'File 82/1 II (F 53) A.P.O.C., and Oil Concession - Arab Coast' [‎274r] (553/576)

Serial No. 51. — C onfidential letter from the H on'ble L ieutenant-
C olonel A. P. T revor , C.S.I., C.I.E., P olitical E esident in the
P ersian G ulf , N o 88-S , dated B ushire, the 23 rd F ebruary
(received 5 th M arch ) 1923,
Oil in Muscat territory.
I have the honoiir to invite a reference to yom telegram No. 1457-S
dated the 11th December and to the penultimate paragraph of the letter
from the Political Secretary, 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. , No P.-4498, dated 9th November
1922, regarding oil concessions on the Arabian sid^ of the Gulf and particu
larly in Oman.
2. In this connection, I beg to forward herewith a copy of a letter
No. 1 -C., dated 13th February 1923, 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. at Muscat
forwarding an undertaking given by His Highness the Sultan of Muscat',
that he^ will not exploit petroleum in Muscat territory without consulting
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. and without the approval of the Government of India.
3. Some delay occurred in obtaining the under taking, the reason for
which Major Eae has explained. This was not due to any unwillingness on
the part oi the Sultan to give an undertaking? but merely to his having writ
ten rather ambiguously worded undertakings. I recently visited Muscat and
His Highness spoke to me on the subject of oil concessions; I gathered that
he would be quite ready to give exploration licences, etc., if asked to do so.
4. It will be seen, however^ from the Sultan's undertaking and the
concluding portion of Major Rae's letter that the existence of oil in Masira
Bay is not defmitelv certain, and that the reoorl thai its oresence had been
verified by a special messenger sent by the Sultan (vide enclosure to my letter
No. 402-S., dated 2nd June 1922) was based on a misapprehension '
'Enclosure to Serial No. 51. — L etter from the P olitical A gent , M uscat,
to the H on ble the P olitical R esident in the P ersian G ulf,
B ushire , N o 1-C., dated the 13 th F ebruary 1923..
I ' fa.
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Oil in Muscat territory.
I have the honour to submit a copy of a letter about oil which I addressed
to His Highness the Sultan in pursuance of the instructions contained in
your Secretary's telegram, No. 2009, dated 13th December 1922. I have
also the honour to submit in original His Highness's reply. The agreement
in its present form was received on the 5th of this month. The date it bears
is that of another agreement for which it has been substituted. The delay
in obtaining the agreement in its present form has been due to difficulty in
reconciling His Highness's views on fitness of expression with my views
on intelligibility.
I find I was wrong in saying in my letter § No. 24-C., of 19th May 1922
that the existence of oil near the shores of the Gulf of Masirah had been
verified by a messenger sent by His Highness the Sultan. I misunderstood
what His Highness said about this. He said a messenger had been sent and
'then proceeded to give some details given him by the original reporter which
I understood to have been obtained by the messenger. It now seems he merelv
gave orders for a messenger to be sent which orders seem to have been for
gotten as most business matters are in this countrv. A soecial miocn'nn
is now being organised to see if the oil exists. speuai mission
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