‘File 35/106 (A 43) Exclusive Treaty with Masqat’ [‎2r] (11/52)

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[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government]
TURKEY. [January 23.j
CONFIDENTIAL. Section 2.
[83] No. 1.
Foreign Office to 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. .
-Sir, Foreign Office, January 23, 1914,
I AM directed by Secretary Sir Edward Grey to acknowledge tire receipt of your
letter of the 31st ultimo, relative to the continuance to the present Snltan of Muscat oh
the subsidies granted to his predecessor.
As r°"nrr]r proposal that the Sultan should be asked to agree to the creation ^
of a levy i m i] li i Ti ill li or Indian officers in the event of his failing to
come to terms with the 11 ilul i lill'K iiii h 'In 1 , has no objection to offer from an « ^
international point of view so long as tlieccTn^g^ ^jiomi n a ll v a Muscat force, and the ^
officers, by whom it is commanded, nominally in the SimaiT*5 ,,i ^v vice. P recedents are
not lacking to justify the conclusion of such an arrangement bv alTirtd rnondent
sovereign. •
As i-egards the proposal that the Sultan should be required to furnish an under
taking not to conclude with foreign Powers, other than Great Britain and France, fresh
treaties without the assent of His Majesty's Government, Sir E. Grey concurs in the
opinion of the Marquess of Crewe that such an arrangement would in itself be desirable
in British interest, but he would wish to make the following observations on the
suggestion :—
This country is under a treaty obligation to France to respect the independence
of the Sultan, of Muscat and the exaction from His Highness of an undertaking of the
kind proposed would undoubtedly constitute an interference with his sovereign rights.
Were His Majesty's Government to ask the French Government to agree to an
arrangement whereby the Sultan would be bound not to enter into any treaty with a
third Power without the assent of Great Britain, there is little doubt that the French
Government, on their side, would demand that France should be put on a footing of
equality with Great Britain in this matter.
Such a demand would involve the conclusion by the Sultan of an agreement, not
with the Government of India but with Great Britain and France, stipulating that
without their assent he shall not enter into a treaty with any third Power.
Such an arrangement would be to the advantage of France, and there is little
doubt that the French Government would agree to it. Sir E. Grey is, however, in
doubt whether the Government of India would welcome the assumption by France of
so leading a position as Muscat, even though the particular danger they apprehend—
that of the intervention of other European Powers—would thereby be removed.
Should the Government of India raise no objection to such an arrangement the
agreement to be concluded between His Majesty's Government and the French Govern
ment might be to the effect that the two Powers, while not desiring to interfere with the
independence of Muscat, to which they are pledged by the treaty of 1862, are most
anxious not to see any material modification of the existing relations of the Sultanate
with other Powers and have, therefore, agreed to obtain from the Sultan an assurance
that he will not enter into fresh treaties with any Power other than Great Britain and
France without their knowledge and approval. It would probably be sufficient to effect
this agreement by an exchange of notes which need not necessarily be published.
Should the Government of India reject this suggestion, Sir E. Grey is willing,
should it be desired, to approach France with their proposal in its original form, but
he has no confidence that they will accept it, least of all without difficulty and delay.
I am, &c.
EYRE A. CROWE.
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