'F 83 File 82/27-II QATAR OIL' [‎279r] (573/630)

increase or extend our facilities if found necessary at a later
date* In tiais connection it is possible that the suggested
wording of the safeguarding clause (5) in the Goyernment
Agreement, mentioned on page 2 of Walton^s letter, which says
"any sites which may have heen selected" would not give us a
sufficiently free hand to extend or increase air facilities,
if it should eventually be necessary to do so• We discussed
this point recently and you agreed it should be possible to
arrange for wording of this clause in a manner which would meet
both the Company 1 s and our requirements. Will you please let
us know what you would suggest?
As far as can be seen at present our requirements will
be limited to two landing grounds.
{aj Doha if it is found to be good enough, or failing
that the next best alternative, as our main
landing ground.
(b) Karaana, if one can be found there, or alternatively
some other advanced landing ground in the vicinity
of that place.
I am afr4id we cannot define our requirements more
precisely than this until it has b©en possible to carry out a
thorough reconnaissance on the ground to examine these and
possibly other likely sites. Perhaps you would consider the
possibility of our being given permission to do this.
4. We understand you are now considering the
desirability of offering the Sheiich a guarantee of protection
against external aggression in exchange for concessions on his
part, and if anything comes of this it will be essential for us
to be given an opportunity of examining likely sites on the
ground (for landplanes and flying boats) before committing
ourselves definitely on the subject. Any change in the existing
policy, which added to our coiiimitments in the matter of
protection of ^atar against external aggression would also
involve careful consideration of the problem of intelligence.
As you know, the succesd of air operations depends very largely
^ipon efficient intelligence, and we normally (in Iraq for
instance) provide our own Intelligence Officers.
Apart/