File 1247/1912 Pt 1 'Turkey:- Communication to Turkish Govt of agreement between Gt. Britain and Koweit, Bahrein & Trucial Chiefs. Decorations for Sheiks of Koweit, Mohammerah & Bahrein in connection with Anglo-Turkish Convention.' [‎61v] (42/336)

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paragraphs appearing in the Basrah papers could give reliable information of
matters winch were the subject of confidential negotiations between the British
“ i " «*"'■> »r~ ‘
3. On one occasion, when I visited the Shaikh before I bad received
No^Sy of thr^H Ao 06 ] ,)ri ':, t p 1297 ^ dated the 26th M^rch, your telegram
The SlLuT 3 *- Ap 1 ‘ ;. an ', 1 Fore, g n Department telegram referred to above
British he recelTed nPWS Dom Basrah to the effect that the’
British and Turkish Governments had agreed upon Kuwait autonomv and
Shaikh^ ^ Perfectly satisfied for all his claims had been recognized ‘The
the “" I ' 1 /!'"' 1 . bein? serious, I said no more than that I dmibted
he authenticity of his information or that the Porte could have receded
diverge fiom r h^ S 1 ? 08ltion , which sometime ago I knew showed a wide
.. n \° “O^ h's claims. A few days later I obtained a copy of the
r { P^ ll ? h ? d ln Ba srah) which contained a paragraph in hs issue of
wha 2 the sCkh'ba f U W t 1331 ^ 1913 ) P-etica.l/id^i with
at the bhaikh had told me. I attach, for information, a rough translation
hi rif paragraph, which, I may add, was also received with as much satisfaction
by the Kuwait public as the Shaikh. It will be obvious, however that thfa
fw 8 j a - Ct ! 0n .^ ased oa a rastly different conception of Kuwait autonomv tn
2fith \f° T d 7 7 n draft a "'' eeraent of the Foreign Office print 12978 of
o, 7.‘y,' 11 e '' 1 sllall > however, take the first opportunity made possible by the
™ 3 r P T em hf t , ah r alth t0 P re P are hi “ for the fact r thathe y must
expect a considerable alteration in his present view of the position.
. , 4 - Meanwhile, I venture to submit, for consideration, the following points
Shaikh^ ^ even now it nmy not be too late to obtain better terms^or the
Shaikh As a result of my recent tour I have been able to lay down wi?h
some accuracy the position of wells and other features to the iuth-w^T of
luwait by which the Shaikh’s southern boundary is determined. The Shaikh
claims to include the Al-Gara’a and Al-Haba wells, and all the information
T i, aV6 f( ’ ee r ab ' e t0 c . ollect points to the fact that his claim is justly founded
I have attached herewith the confidential “ Map of the Kuwait Hinterland’’'
ith the doubtful portion in the south corrected from my latest tours, and would
to "be usefuT^vTr ^1 "r”® map Un< ' or ' ected in ? our office as likely
to be usetul. By far the strongest argument in support of the Shaikh’s claim
however, is the actual s.tuation of the wells themselves. Takin- the Al-Haba
wells as a centre and striking a semi-circle of 90 miles radius from east round
by south to west disc oses the fact that in the whole of the intervening country
there is not a single well and that the nearest wells to the southward He on
this semi-circle, tu*.,-those of Awaina, on the east situate 27 miles sou h of
Anta a, next those of Hafar-al-Ats, almost due south from Al-Haba and those
of Gaiyiya (at 10a miles), south-west of Al-Haba. It may be taken for ^ranted
that nomad Arabs recognise authority in the desert according to welts and
a w at k™ 7 . t0Ur f .VT 1 heard i* 1 suggested that the wells of Hafar
As-Safa, Al-Gara a, and Al-Haba (all along the Shaikh’s southern boundary)
1D tcrntor - v and jurisdiction. How I came to omit the
Al-Haba wells from my previous report, No. 62 C., dated the 12th August
19 a 2 ’ it n ° W “ nderstand - I have marked in blue pencil wlia^ is
undoubtedly the actual boundary on the attached corrected map. As I have
traversed personally the whole of this district, obtained my information from
Bedouin camp,ng actually on the spot, and myself produced what map there H
of the tiact, i claim that my opinion is entitled at least to as much weight as
tnnwtT “ S ,n° £ the I ul kish Government, which has no real or first?hand
knowledge of the area, facts or conditions as they actually exist.
TT„-Jht )!? ul< i 1 am f u lly aw 1 are 1 tllat aa agreement with Turkey regarding
^feTence that be it r Ts 0 worth n 7 ri 7 ® om P romise ’ J verlture to submit with aU
deterence that it is worth while in our own interests to consider how anv
compromise is likely to be regarded by the Ruler of Kuwait and his peopkand
its piobable effect on our relations. It must be recollected that the Shaikh has
not been informed of the course of the negotiations, nor of the Turkish