'F 83 File 82/27-II QATAR OIL' [‎41r] (96/630)

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(a) safeguards sucia as t&e ri ght of preemption in
time of war, the obligation to establisli a
refinery locally, etc.
("b) - a point of mucii political .importance to us,
and, I siiould tMnlc, also to the foreign Office -
the nationality of the personnel to exploit
the concession end to represent tiie Company in
Qatar•
5 # fhe first cet^gcry of desiderata is closely involved vaitii
major questions of oil policy and it may well oe chat it would
be difficult to reach any early decision about them, though
^e might mention to the Company the desirability of local
refining without farther delay in view of our experience in
Bahrein.
6. As regards the second category, the more we think about
this concession the greater are the potential political
liabilities of H.M.G.in connection with it, whether it goes
to the A 4 P.O.G.,aB we should prefer, or, as we hope may not
be the case, to some wholly non-British body such as the
Standard Oil of California. We are inclined increasingly
to think that, having regard to possible political difficulties
to the undeveloped and uncivilised condition of Qatar and to
the complications which might arise were foreign personnel to
suffer, it would be essential not only that the Company shall
always be represented by a Chief Local Represent at ive who
shall be a British subject persona grata to H«M«G»and whose
appointment shall have been approved by them, but that the
exploiting personnel, in so far as local native labour
is not concerned, shall be wholly British (an arrangement
coul^ossibly be made as regards one or two individuals).
Our own very provisional view at the moment is that it would
be well to lay this down as a principle to apply equally to
any concessionaire who may secure a concession in Qatar,i.e.
whether/