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CENTCAST | March 23, 2023

CENTCAST Episode 4: The 1973 Oil Crisis

USCENTCOM

You remember the 1973 oil crisis? Remember the shock, the anger? The fear that the country would never fully recover? Remember when President Nixon announced oil rationing measures, gas stations closed on weekends, people all over the country lost their minds, and some states told residents not to put up Christmas lights? No? Well, you’re in luck. We cover all of that in this episode. Episode 4 covers a critical moment that helped drive the formation of US Central Command ten years later. The oil crisis, spurred by an OPEC embargo of oil to the US, stunned the country, forcing leaders to think critically about security of the Persian Gulf. All of this is explained in a lively episode of CENTCAST, the official podcast of US Central Command.