enjoyed arguments, supported Scottish National Party. His attitude to Royalty. Education: went to West End School, Elgin. Disruptive impact of war years. Family food situation during war. Story of Aberdeen newspaper vans during rationing, unexplained stops, entrepreneurial spirit. Mentions interest in sport as a commentator. Recalls quality, experience of schoolteachers who came back from war; own editorship of school magazine. Childhood memories of Elgin, freedom experienced by children. Background to experience of becoming a journalist. Travel to Canada; decision to stay. Details re jobs there, including deckhand on old Great Lakes steamship. Details re ships. Went to Queens University, Kingston, Ontario. Details re parents.
Tape 1 Side B
Details re time at university - unable, financially, to continue after 2 years. Details re odd jobs taken on. Recalls café run by Freddie who allowed credit to students. Won scholarship. Details. Recalls jobs in Ottawa. Managing editor of university newspaper. Had nervous breakdown. Impact of that on stay in Canada - deported. Explains. Returned to Scotland 1951. Joined weekly Elgin newspaper as junior reporter. Reference wife Dorothy. Importance of early journalism experience. Details re work, staff, discipline. 1953 joined Press & Journal Elgin office. Compares work with previous job. Mentions Evening Express. Details re work routines. 1955 came to Aberdeen office, worked as general reporter. Details. Recalls sociable working environment, quality of colleagues, own work areas. Describes editor, Jimmy Grant, his personality; he was also from Elgin. Recalls disastrous end to own story covering trawlermen strike in late 1950s; oratory of George Wood. Recalls first awareness of possibility of oil in North Sea. Reference to Continental Shelf Act. Describes Aberdeen in 1959, its insularity, inward-looking character. Explains Aberdeen twal (twelve) mile roon dominated by businesses etc. Recalls Gordons mafia. Fishing and university big in Aberdeen. Reaction of university to discovery of oil. Explains own developing interest in features. Did feature series on top trawler skippers. Details. Growing interest in, inside knowledge of fishing business. Mentions Charles ('Charlie Chase') Middleton, Harry Bowlen, Ben trawlers. Reference circulation of Press & Journal. Did series on lifeboat crews. 1964 became Industrial Correspondent. Mentions arrival of seismic boats; dominance of fishing and university. Reference British Gas.
Tape 2 Side A
Comments on Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology, relationship with University of Aberdeen. Attitude of Aberdonians to outsiders. Oil gave Aberdeen a shake up. As Industrial Correspondent went to Gas Council lunch, addressed by Henry Jones. Details. Awareness of gas in southern North Sea. Explains gas situation at time. First story in paper re North Sea industry (1964). Arrival of seismic boats, but not much happening. Reference to Harold Wilson government, 'white heat of technological revolution' etc. As industrial correspondent prioritised 2 running stories: North Sea oil, Common Market. Did stories on successful exporters in North East, eg The Glenlivet whisky etc. Details. Mentions paper-making industry, controversies eg nuclear, prospects for petro-chemical complex at Invergordon. Reference Occidental; aluminium smelter saga. Recalls tipoff from fisherman re flares from Shell rig, Shell's straight-faced response. Own sources of information. Reference to Scottish Council for Development of Industry. Reference to Bill Adams, John Hutton. Proposal for business/industry exhibition centre at Bridge of Don. Expansion of university in 1960s. Explains. Reference to Robins Report. First sign of oil industry, discovery by Phillips Ekofisk of oil in Norwegian sector (1969). Exploration work off Aberdeen, arrival of Americans. Mentions Amoco. Only other journalist interested at time in oil/gas Adrian Hamilton, Financial Times. After discovery of Forties, oil became own main interest. Recalls Paul Tucker, Phillips. Mentions repairs done by BP to mountains after construction of Trans-Alpine pipeline - charm offensive. Details re Amoco boss in Aberdeen, Mitch Watt. Recalls Bonded Warehouse Number 5, Aberdeen; BP, Shell offices, ASCO.
Tape 2 Side B
Bonded Warehouse Number 5 (cont'd). Reference to Jim Simpson. Other gathering place, Marcliffe Bar. Details re Marcliffe catering to tastes of oil people, business links made there. Went to Marcliffe at lunchtimes. Own relationship with oil people. Origin of Marcliffe name. American, continental oil people open re what they were doing. Explains level of secrecy, openness. Hit and miss nature of industry at time. Attitude of electronic media to oil/gas industry. Reference to Ted Brocklebank. Recalls subtle first indications of Forties discovery. Reference to share prices. Recalls early trip out to oil rigs with Ted Heath; impression of him. Recalls Harold McMillan, his staged speeches. First impression of rig. Comments on impact of EEC on oil; impact of oil on Scottish politics. Comments on BP development of Forties field, difficulty getting Scottish industry interest. Impact of OSO. Comments on its move to Glasgow instead of Aberdeen - a political move. Mentions oil industry propaganda, Norwegian situation, roads situation at time, gas gathering system. Explains importance of Aberdeen Harbour Board after a false start. Reason for BP going to Dundee, impact on Aberdeen. BP activities over the years. Changes to fishing industry, reason for its leaving Aberdeen. Coincidence with arrival of oil. Romance surrounding fishing industry. Comments on evolving attitude of Aberdeen University. Reference to Arthur Whiteman, Alex Kemp, Alistair Burnett. Slowness in government attitude, problem with roads. Comments on spending in early period, wastage. Problems solved by money. Recalls changing government attitudes to gas flaring etc, impact on costs, license requirements.
Tape 3 Side A
Importance of BNOC development, its impact on oil companies re construction of platforms, installation of compressors etc. Own first realisation of arrival of oil industry, financial and other problems of industry. Importance of producing oil, sorting out balance of payments. Recalls rush. Industry anti-union. Explains personnel situation on production plants, mobile rigs, difficulty for unions. Lack of general awareness of oil industry outside Aberdeen. Attitude of Tony Benn to oil industry, Labour Government, Benn's attitude to being in government. Attitude of Margaret Thatcher. Feelings in Scotland about her. Impact of oil on country. Impact of OILC, its role. Comments on role of Department of Energy, own perception of it. Impact of Piper Alpha disaster. Detailed comparison of cultures of different oil companies, changes over the years, in particular ExxonMobil, Shell, BP. In character for BP to buy Amoco. Mentions Alaska situation. Explains overall efficiency of the oil industry. Comments on impact of John Browne on BP. Piper Alpha disaster: recalls similar problem on a Brent platform shortly before. Recalls approach to coverage for newsletter. Importance of the event. Assigned a reporter full time (50% of staff) to Cullen enquiry. Details of coverage. Comments on Cullen report. Importance of revisiting the situation regularly. Comments on industry attitude to trade union representation, safety reps etc. Need for continual commitment. Comments on OILC attitude re safety consciousness in industry before Piper Alpha. Opinion of Occidental culture.
Tape 3 Side B
Recalls inauguration of Flotta terminal. Further comments on Occidental. Background to leaving Press & Journal in 1975, setting up Noroil office in Aberdeen. Details re new position, setting up office from scratch. Compares oil industry situation, attitudes, political situation in Norway and UK. Norwegians called 'blue eyed Arabs'. Norwegian Petroleum Directorate set up in Stavanger. Effect of this compared with situation in Aberdeen. Benefit of Norwegian tradition of tanker fleets etc. Describes industrial regime, state relationship with unions. Trust fund set up in Norway. Norwegian connections in America. Huge Norwegian reserves of oil, gas. Details re circulation area of Noroil publication, coverage; global from the beginning. Explains own role. Background to leaving Noroil, starting own newsletter, Aberdeen Petroleum Report (1981). Details re wife, marriage. Explains editorial thrust, aims, own approach with APR. Comments on subscribers, their knowledge. Details re development of APR, departure of partner; effect of 1986 oil price crash. Main competitor is Financial Times. Reference to The Scotsman. Comments on Brent Spar situation, environmental issues, impact of Greenpeace, Shell's situation. Benefits to Scotland of oil industry, eg confidence, exposure to other global influences, incomers. Details. Future of North Sea oil industry. Comments on challenge of North Sea, significance of level of production, 'peak'. Comments on Shetland arrangement with oil industry, lucky timing. Recalls Ian Clark. Comments on compulsiveness of oil industry. Meeting with a Santa Claus who worked for Shell in the North Sea off Great Yarmouth. That's the oil industry. Types of people needed by oil industry. |