Book Review: Concessions and Betrayals

Reviewed by Tomi Alo

A poignant historical novel chronicling pivotal moments during oil extraction in the Persian Gulf

Concessions and Betrayals recounts the collaborative efforts and conflicts that underpinned the construction of the first refinery in the biggest oil-producing kingdom amidst the chaos of the Second World War. The book explores themes such as exploitation, power dynamics, and other sociopolitical issues.

The novel begins with Hank Simmons, a chemical engineer at SOCAL (Standard Oil of California) who has been offered a promotion to oversee the construction of the first oil refinery and marine terminal in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia. The refinery is to help the United States—through the concession agreement with the Arabian country—produce hundreds of thousands of oil barrels that would help defeat the Axis in the ongoing war.

Even though Hank feels sad about leaving his wife and son—Gloria and Peter—behind, he doesn’t take long to accept the offer. However, life and work in Saudi Arabia proves to be more strenuous and complicated than expected. 

In hopes of expediting production, Aramco (Arabian American Oil Company) sends Hank as a liaison to Eritrea, former Italian colony in Africa, to recruit hundreds of Italian workers. Unfortunately, while the Italians’ presence proves to be beneficial to the construction of the refinery, they are faced with worse living and working conditions at their encampment in Ras Tanura. This sparks a series of conflicts between the Arabs, Italians, and Americans.

Using a third-person limited point of view from multiple characters, Wesley delivers  an unparalleled insight into a lesser-explored aspect of history, peeling back layers to reveal the underbelly of political maneuvering and exploitation in the pursuit of oil in Saudi Arabia. 

Through Hank, we come to understand the harsh dynamics experienced by the Italian workers in the Ras Tanura camps. Not only were they paid significantly less, but their encampments lacked basic human needs: clean water, proper food, sanitation, and adequate medical equipment. Hank’s upbringing, predominantly shaped by an Italian woman, intertwines profoundly with his empathy toward the struggles faced by these workers. His character acts as a moral compass for readers to sympathize with how the Italian workers were outrightly exploited by their Western counterparts. 

“How could it be wrong for the Italians to demand things that Americans took for granted? How could the Saudis see the Italians as threats when they were the only tradesmen in Arabia with the skills needed to make them rich? Even in a kingdom that was still practicing slavery, how could Americans justify the treatment of free Europeans like prisoners of war?”

However, it isn’t all conflict and despair in Ras Tanura. Amidst the relentless heat and chaos, there are moments where the burden of isolation becomes unbearable and the yearning for a brighter tomorrow palpable. It is during these fleeting moments the operations in Ras Tanura serves as a beacon of hope and guiding lights for every Arab, Italian and American.Because even if “the natural wealth of the kingdom might make Al-Saud rich…make Standard and Texaco more profitable…Ras Tanura would fuel the planes, ships and trains that would someday reunite the men in all three encampments with their families.”

In its entirety, Concessions and Betrayals offers a wealth of historical knowledge for readers who are unfamiliar with the history, importance, and complexities of the oil industry that shapes much of today’s culture, politics, and economy. The information can be a little overwhelming, and the author’s vocabulary might be a bit broad for the average reader, but for its untapped perspective and information, the book remains worthwhile.

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