Concessions in Bahrein [Bahrain], Kuwait, &c: correspondence, 1932-Jul 1933 (Colonial Office Secret Print, Middle East No.49) [‎134v] (270/284)

242
Oil Company. If they decided in favour of giving such an invitation before the
Shaikh had made up his mind about the concession I did not think that official recog
nition of the Shaikh during his visit could be accorded by His Majesty's Government.
6. If, on the other hand, the Shaikh were, as the telegrams read by Mr. Hearn
suggested might, in the view of the local representatives of the Anglo-Persian Oil
Company, be possible, by any chance to make up his mind in the immediate future
in favour of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, the obstacles to a visit home and to
official recognition of the Shaikh during such a visit would be very substantially reduced.
But even in such circumstances it would seem definitely preferable from the point
of view of our relations with the American Government that no visit should take
place until a decent interval after the grant of the concession to British interests.
Mr. Hearn after some further discussion agreed that, having regard to the position
adopted vis-a-vis the United States Government by His Majesty's Government, it was
undesirable to take any attitude different from that suggested in the conversation
and proposes, T understand, to reply to his representatives in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. that the
greatest care must be exercised as regards any extension of an invitation; that it
should not be used at this stage; and that in the event of the Shaikh granting the
concession to the Anglo-Persian Oil Company it would be preferable that the visit, if
it took place, should be only after a decent interval.
^ 6. Qatar Concession. —Mr. Hearn alluded to the discussion which had recently
tfaken place about Qatar. I said that I had been on leave during this meeting and
was not fully aware of the position, but a brief discussion took place. Mr. Hearn,
who had previously referred to the possibility of some arrangement between the
Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the Gulf Oil Company, under which the exploitation
of the Kuwait concession, if it went to the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, should be
entirely conducted by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, the American interests having
a share in distribution only, and had also referred to the recent acquisition of the
Hasa concession by the Standard Oil Company, hinted at possible difficulties over safe
guards in connexion with Qatar, particularly having regard to the international
interests re»piesented on the Iraq Petroleum Company. The French, in particular,
might see considerable difficulty about any right of pre-emption m the event of war.
i • I said that, while I dici not know what had taken place in the previous
discussions^ it was only fair to say that, so far as could be judged, the question of
safeguards m respect of the Qatar area was likely to be of great importance. Havin 0-
regard to the position of the Shaikh, his treaty commitments and possible difficulties
about jurisdiction, it would be unfair to hold out any hope that they were likely to
be easy to surmount. A different position might arise, indeed, if the Anglo-Persian
Oil Company were to develop the Qatar concession, foreign companies having a
distributing interest only and all personnel, &c., being British.
2nd June, 1933. J G - ^ITHWAITE.
18119/33 [No. 143].
No. 266.
HIS MAJESTY'S REPEESENTATIVE, JEDDAH, to the SECRETARY OF
STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
(Received 12th June, 1933.)
Telegram.
(Copy received in Colonial Office, 14th June, 1933.)
(Paraphrase.)
No. 10. ( Saving .) 1st June. My telegram No. 108. # Hamilton thp rpnrp
sentative of the Standard Oil Company of California, left 31st May with the intention
of proceeding very leisurely to London.
I do not know Swiss and Italian competitors referred to on naop 9c>« ^ ^
.. Bushire top-h No. M .0 Col..,. ,O fc; , , M KS fe
European competitors including I think French but merely in the vaguest terms
I think that m the report quoted in preceding paragraph Dickson under-estimates
t he effect of King s antipathy for Mr. Holmes. It is increasingly probable that
* 18254/33 [No. 37] : not printed. | No ^ "