Narrator stretching along the Eastern Shore of Lake Maracaibo and venezuela, one of the industrial wonders of modern times, the oilproducing complex of the venezuelan fields, more than 2000 oil wells reaching almost to the horizon. One of the largest known oil deposits in the world, this resource has brought new life to the people of venezuela. The oil beneath these waters belongs to those people, but the stupendous task of bringing it to the surface, refining and refining and marketing has been the work of private, foreign capital and engineering genius, much of it north american, and half that work has been done by one company, Creole Petroleum corporation. Creole is an american company, affiliated with standard oil of new jersey, but it operates exclusively in venezuela, making its headquarters in caracas, a sparkling, modern city whose progress is rooted in oil. From its caracas offices, this Company Conducts business in the interests of the venezuelan people as well as its own stockholders. This is the story of an American Business firm which has become an integral part of a nations social and economic progress. Venezuela is a country of great natural resources, but only oil and iron have been tapped on a large scale. This story of oil must begin at this fabulous lake, Lake Maracaibo. Even the history of the nation began here, for these wells are only the modern successors of something the first explorers found when they entered maracaibo in 1499. The indians were living in houses on stilts, and from this came the name venezuela, for little venice. Nearby on the lakeshore, oil seeps to the surface. Those first explorers found the indians using it for medicinal purposes. Narrator it was to be more than four centuries before development of those Oil Resources really began. But in the last 30 years, creole and other companies have built vast installations to tap the oil of Lake Maracaibo. To anchor its wells and water as deep as 100 feet, this company developed its own techniques, methods which later were adapted to offshore Oil Operations along the north american coast. New platforms are built and wells are drilled on a regular schedule, planned according to the best conservation practices to avoid any waste of the oil beneath the waters of Lake Maracaibo. Simple maintenance and operation require a virtual navy, a fleet of nearly 300 small boats for transporting personnel and supplies, repair facilities that would give credit to a navy yard, even dry docks for the barges and larger vessels, all this just to keep the oil flowing. Narrator lake tankers carry some of this oil away, but the rest goes by pipeline. A pipeline from the shores of Lake Maracaibo to the gulf, and then under the gulf to the refinery, triple pipelines, one 192ying water bridged miles. In constructing these lines the company has developed many new techniques, like coating under water pipes with a special compound to extend their life five times. Narrator this pipe is about to be dropped to the lakebed as part of the projects longest single stretch of underwater pipeline. Construction and maintenance are an old job to company engineers. Before starting this pipeline, they already have hundreds of miles of underwater pipes servicing the wells in Lake Maracaibo. Not all the oil is refined. Part is stored and shipped directly overseas as crude oil. The output of the refinery, more than 200,000 barrels daily, is devoted mainly to production of heavy fuel oil for industrial and heating purposes, for Venezuelan Oil is best suited for this use, and not the lighter product like gasoline derived from north american crude oils. Some of these tankers will carry their loads to the rest of latin america, others to europe and africa. Venezuela has the largest oil exports of any nation in the world and is second only to the United States in production. Although the largest operations are in the maracaiboamway region, there are important installations in eastern venezuela as well. Here the search for oil begins as a battle for the jungle, for in this undeveloped area it is necessary to build trails and roads, the oil companies, each operating under concessions granted by the venezuelan nation, playing an important part in opening up the east. The area is part jungle, part open prairie, and hardly any of it was inhabited before exploration parties entered. Narrator the search for oil is not a matter of haphazard drilling. The first rig is a small, portable one, its purpose not to tap oil but to set the scene for a Scientific Survey in a spot already picked by the geologists. An explosive charge is set in the first shallow hole. A portable seismograph will register the speed of shockwaves from the explosion, thus indicating the various underground strata. [blast] narrator from this information, the geologists and engineers will determine whether exploratory drilling for oil should begin. And so the jungle begins to open upcoming families begins to open up, families settling as the wells go down. It is always a gamble when the first well is drilled in virgin territory. This one is already down 8000 feet, and the oil has not started to flow. But eastern venezuela is producing, and producing well. This is part of a field that is one of five that creole has in the east. Not one is larger than maracaibo, but together they are a major factor in strengthening the worlds production of crude oil. This town, with connecting highways, was built to house oilfield workers and those of the refinery. As at amway, most output here is heavy fuel oil, with only enough gasoline to serve a few latin american markets, including venezuela itself. The route to domestic venezuelan markets is difficult. First by tanker to more populous areas, then by one of the worlds most expensive pipelines across the mountains to caracas. The pipeline helps Refined Products up 60 degree and 70 degree mountainsides on its path to caracas. Constructed jointly by two oil companies, it cost almost 400,000 a mile to build. With transportation problems like this, and with the low Retail Prices fixed by the government for some petroleum products, domestic marketing is largely a service to the country. And so the creoleesso appears wherever there is a need for petroleum, service is good then Good Business and it is a part of good citizenship. Narrator with over 1 billion invested in venezuela, creole is an important citizen and feels that it is all the more important to be a good one. This Company Gives preference to venezuelan citizens for employment in all categories. Overseas personnel are hired to train venezuelans. Overseas employees number only 8 , although venezuelan law would permit 25 . Narrator salaries are generally higher than in the United States. Even an unskilled worker averages 4400 a year in pay and benefits. Overseas personnel must learn spanish, for all business is done in that language. All americans must show ability to get along with venezuelans, both onthejob and socially. This meeting of Company Geologists is a tip is a typical gathering with more venezuelans than americans. Among the venezuelans is this girl, an accomplished and respected geologist. Thee are venezuelans at very highest level of the company. On the board of directors. Dr. Guillermo is contact director for geology. Another is contact director for production. Other venezuelans who are in key positions include dr. Carlos van der dr. Fred bautista. Narrator the creole plan will make company houses like this available to families now occupying them on an ownership rather than a rental basis. Creole was originally forced to provide camps with its own utilities and public services, because many were built in undeveloped areas. Now the Company Hopes to turn over many of these facilities to responsible, local agencies, for its workers have achieved a level of both income and responsibility, with men doing comparable jobs anywhere in the United States. This workers children now attend a school built by creole, staffed by the company and operated by. The goal is to end much of this. To reduce worker dependence on the company while giving him enough added income to pay for his new responsibilities. Narrator workers clubs and recreational facilities, however, are still provided at most installations. Medical care is available at all camps, sometimes in Company Operated hospitals and sometimes in outside institutions. Personnel policies are based on the belief that a secure, responsible man is both a better worker and a better citizen of any country. This is the new venezuela, being built with its own revenue from petroleum. Caracas is one of the show places of the americas today, because wise use has been made of the nations income from oil. Approximately half of the profits on all petroleum sales. The National Policy is to sew the petroleum back into the nation for physical construction, new industry and public welfare, and caracas is not the only example. The lake city of maracaibo is becoming a true oceanport, because oil revenues have paid for dredging the lake entrance. This is a new boulevard in maracai, the garden city. Merida has nestled in the andes for 400 years, the plaza almost unchanged. But merida has these apartments for its people. The operations of creole alone provide more than 200 million a year for the modernization of venezuela, a country that has jumped from an 18thcentury economy to this in less than 30 years. Where once there were empty valleys, there are now flourishing cities. The beauty of the old spanish streets remains, but intercity traffic speeds over modern highways. Statues of the beloved Simon Bolivar look over his birthplace and caracas. He led six south american countries to freedom. The famous art on display at the pantheon and caracas has not been forgotten. On the great plains, the planes plainsmen celebrated in the old style. Narrator the ancient sport of toros correados is still a favorite. On sundays, great crowds flocked to the bullring and the atmosphere is that of old spain. Narrator but the new has arrived in sport, and baseball is just as popular in venezuela as in the United States or japan. On the slopes of the andes, oxen pull the plows as they have through the centuries. But in the fertile valleys, the farmer is building a new agriculture with machines. In the delta, the thach tut symbolizes the old way of life, but the new venezuelan may live in a lowincome housing project. If he needs medical care, he has access to hospitals as modern as any on earth, for the sowing of petroleum has contributed significantly to the welfare of a people. Narrator the extension of medical services includes a nationwide antimosquito campaign, which has almost wiped out malaria, once affecting 40 of the population. Creole assistant the government and starting this program and its camps and the surrounding towns. Compulsory free and ocular and iq relations and chelations attack other diseases. Free chest xrays are available to fight tuberculosis. There are free clinics throughout the country and free classes in baby care. The Pediatric Clinic is an accepted part, this little fellow will live 10 years longer because hospitals and clinics have already added a decade to the Life Expectancy of every venezuelan. But the old practices still linger on in many places and in many fields, but wherever the new is better, it begins to replace the old. One of the greatest effort is in industry, for venezuelans know their prosperity would be in danger if anything happened to the market for oil. Slowly venezuela is building a more diversified economy, sowing profits from petroleum to develop new enterprises in other fields. The search for resources has turned up a hold mountain of a hold mountain a whole mountain of iron ore. In southern venezuela the mining is done by power shovels and a concession operated through foreign investment. A new 90mile railroad carries the or throw almost unexplored the ore through almost unexplored territory to the orinoco river and the modern port. The next step will be a steel nail in the orinoco area. A steel mill in the orinoco area. U. S. Firms of all types are taking the lead in developing venezuela, for the Company Countries happy experience with oil has made a good climate for other investors and they are being encouraged by venezuela. New factories are going up all over. Each of them means jobs for venezuelans and new income to spread the prosperity further. But the flow of oil to the tankers is still the lifeblood of venezuela. It provides the money for the new expansion. The tankers carry the oil of venezuela to the markets of the world and the money comes from selling that oil is used not only within venezuela, but for purchases abroad. Narrator on the busy main streets of venezuela, the average man can do more than window shop today. This is a people newly arrived in the prosperous world of the 20th century, able for the first time to satisfy their hunger for the Better Things in life. The housewife can hope for an electric washer and freezer. The farmer wants a new tractor. For the first time, perhaps, he can afford it. The family expects many of the same foods as its northern neighbors. More and more people are getting them. Narrator venezuela is growing in every way, and this is only the beginning. Venezuela is beginning to move into the great interior, past the andes, past the great plains, into the teeming headwaters of the orinoco, on beyond to the unexplored regions of the grand savanna. Here are some great wonders of the world, like angel falls, highest waterfall on earth that was not even discovered until 1937. Here perhaps is one of the great untapped sources of mineral wealth yet remaining in the world. Narrator venezuela is a country bigger than france and germany combined, a vast land inhabited by less than 6 million people. Over half the country has not even been explored. For the first time the means are at hand to develop this land, and the job is underway. Narrator still in the Forefront Development are the men of the oil industry. Creole is proud that oil is the symbol of this new and prosperous life, proud that as a guest of venezuela it has been able to help in developing the resources of the country, and that the people of venezuela are using the nations wealth to build their own road to the future, a future made possible by people and petroleum. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] announcer next on American History tv, Clemson University history professor recalls his experiences as an Expert Witness for plaintiffs in voting right cases in South Carolina and texas. Professor burton also discusses the reconstruction era and constitutional amendments that were intended to expand and protect voting rights. A twodayis part of symposium on reconstruction hosted by the u. S. Capitol historical society. To those of you who were not here at the beginning today, my name i am a historian and i have the honor of being in greater philadelphia. And i am symposium