"سلسلة ذات طابع سري، عربستان ولورستان ٨٦ ملف ٨٢/٢٧ - V نفط قطر" [و‎‎١‎٢‎٦] (٤٦٦/٢٦٠)

managed to put this idea out of his mind. I told him that
under the Treaty he was not in a position to negotiate with
any foreign company and, moreover. Government would not
permit him to do so. Also I said that it was not proper
for him to entertain advances through third parties without
informing Government about them and taking Government's advice
He said that he had not done so but had to admit that advances
had been made from the Americans though never to him person-
ally - he gave me his word about this.
7. He then asked if the negotiations with the Anglo-
Persian On Company fell through whether it would be wise for
him to do nothing more about oil - he was a Bedouin and able
to live on very little unlike the Shaikh of Bahrain - or
whether he should write and ask Government if he could try
to get another O 0 mpany to take the concession. I said that
it would be a great pity if he did not reach an agreement
with the Anglo-Persian Oil G om p an y anc j admitted that he
was well aware of the difference between the Americans and
the English I and he would prefer to have the Anglo-Persian
Oil Company to any foreign Company. I then said that I
thought it unlikely that Government would agree to any other
Company exploiting Qatar oil but that Government would
appreciate his frankness if he were to write and ask their
opinion should the present negotiations fail.
8* I was very glad to find him so frank. He evidently
disliked the pin pricks of air reconnaissances and the
insistence on passes and felt not only that his dignity had
bee n lowered but thought that Government was trying to help
the Anglo-Persian Company to get cheap terms. He seemed
willing to come to an agreement on the lines of the Kuwait
a Sreement though he pointed out that there were certain
questions still in dispute there. On the whole he appeared
to hc.ve no desire for an American Company. I am sure he was
s POaking the truth when he said that he had no personal
/dealings