'Report and Proceedings of the Standing Sub-Committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence on the Persian Gulf' [‎15v] (35/94)

22
Koweit.
Limits of
Turkish
sovereignty.
SIR EDWARD GREY: We want an arrangement with them about the buoys,
under which they leave to us the buoys outside territorial water.
VISCOUNT MORLEY : Their buoys are not good, are they ?
SIR ARTHUR WILSON: I think they are placed now all right. I have got
their positions down on the chart. They are threatening to^ take ours away at least
our Consul says so—but I do not think there is any truth in it.
SIR EDWARD GREY : I should be in favour of keeping it within the narrower
limits that Sir Arthur Wilson suggests in the first instance, and letting this other
question grow afterwards.
VISCOUNT KITCHENER : We should try and get the line in the centre, and do
away with this unfortunate line outside the other bank.
SIR EDWARD GREY : We may try that, but we are not proposing to go into
that at the moment. This line would come in in the definition of their limits.
VISCOUNT MORLEY : We are greatly obliged to you, Lord Curzon, for being
kind enough to come. We will not detain you any more ; we will release you.
LORD CURZON : Thank you very much. I would only like to say this : I think
the suggestions that have been made are very valuable. The important thing is that,
if you make this arrangement about Koweit, you should draw your line round Koweit,
so as to cause as little trouble as possible in the future ; and do not land yourselves in
future trouble with the Turks over Bubian. I do not say “ Get as much for the Sheikh
of Koweit as possible/' as I have no desire to add to his possessions, but get as much
for him as will save you from trouble with the Turks in the future. As we go further
down the Gulf, you have never disputed Turkish sovereignty all the way down the coast
to Ojair (UkeirJ, so try and limit them to Ojair if you can. Ojair is above El Katr.
You are going to insist, as we have always done, upon your protectorate over Bahrein.
There is the question of El Bidaa and El Katr, which is rather a serious one. It would
ready be a good thing if you could do something there.
VISCOUNT MORLEY : It would be a good thing, because, amongst other things
it conduces to arms smuggling.
MR. HIRTZEL : It has become a great depot for the arms trade lately.
VISCOUNT MORUEY : I beg your pardon, Lord Curzon, will you go on.
LORD CURZON : I was only saying, try and get them out of El Bidaa, if you
can, and try and get El Katr declared free from their sovereignty, in which case it
would be an addition to your Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. ; you would then extend your Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates.
to Bahrein; and then it would be for you to settle later on whether you cared at all to
strengthen your hold upon the Chiefs on the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. .
VISCOUNT KITCHENER : If it is not declared as Turkish territory, it would
be open to anyone else to declare a protectorate over it.
LORD CURZON : Over the Trucial Chiefs ?—They are bound by treaties to us.
VISCOUNT KITCLIENER : We have never claimed them as protectorates.
LORD CURZON : I forget the actual terms of our treaties, but they are bound,
as far as I remember, not to alienate any portion of' their territory to any foreign
Power, are they not ?
MR. PARKER : Yes, and they are not to receive a foreign agent. Those are the
two points.
MR. HIRTZEL : And not to correspond.
{Lord Curzon withdrew.)
[Owing to a misunderstanding through the shorthand writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. thinking he had to retire
with Lord Curzon, some remarks here made by Sir Edward Grey were not
reported.]