File 18/2 'Koweit Customs' [‎78r] (155/410)

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cr^riD^iTijLL.
No. 110-C.
Political A^exicj, Kuwait.
*lat July looi.
Th# Hon'bl© tho Political Rcsidont in th« Pcreian Qulf 9
B U 8 M 1 R K«
kwuumw*
Keft»rt*no« your mwnioranidua i»o. lO'ic*, a^tea th« >t,u July 1001.
X havtj o.galrt i.pproachcd -hr. ad on tho -ubj oCt ot the
duplioawo uanifoatii, explained to n'n at 1 -inc.thj both verbally and
in Ji** object of th^ Provincial Director of Cv;ntonn rc-
and tri*^’. to induce hin to accede to it, I also tUbS®^ 6 ^
th«‘ t he nlbiit nrafer to do thie through me.
.'•hen I di J^uar> ed u *3 -v tter wit i hin verbally , he $<&▼« &• aii
evasive and»er tr«d iiaic tJxat a* would lat r.e have hi;} reply lator.
lliis ud ha*> nov done, 'n r1 , in a long and r^mblin^ letter, iiaa n
reluaed to con pi/ with the rciU^ot. de aaya that ho is moat anxious
to tiie approval of His I’ajeety^o OoveiTiment by doing all that
he can to please theu, tut ao regardrf the Proviroial hiroctor of
CuatokS request, his reason for spying oefore that he saw no need
for him to send duplicate iiArifeats, was that the request appear#
to him to he contrary to al) precedent. He had no relations with
the Persian Gcvernnent and did not consider that they had any
lucti.f5cation in making the request. All Persian ports were not
controlled froni one centre. If the Provincial Director cannot
trust his subordinates, his obvious course is to replace them by
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men whoa hi can trust. Ke asks me to convey the above to you and
explain his objection to complying with the request.
Another objection which he hinted to me verbally, but does
not mention in his letter, was that such a lot of trane-ehipping
is done by sailing craft after leaving here that he feared that
it would frequently be found that the cargo aid not i.ally with the
manifest, and that we would blame hie Customs for issuing false
manifests.
I learn that the question was discussed by the Shaikh with
his Council, and that the latter strongly advised him not to
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