"١/١ المجلد II العلاقات الكويتية السعودية" [و‎‎٧‎٢] (٥٣٤/١٥٢)

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12. In Aug: 1911 tbs Government of India, after
consultation with the Political Resident (Sir P,Cox)
recommended that H.M.G. should communicate to the Turks
a copy of the Agreement of 1699 with a note that H.M.il.had
subsequently informed the Sheikh that so long as he and his
heirs and successors acted up to their obligations under the
11 Agreement, we charged ourselves to support them and to
protect Koweit against attack by land or sea." The
Secretary of State for -India, on closer consideration, found
himself unable to accept this proposal. India Office letter
to the Foreign Office of 30th October,1911, P.1446/11,
remarked: "The telegrams of 4th December 1901 and 14th
October 1902, on which the Government of India appear to
base the obligation to protect Koweit by land ana sea,, in
the Marquis of Crewe's opinion clearly refer only to the
incidents that occasioned tnem and cannot oe undersoooa
have given any general undertaking, dor, in view of the iact
that it has since been decided that our obligations extern
to the whole of the Sheikh’s territory as described in
Lorimer’s Gazetteer, would it be sate to pledge ourselves to
any specific method of defending them. As was pointed out
by Lord Morley in this Office letter of 6th April last, the
term "good offices" (which by Colonel Meade’s letter of 23rd
January 1999 we undertook to accord to the bneikn)is &
conveniently vague one and Lord Crewe is oi opinion that it
is neither necessary nor safe to go beyond it. The action
taken by H.M.G. in 1901/02, when men and gins were landed
at Koweit to defend it against unprovoked Turkish aggression,
will, moreover, have made it plain to tne Poroe in w,nt .^ay
we are prepared to interpret the term ix necessity ariseo.
"His Lordship would therefore suggest that the
formula should run: "As regards No.l, H.M.G. have informed
the Sheikh of Koweit .that so long as he and his s ^^g g ^/
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