OIL: Allah Be Praised

In the Persian Gulf, by the shore of the Neutral Zone of Kuwait, lies a battered old World War II LST, a displaced veteran of the invasion of Leyte. For three years it has served as a forward outpost of one of the oil industry's most famous field bosses, James MacPherson, 62, as he hunted for oil ashore. At a cost of $30 million, MacPherson's long-futile quest became the most expensive in Middle East history. After five dry holes, oilmen all over the Middle East joked: "Four more holes will give Mac a nine-hole golf course." From Cairo to Dhahran,...

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