ABSTRACT
This article traces how the US Navy crafted policy from the expert advice of American geologists. Between 1898 and 1924, the US Navy metamorphosed from a slow, coal-burning fleet to a swift, oil-burning one. The decision to convert naval vessels to oil consumed years of wrangling at the highest levels of the Department’s bureaucracy. Central to this struggle was the guarantee of a secure petroleum supply in the face of perpetually bleak predictions by geologists suggesting that US oilfields might someday soon run dry. The Navy-geologist interaction influenced the Navy’s decision to bum oil, as well as American land policy and tax law. The partnership led to increased government involvement in the oil industry and a prominent role for geologists in shaping federal oil policy.
