ΠΑΝΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΙΟ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΙΑΣ
2ο Διεθνές Συνέδριο Οικονομικής και Κοινωνικής Ιστορίας
Οι "Αγορές" και η Πολιτική
Ιδιωτικά συμφέροντα και δημόσια εξουσία (18ος-20ός αιώνας)
Βόλος, 10-12 Φεβρουαρίου 2012
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Περιλήψεις
- Gelina Harlaftis Aristotle Onassis vs American government in the 1950s
This paper deals with the confrontation of Aristotle Onassis with the American government in the 1950s, a confrontation that led to the abandonment of New York City as a maritime centre by Greek shipowners and their return to Europe. During the 1940s and 1950s a large number of Greek shipowners previously based in London had transferred their base to New York, which was increasingly becoming a world maritime centre. By mid 1950s Onassis had about 60 ships registered under various flags including Honduras, Costa Rica, Liberia and Panama, residences in New York, Paris, Nice, Montevideo, Uruguay, and offices in major ports. He controlled over 30 corporations throughout the world, held a major interest in the gambling casino at Monte Carlo, which gave him a great deal of influence in the political setup of Monaco and also with the Greek state as he owned Olympic Airways since 1956, the national airline of Greece.
By the mid-1950s, the interests of Greek shipowners no longer coincided with those of the US government. By that time, several Greek shipowners based in New York started to fall out with the US authorities. During the Korean war –the McCarthy period in the United States – Greek shipowners were accused of carrying Chinese cargoes, a charge not without foundation. In order to avoid any further difficulties, the shipowners had to make public declarations of their non-involvement. Furthermore Aristotle Onassis offended the United States, by signing in 1953 a contract with Saudi Arabia, a move that caused an international scandal. According to the agreement, Onassis was to transfer tankers of 500,000 grt to the Saudi Arabian flag, and to pay a certain amount per carried ton to the Saudi Arabian government. In return, the Saudi Arabian government agreed to give priority to Onassis’ tankers in the loading and transport of oil. The reactions were immediate: the US State Department protested to the Saudi Arabian government, and the British government brought the issue before the European Organization of economic Co-oepration. Onassis was attacked on all fronts: US and European oil companies refused to charter his newly built tankers, his newly acquired whale-hunting fleet was attacked by Peruvian warships in the Pacific Ocean near Peru and the American government demanded taxes of 20 million dollars.
The case of the US government against Aristotle Onassis is a fascinating and complex story of « oil, politics and money ». Taking to trial Greek shipowners that were millionaires based in New York was a political and economic decision on the part of the United States. The case was not drawn only against Onassis. The American government sued another five Greek shipowners. What was at stake here was a group of «uncontrollable foreign entrepreneurs that were making money against the interests of the American government : 1) by buying war built American ships undercover by American companies with the support of certain American Democratic senators, 2) by building ships financed by American banks and 3) by carrying cargoes for both friends and enemies of the American government.
When the Republicans won the elections in 1954 and Eisenhower came to power, the Justice Department chose to mainly sue Onassis on illegally purchasing American ships. The way that Onassis was able to negotiate his case with the American Government and to defend it against the American Justice is a masterpiece of global business strategy.
The paper is based on FBI and CIA archives combined with British archives and evidence drawn from Greek, British and American newspapers.
