OIL COMPANIES IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM 91 democratic stream of critics of multinationals and of the system that produced them—from Ida Tarbell to Louis Fischer to Harvey O'Connor. 3) In response to this attack on the veritable "sacred cows" of the private enterprise system, the apologists of the system were activized producing a number of company histories and oil-industry studies, financed by such august institutions as Standard Oil of New Jersey, American Petroleum Institute and sundry others including Ford Foundation which financed the book under review. One of the characteristics of these company inspired projects was to divorce completely the role of governments and politics in general from the functioning of the oil industry. The severe crisis in recent years has increased manifold public interest in the functioning of these symbols of the Free World, and critical remarks of these not-so-venerable institutions have received sympathetic hearing. Revelations of ITT's role in the Chilean coup and pay-offs by MNGs to public figures and political parties at home and abroad, have necessitated the suitable incorporation of these proven facts into any favourable exposition on behalf of the companies. To this extent Turner candidly admits, ... a mistake made by many of us in the late 1960s and early 1970s of underestimating the extent to which some companies still use corruption or secret service links to further their ends (p 19). The mistake is of course, one of merely "underestimating" and the earlier thesis has to be slightly modified to accommodate "marginal influence". The companies are again sought to be dressed up as Snowwhite, albeit in slightly soiled clothing! Another characteristic of company apologia, is that no serious attempt is made to demolish any of the arguments put forward by company critics, save dismissing their contentions as "exaggerated", "not sufficiently documented", and so on. Turner, it must be admitted, is quite conscious of his job and the difficulties invloved. He admonishes fellow-apologists that, . .. conclusions must not only be reached but seen to be reached in a painstaking fashion (p 21). The sc Wider" Political Relationships In taking, what the author calls "a critical look at the wider political relationships of the oil majors" (p 20), the relationships between the companies, the host countries and the parent governments are reviewed historically. Lacking an understanding of the social process that creates history, the author can only