Rep. Dellums on Iraq Crisis

As an executive of a major U.S. energy company, I found Marlette’s cartoon (a big oil representative telling a U.S. soldier “I only regret that you have but one life to give for my company,” Nov. 3) to be both illogical and insulting.

The point of this cruel jest seems to be that American troops have been sent to the Middle East to protect “big oil’s” interests and promote high oil prices. In fact, President Bush has responded to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait by striking back at this act of aggression and demanding a return to the status quo--sovereignty for Kuwait and cheap oil for America.

The truth is that our government has consistently followed a policy of cheap oil for decades, despite repeated lessons about the folly of depending on petroleum imports from unstable areas. In one very real sense, U.S. armed forces have been sent to the Persian Gulf to fight for cheap oil. Cheap oil hurts the large, integrated U.S. petroleum companies but benefits the vast majority of consumers and industries (until the next supply crisis hits).

Like it or not, the handwriting is on the wall. We now import about half of our petroleum needs. This is a formula for disaster. What can be done? America must adopt a national energy policy that reduces petroleum imports through increased conservation, alternative energy development and domestic oil and gas production.

JOHN F. IMLE JR., Senior Vice President, Unocal Corp., Los Angeles