'The wartime "special relationship"? From oil war to Anglo-American Oil Agreement, 1939-1945'

This article examines the nature of the Anglo-American relationship with regard to oil diplomacy during the Second World War, a period often described as the epitome of the so-called ?special relationship?. It reflects on the fraught relations between the British and US Governments regarding control over foreign oil concessions before 1939 in the so-called ?oil war?, and considers whether the negotiation of an Anglo-American Oil Agreement in the closing stages of the War may be interpreted as indicative of a ?special relationship?. Through an examination of government records on both sides of the Atlantic, it concludes that both governments were instead motivated by self-interest and a desire to protect or extend their nationals? oil interests, particularly in the Middle East.