'File 86/1 III (D 81) Kuwait Oil. Eastern and General Syndicate' [78r] (172/382)
The record is made up of 1 volume (190 folios). It was created in 14 Jun 1932-31 Jan 1933. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
(4) In September, 1928 t however. Major Holmes, with the
permission of 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.
, a/^in approached the
Sheikh for the grant of an oil concession, and submitted a
draft agreement.
(5) In November, 1928, it was realised that the point
concerning a British Control Clause had been overlooked
in the Bahrein Concession, and the Eastern and General
Syndicate were infomed that in any concession in Koweit
which misjit be granted, a British Control Clause must be
inserted similar to that imposed in the case of British
Companies operating in British Grown Colonies. No question
of American participation had, up to this time, arisen and
the suggested inclusion of the nationality clause was
in fact put forward partly as a precautionary mmsuve in
order to bring the concession into line with British
practice in other oil producing territories (such as India
and Trinidad) and partly because the Sheikh of Koweit
expressed himself as being unwilling to grant a concession
to any Company which was not under British control. It was
not until December 19th, 1928, that the Syndicate informed
the Colonial Office that they had concluded a^eements with
the Eastern Gulf Oil Company, under which tney assi^ied to
that Company such rights as they possessed to explore the
territories which they were interested in, with options to
form Companies under British or Canadian Laws to acquire and
work any territories taken up under the terms of their
options.
(6) In March, 1929, 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.
reported
that Major Holmes had arrived in Koweit and left for
Baghdad, but that apparently he had not renewed with the
Sheikh the negotiations for an oil concession.
(7) In August 1930, the Eastern and General Syndicate
drew up a Second draft concession which they forwarded to the
Colonial
About this item
- Content
The volume contains correspondence relating to the draft oil concession agreements presented to the Shaikh of Kuwait (Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) by the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited, and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (A.P.O.C.).
The correspondence focuses particularly on the individual clauses within the two draft agreements and a comparison of them for the Shaikh in order that he can make an informed decision on which concession proposal is best for his country. The memorandum comparing the drafts is produced by the Petroleum Department of the British Government and two copies of it are contained in the volume (folios 48-64, 153-161).
Also included in the volume is correspondence between the US Embassy in London and the Foreign Office regarding what the US embassy view as unacceptable delays in the amount of time it has taken the British Government to discuss the question of the Kuwait concession and repeating their concerns that the Eastern and General Syndicate will not be compared favourably alongside the British A.P.O.C. proposal. Also outlined by the Foreign Office are their fears that the Government's delays in responding to the US in this matter could potentially affect more serious negotiations in the future between the two countries.
Other items of interest in the volume include:
- Letters from the Admiralty and the Army Council expressing their concerns over strategic and military assets in the Gulf should American interests be permitted to acquire the oil concession in Kuwait;
- Enquiries from 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. to the Secretary of State for India asking if anything can be done to assist the Shaikh of Kuwait with his grievances regarding his date gardens in Iraq and Ibn Sa'ud's blockade;
- A letter from the Secretary of State, Foreign Office (on behalf of the Secretary for Mines) to the Director of the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited outlining the history and background to an oil concession in Kuwait dating back to 1917 when A.P.O.C. first undertook preliminary examinations in Kuwait and Bahrain (folios 76-81);
- Details of proposals by A.P.O.C. to increase the financial offer of their concession
- Letter 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. in Kuwait to 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. regarding anti-A.P.O.C. and anti-British propaganda which is being circulated in Kuwait (folios 106-108).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (190 folios)
- Arrangement
The contents of the file have been arranged mostly in chronologically order.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The principal foliation runs from the first folio to last folios and consists of numbers enclosed in a circle in the top right hand corner. A second former sequence commences on the first folio of writing and concludes on folio 173, consisting of pencil numbers (not circled) in the top right hand corner. This sequence has gaps. Foliation anomalies: 1A-1D, 21A, 162A
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/1/640
- Title
- 'File 86/1 III (D 81) Kuwait Oil. Eastern and General Syndicate'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 1r:1v, 1ar:1dv, 2r:5v, 7v:21v, 21ar:21av, 22r:22v, 24v:41v, 42v:116v, 116ar:116av, 117r:127v, 130v:170v, 171v:172v, 173v:180v, i-r:i-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence