Public Law 73–24

That the Attorney General of the United States, with the concurrence of the Secretary of the Navy, be, and he is hereby, authorized, in connection with collection of amounts due the United States of America under a certain judgment for $9,277,666.17 entered in the office of the clerk of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of California at Los Angeles on January 14, 1933, against the Pan American Petroleum Company, a corporation, to release from claim or lien under said judgment such part or portions of the property and assets of the said Pan American Petroleum Company and the Richfield Oil Company of California, in such manner and with such reservations as shall seem to him proper and advisable, in consideration of payments to the United States to apply upon said judgment, of not less than the sum of $5,000,000, and in connection therewith to release any claims of the United States against purchasers of oil and petroleum products from the leases commonly known as “E”, “I”, and “G” leases, or also known as Visalia 010042, 010043, and 010097 leases in naval petroleum reserve numbered 1, Kern County, California, and to consent, in the premises, to the assignment of other oil and gas leases in said naval petroleum reserve numbered 1, now part of the unmortgaged assets of Pan American Petroleum Company, with the concurrence of the Secretary of the Navy and to the assignment of other oil and gas leases, also part of the unmortgaged assets of Pan American Petroleum Company, of the United States outside the said naval petroleum reserve numbered 1, with the consent of the Secretary of the Interior, said assignments to be authorized only to assignees otherwise duly qualified under existing laws: Provided, That the authority herein

Proviso.

Approval not implied.

granted is permissive only, and shall not be construed as a declaration of approval by Congress of the compromise herein authorized to be made, and that said authority shall not be exercised by the

Exercise of authority optional.

Attorney General unless in his judgment said compromise shall appear to him to be for the best interests of the United States.