ملف رقم ٦١٩ لسنة ١٩٠٧، الجزء ٣، "الاتجار بالأسلحة:- التجارة في الكويت." [و‎‎٢‎٧‎٣] (٧٢٠/٥٥٠)

> f [Confidential.]
No. 2302 , dated B^wre’ the 27 th October (received 4 th November) 1907 .
From—M ajor P. Z. Cox, C.I.E,, Officiating Political Resident in the Persian
Oulf,
To SIR Louis W. Dane, K.C.I.E.. C.S.I., Secretary to the Government of India
in the Foreign Department, Simla.
I have the honour to forward, for the information of the Government of India
September Resident ’ N0, K -' 15 dated a . C0 Py °f the marginally noted communica-
^ tionreceivedfromthePoliticalAgent,Mas-
kat, informing me that the British India Steam Navigation Company assert that
the Bombay-Persian Steam Navigation Company and another Turkish shipowner
of Bussorah have eome to an agreement with certain firms to call regularly at
Maskat with a view to conveying arms from thence to Koweit and elsewhere.
I am addressing His Britannic Majesty’s Consul, Bussorah, in the one case
and in order to save time asking by telegram this day that a warning may be
conveyed to the Bombay-Persian Steam Navigation Company’s Head Office in
Bombay.
. ^ opportunity of alluding to the reported intentions of the Powers
interested to hold Conference in 1908 on the subject of the traffic in arms.
It is suggested to me that if prominence could be given in Europe and India
to the fact that such a Conference has been arranged for the knowledge would
create a useful feeling of insecurity among the shippers of arms calculated to
have restrictive influence on the traffic in the meanwhile.
(Copy.)
No. K.-i, dated Karachi, the 6 th September 1907 .
From—M ajor W. G. GREY, I.A., Political Agent at Maskat,
To— The Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.
In connection with the arms trade I have the honour to bring to your
notice the following information for which I am indebted to the British India
Company’s Agent at Karachi.
2. Two steamers, the “John O. Scott,” and another belonging, so 1 am told,
to the Bombay-Persian Company and a party of Basra (native) merchants res
pectively, which are at present trading at the north end of the Persian Gulf, have
been solicited by various arms merchants to extend their trips to Maskat with
a view to carrying arms and ammunition from that port to Koweit and other Gulf
Ports. This they have agreed to do from the beginning of November next.
3. The British India Company would be much put out if this were allowed,
and their Agent here has begged me either to take measures for the frustration of
the plan, or, to obtain permission for his Company to carry arms themselves in
order to mitigate the chances of successful competition against them in regard to
passenger and other traffic.
G. C. B. P. ( Simla.—No. O 554 F. D«- io-ii-o;.— 45 —B. B. S.
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