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'File 86/1 VII (D 101) Kuwait Oil' [‎47r] (108/506)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (249 folios). It was created in 9 Apr 1934-30 Jun 1934. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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No. G-16Q
CONFIDMTIAL
POLITICAL AGENCY An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. ,
KUWAIT.
Dated the 3rd May 1934
From
Lt. -Colonel H.R,P.^ickson, C.I.E», I»A»,
Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Kuwait;
To
7(S|VH
The Hon'ble the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency.
in the Persian G-ulf, B u s h i r e
KUmiT NSXJTRAL ZONE
Sir,
\r
With reference to your telegram No.403, dated
23rd April 1934, I have the honour to send you translations
of the following documents:
(a) Confidential letter No.C-151, dated 28th
April 1934 from the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Kuwait,
to H.E. the Shaikh of Kuwait (English-Arabic),
(b) Confidential letter No .H3/1489, dated 16th
Muharram 1353 (30.4.34) from H.E. the Shaikh
of Kuwait to the Political Agent»
2. In a conversation which I had with H.E. the Shaikh
today (3*5.34), he (the Shaikh) referred to the above
letter and enquired rather impatiently why it was that His
Majesty t s Government of late did not seem to trust him quite
as freely as they had done heretofore. He added that he
thought it strange that in a matter concerning which he had
on several occasions given verbal and categorical assurances,
to both the Hon'ble the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. and myself, he efeoi
should n6w be asked to do so by written document.
3. I did my best to placate His Excellency, but I
could see that he was not a little irritated, I may add^hat
one of the commonest expressions he uses with me in our
various discussions is "My word is my bond and as good as
my signature", so possibly this had something to do with
his hurt feelings, but I am inclined to think that the
delivery of His Majesty's Secretary of State for India's
message (contained in his telegram No.963, dated 17th

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Content

The volume contains correspondence between the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Kuwait (Harold Richard Dickson); Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Trenchard Craven Fowle); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); Officials in the India and Foreign Offices (including Sir Louis Kershaw, John Gilbert Laithwaite, George Rendel); the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ); the Air Ministry (Wilfred Ashton McLaughry); the Air Office Commanding, Iraq (Alexander Duncan Cunningham); and representatives of the Kuwait Oil Company (Frank Holmes, Archibald Chisholm), Arabian Development Syndicate, Anglo-Persian Oil Company, and Iraq Petroleum Company.

The correspondence relates primarily to the Kuwait Oil Company's negotiation's with His Majesty's Government and the Shaikh of Kuwait for the Kuwait (also given as Koweit) Oil Concession, focusing on discussions around clauses in both the Commercial and Political Agreements and the Shaikh's concerns over how certain clauses may be perceived both within his own country and in neighbouring ones.

Also discussed are developments in Saudi Arabia with regards to their share of the Nejd-Kuwait Neutral Zone Oil Concession, which was being competed for by the Standard Oil Company of California and the Arabian Development Syndicate, and the British Government's opinions on the situation and their intended approach with regards to the Kuwait share of the concession. The information relating to the Saudi Government's approach to the concession is relayed through letters and reports from Sir Andrew Ryan, HM Minister at Jedda, and contain details of his discussions with representatives of both the Saudi Government and the oil companies.

The correspondence also includes a discussion relating to land at Shuwaikh, identified by the British Government for possible use as an air base, and includes negotiations over the cost of renting the site or the possibility of reserving it for future use. Also included are details of reconnaissance undertaken by the Air Officer Commanding for alternative sites, which was unsuccesful, and correspondence regarding the use of Kuwait Harbour for flying boats and the need to identify suitable locations in the Harbour for moorings.

Extent and format
1 volume (249 folios)
Arrangement

The contents of this volume have been arranged mostly in chronological order.

Folios 236-241 contain file notes detailing each letter contained within the volume, and giving the page numbers each letter commences on enabling the notes to be used as an index.

Some of the letters refer to earlier correspondence in previous volumes, and provide a page and volume reference in order for the earlier correspondence to be identified.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The volume has been foliated in the top right hand corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio with a pencil number enclosed in a circle. The foliation sequence commences on the first folio after the front cover, with 1A and concludes on the back cover with number 246. Foliation anomalies: 1A-E.

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English in Latin script
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'File 86/1 VII (D 101) Kuwait Oil' [‎47r] (108/506), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/643, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023586317.0x00006d> [accessed 9 May 2024]

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