| Description | Tape 1 Side A: DOUGLAS HENDERSON born 16 July 1935 Edinburgh. Born into working class home. Father a railway porter. One brother. Went to local primary school. Won scholarship to Royal High School, bursary to Edinburgh University, did arts/law degree. Aged 15 when father died. He was strong National Union of Railwaymen member, Labour supporter. Describes his and mother's personalities, standards of behaviour, dress etc expected. Details re religion in family, mother's attitude to own career possibilities, motivation to join professions. Details re her background. Describes childhood home, neighbourhood on fringe of New Town. Family later moved to council house. Mentions childhood neighbours, holidays in Lanarkshire mining village. Explains sense of being from poorer family. Details re school ethos. Comments on own personal drive. Joined SNP (Scottish National Party) when aged 15, elected Literature Secretary. Explains mother's attitude to England. Early interest in politics, reading, poetry. Mentions removal of Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey 1951, impact on Scotland, naming of new Queen Elizabeth II, petition for Scottish Parliament. Joined Nationalist Club at university. Recalls difficulty with mathematics, conveyancing, liking for philosophic, speculative subjects. Relationship with father. Details re his health. Did MA degree, went to South Africa 1958. Impact of trip. Mentions complacent aspect of Edinburgh. Details re Jewish influence in Johannesburg. Mentions support for Israel. Recalls racial situation then in South Africa, divide between Afrikaner, English-speaking people. Spoke Afrikaans. Worked in engineering, finance companies. Qualified as Company Secretary. Joined IBM, Edinburgh 1962. Reference to Venezuelan bonds collapse. Learned lesson in SA about competing with people on their terms. Explains. Joined management consultancy 1963-74. Details. Development of SNP.
Tape 1 Side B: Recalls SNP pirate radio station, Radio Free Scotland early 1960s. Reference to Gordon Wilson. Background to election as MP for East Aberdeenshire 1974-9. Impact of winning Hamilton by-election 1967. Setback in 1970 election. Details re Gordon Wilson, his development of oil campaign. Recalls optimism, origin of slogan 'It's Scotland's Oil'. Recalls oil companies' deception re quantity of oil. Reference to Petroleum Revenue Tax (PRT). Reference to Douglas Crawford, Editor Scotland magazine. Development of greater intellectual weight to arguments, emotional pull. Common Market, oil both strong factors in 1974 election. Details. Other parties terrified by SNP. Reference to Tony Benn, British National Oil Corporation. Oil companies underestimated SNP. Compares Total with other companies. Reference to Andrew Armstrong. Attitude of Shell, BP. SNP convinced that US consul Funkhauser from CIA. Explains. He said unwise things. Gives example. Attitude of Americans, London. Reference to Polaris base. Harold Wilson under pressure. Recalls meetings with him as Chief Whip re Government intentions for Scotland, conversation with Lord 'Two Dinners' Goodman. Scottish Labour Party (SLP) steamrollered by Wilson re devolution. Relationship between SLP, London. Mentions conference in Glasgow, trade union vote. Effect on SNP of growing oil/gas industry. Reasons for dilution of 'Scottish Oil' slogan. Recalls internal SNP problems, popular identification with Labour. Effect of loss of first devolution bill, 1976, on SNP. Reference to David Steel, Lib-Lab pact. Further details re slogan decline. Effect on local government of long-term planning. Need for new factories, better roads, hospitals, schools, more housing. Oil bonanza a headache. Explains financial difficulties. Reference to Denis Healy, IMF. Deception by oil companies - gives example re PRT.
Tape 2 Side A: Impact of oil/gas industry at local level (cont'd), lack of cohesion, prices and incomes policy (P&I). Local companies fought to retain labour against incoming oil service companies which could offer high wages. Details. Recalls meeting, 1974, with Michael Foot resulting in own public announcement re Government move away from P&I policy. Reaction of Labour to SNP making announcement. Rise in cost of living in North East was going up. Argued for weighting allowance. Reaction in London, North East. Comments on SNP attitude to oil, desire to conserve reserves as in Norway. Attitude to pace of development of industry. Recalls dealing with Conoco, George Edwards, their attitude re seeing bigger picture in oil. Contrasts with own view. Comments on Shetland deal, compares situation there with Scotland's. Mentions local authorities' situation, difficulty getting them together. Recalls complaints from fishermen re material, equipment, coming up in nets, apparently dumped from supply boats. Gives examples. Recalls compensation scheme for fishermen. Comments on effectiveness of unions generally, offshore. Recalls cynicism re what unions could do until safety issue became prominent after Piper Alpha disaster. No social cohesion among workers. Oil issues continued to be prominent throughout period as MP. Explains. Recalls growth of oil service companies, e.g. Peterhead Engineering, Wood Group. Some SNP wounds self-inflicted in 1979. Mentions divisions within party, impact on party of devolution issue.
Tape 2 Side B: Blank
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