"ملف 82/1 II‏ (F 53) أ.ب.و.ك.، والامتياز النفطي - الساحل العربي"‏ [و‎‎١‎٨‎١] (٥٧٦/٣٦٥)

COPY.
Tiie Undar Secretary of State,
Colonial Office,
Loncloii, 3.W. l.,_
Downing Street,
c. i s t o ep t emb e r , 19 ^ 3 •
( DONFIDBNTIAL )
39119/1923.
Sir,
I am directed "by the ihike of Devonshire to inform you that
he has recently been in c o m?nnnicat ion with the Political Resi
dent in the Persian Gulf on the subject of the development of
the oil resources of ICtlwait and Bahrein and has received from
that officer a copy of the text of the draft concession submit
ted to the SheiXh of lixiwait by Jir a . i 1 . • ilson on your behalf.
2. His Grace has recently sent the Resident a general state
ment of His Majesty r s Governments policy in these matters and
instructions for his future guidance and thinks it will be con
venient to you to know the substance 01 chese instructions.
j. His Grace began by pointing oat that His Majesty's Govern
ment nave had two main objects in view; in the first place they
wished to protect the Sheikh against exploitation by unscrupulous
concession-hunters and in the second place they wished to prevent
foreign commercial interests from penetrating into the Persiaa
Gulf. He recalled the fact that with this end in view His
Mahesty's Government have concluded agreements with the various
rulers of these territories by which the rulers nave bound
themselves not to entertain proposals for the exploitation of
oil except through His Majesty's Government and he recorded that
it was laid down*that applicants for concessions should not
negotiate direct with the Sheikhs, but should in the first
instance seek Bis Majesty's Government's permission to apply,
and on receiving such permission, should open the negotiations
through the Political Resident or the Political Agent concerned.
4. He then stated that your Company had approached this De-
oartment some two years ago with a view to obtaining rights in
these territories and that negotiations had been proceeding for
some time and bad almost concluded when Major Holmes arrived in
the Persian Gulf and approached various rulers and obtained
either actual concessions or promises to grant concessions from
certain of them.
THE SECRETARY,
AUGL 0 - P SH 31A E" OIL COMPANY, LTD.