Individual Submission Summary
Share...

Direct link:

The Use of North American Technical Knowledge in the Brazilian Oil Industry

Thu, March 31, 1:00 to 2:30pm, Westin Seattle Hotel, Vashon

Abstract

In 1954, Petrobras began operations with assets from the CNP (National Petroleum Council) and with political and nationalist pressure to consolidate Brazil as an oil-rich country. In 1955, Petrobras hired the North American geologist Walter Link (192-1982) to lead and structure one of the main components, the Exploitation Department. Link organized the Department based on American industry, contributing to the exchange of technical and scientific knowledge between United States and Brazil. Link started an ambitious exploitation program, with an organizational structure similar to the American industry, which was essential to changing the development of the Brazilian Oil exploitation. He invested in hiring foreign experts and in training Brazilians abroad and in Petrobras. One of his main acts was the creation of a seismic team. However, in August of 1960 Link presented to Petrobras a detailed report on the new research. Link emphasized that research should be directed to the continental platform, because new resources of oil and natural gas of the country would be there. Link`s report, considered confidential, went public with national and international negative repercussions, because it put in doubt the presence of big oil reserves in Brazilian territory. The geologist was accused of having sabotaged the exploratory efforts of Petrobras, and people said that he was still working for Standard Oil, from New Jersey. Link resigned because of the pressure of politics and press and returned to the U.S. Just years later, Petrobras admitted that the researches made by Walter Link were right. Thus, the goal of this paper is to analyze the relation between the formation of the Brazilian oil industry with the American, using as reference the work developed by Walter Link in Petrobras from 1955 to 1960, based on a detailed research about personal letters, internal reports of Petrobras and newspapers of those years.

Author