A New Magazine for a New Era: JPT and the Global Petroleum Landscape in 1949

Abstract

In January of 1949, a new publication jostled for its place amidst the sudden abundance of titles devoted to technical professional associations. The publishing marketplace, like every other, was evolving daily in a world that hoped technological leaps never before imagined would not only leave behind recent global tragedy but also make its recurrence impossible. Volume 1, Number 1 of the Journal of Petroleum Technology—then the official publication of the Petroleum Branch of the AIME—wore an efficient but striking clover-green-and-cream cover, its 92 pages containing sections devoted to editorials, AIME-wide developments, upcoming meetings, feature articles, and technical papers (including, famously, a paper on a new technique that author J.B. Clark dubbed “Hydrafrac”). The teaser text for Branch Chair I.W. Alcorn’s inaugural Editorial Comment framed the new magazine as “the kingpin of a broadened branch program and a real force in strengthening the profession if members will but use it to carry opinion and incite action.” As JPT celebrates its 75th anniversary, a brief review of the global petroleum landscape during its first year of publication casts new light on the magazine itself—and the lofty expectations attached to the industry it supported. Before a rebuilt world could be fueled by petroleum, the conditions of its peace had to be defined, and thus its eyes were on Europe in 1949. The Marshall Plan had enabled a major uptick in European oil production, such that Western Europe produced just over 11 million bbl in 1949 in countries such as the Netherlands, France, and the just-established Federal Republic of Germany. More than a decade distant were offshore discoveries that would revolutionize Europe’s role in global petroleum, but at the time of JPT’s launch, Europe remained a potential trigger for a war that all were desperate to avoid—indeed, in the UK, wartime rationing had not yet ended, and in the year of JPT’s debut, the petrol ration was increased to allow a generous 180 miles per month. While the globe remained in upheaval as anticolonial rebellions were launched—mostly against European empires—and attempts were made to fill power vacuums, the showdown between the West and the Soviet Bloc had solidified into a dangerous reality that cast a shadow over every nation. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was ratified in April, and the following month, the blockade of Berlin came to an end in what was seen as a major symbolic victory for the West, evident proof that its reliance upon technology could safeguard humanity.