'File 4/13 Zubarah 3' [‎12r] (28/512)

Mr. Lermitte called this morning and discussed
the situation on the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. . He showed me a letter
which he had received from the Company to the effect that
at the request of the 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. they have decided not
to recommence negotiations until the cold weather, the
letter went on to snow that they appeared to be somewhat
dissatisfied with the situation at Sharjah s.o even though
they had been successful in concluding their negotiations
the matter was held up because the Shaikh refused to accept
the Political Agreement and without the Shaikh accepting
the Political Agreement apparently His Majesty's Government
were not prepared to allow the Concession to be granted.
This they considered to be an unsatisfactory state of
affairs. I cannot remember the exact wording of the
letter but this was the meaning which it conveyed to me.
2. Mr. Lermitte also stated that on the 25th of July
he sent a launch to Dohar to bring back the motor vehi
cles belonging to petroleum Concessions Limited. His
launch had not returned. He was getting anxious and
he enquired what advice I could give to him. I decided
that I would send Jassim Mohammad the second Interpreter
in the Company's" launch to Dohar immediately with a
letter from me to the Shaikh enquiring what the position
was. This would have the effect of obtaining quick
formation for Mr. Lermitte without his going himself and
it would also give me an opportunity to send a man to Dohar
to make investigations with regard to the number of rounds
and rifles issued by the Shaikh of Qatar during the recent
trouble and also to obtain information regarding the actual
numbers of his forces and also whether they were all of
them indigenous to Qatar or w r hether they were from outside.
5. I understand not from a reliable source that the
Shaikh of Qatar has used the motor cars belonging to
Petroleum Concessions Limited and that they have been very
badly/-