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'11/5 Negotiations with Ibn Saud regarding Boundaries of Saudi Arabia' [‎73r] (145/430)

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The record is made up of 1 file (212 folios). It was created in Mar 1944-4 Sep 1949. 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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(E 3705/2755/91)
SCRET
South ii,r;stern Frontiers of Saud^. Arabia .
A meeting to discuss this subject was held in the
Foreign Office on the 17th July. The following were present
Sir Rupert Hay,
^ir Lawrence Grafftey Smith,
Mr Harrison,
Mr Stock
Mr. Monsell Davis,
Mr. Gerran,
Mr. Pyman,
A letter from Petroleum Concessions Limited asking for
guidance on Arabian frontier questions was read out to the
meeting. After a general discussion agreement was reached
cn the following points;
1 . Ibn Saud had refused the Riyadh line before and there
was no reason to suppose that he would accept it now.
2. No advantage was likely tc be gained by opening
general discussions with Ibn Saud. After his death negotiations
might usefully be opened with his successor who might wish
in his early days tc make sure of British support.
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. .
Ministry of Fuel 6c Power
M II It H
Foreign Office.
Foreign Office
3 . If and when Petroleum Concessions Limited carried
out their declared intention of prospecting u- tc the southern
limit o: their Qatar concession, it would be as well to warn
Ibn Saud just before the prospecting party set put. The object
of notifying him would be to show courtesy. The c ject of
notifying him late would be to ensure that it would be too late
to recall the party i" he asked us to do so.
4. If any general discussion o " frontier questions
developed with Ibn Saud out of Petroleum Concessions Limited's
iction we should make every ef 'crtfcp secure acceptance of
the Riyadh line. It was noted that in respect of the Saudi-
Muscat frontier we were net in a position to act on our own
without the prior consent of the Sultan.
5. with' regrd to -^hofar where Petroleum Concessions
United intend to prospect during the winter of 1947-48 in an area
which appears to be in dispute between Muscat and Ibn Saud, it
'Aas essential to have further topographical information which
it was hoped Mr. Thesiger who had recently travelled in the
area would be able to provide on his return to this country.
In the meanwhile, Petroleum Concessions Limited should be warned
for the sake of the safety of their prospecting party that
they might find in the areas which they propose to prospect,
tribes owing allegiance to Ibn Saud and net to Muscat. It
v& s agreed that in this area the test of present sovereignty
was whether or not the Sultan was able to protection
for travellers.
0LP
6 . Mr. Longrigg of Petroleum Concessions should be given
a^rough picture of the frontier position, and the difficulty
settling the frontiers. Mr.’Garran would do this.
429-8 .
ML.
Persian Sulf Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. ,
Bahrain.
1st August, 1947.
Copy forwarded with compliments to:-
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. ,
Bahrain.
iA
O'-

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Content

The file comprises correspondence, memoranda, maps, and other papers relating to questions over the position of Saudi Arabia’s south-eastern frontier adjoining Qatar and the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. shaikhdoms, notably Abu Dhabi. Negotiations over the frontier had long been deferred by British Government officials, as a result of the Ruler of Saudi Arabia ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd’s [Ibn Saud] firm stance in negotiations before the Second World War. However, the need for a resolution became increasingly apparent as a result of ongoing oil exploration in Saudi Arabia by the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco), and exploration in Qatar and Abu Dhabi by Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL). The principal correspondents in the file include: representatives of the 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. , Foreign Office, Ministry of Fuel and Power; the British Legation at Jedda; 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 Bahrain; and 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 Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .

The file includes:

  • correspondence, dating from 1944 and 1945, between British Government officials in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , 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. and Foreign Office, discussing the previous difficulties encountered in negotiating Saudi Arabia’s south-eastern frontiers with Ibn Saud, and the agreement that further negotiations be left until after the event of Ibn Saud’s death (ff 2-29);
  • correspondence from late 1945 through 1947, between Government officials on the possible establishment of a neutral zone between Aramco’s concession area in Saudi Arabia, and PCL’s concession area in Qatar. Also, there is some discussion of Aramco’s proposals to begin seabed exploration off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia (ff 36-59);
  • PCL’s request for permission to conduct seismic surveys at the southernmost limit of their concession area in Qatar (ff 76-95);
  • reports of Aramco survey parties making incursions into PCL’s concession areas in Qatar and Abu Dhabi (ff 104-127);
  • Government criticism of PCL’s delay in exploiting its concession areas in Qatar and Abu Dhabi (f 133);
  • preparations in August 1949 for the reopening of frontier negotiations with the Saudi Government in Jedda. Papers include: a copy of a confidential memorandum with map, dated 2 February 1948, on the south-eastern frontier of Saudi Arabia, prepared by J E Cable of the Eastern Department of the Foreign Office (ff 164-169; copy also at ff 87-91); three further confidential memoranda with maps, prepared by the Eastern Department in 1940, outlining past and present negotiations on the position of the south-eastern frontiers of Saudi Arabia (ff 170-180, ff 181-185, ff 186-188); proposals to send representatives from Qatar and Abu Dhabi to the Jedda negotiations (ff 190-203).
Extent and format
1 file (212 folios)
Arrangement

The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The file notes at the end of the file (ff 204-212) mirror the chronological arrangement.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. This file has the following foliation anomaly: 111A. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 4-203; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

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English in Latin script
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'11/5 Negotiations with Ibn Saud regarding Boundaries of Saudi Arabia' [‎73r] (145/430), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/465, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100028545187.0x000092> [accessed 18 April 2024]

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