File 3516/1914 Pt 11 'Persia: protection of Anglo-Persian Oil Co's fields etc' [‎114r] (232/550)

MP"
Minute Paper.
(t\T^
\ J
Department.'
The history of the Anglo-P^rsian Oil Company’s
Persian Concession is briefly summarised in the
subjoined extract from a Report dated the 8th
October 1915;—
The general position with regard to the Angio-lVrsian Oil Company s
concession in I’ersia may be briefly stated. 1 be Company was formed m Id h
to work a concession obtained from the Persian Oovernment 111 ’• )l
^lr W. K. D’Arcv. which rims for (iO 3 ’ears from the -Mil May IdOl, and
Irives the exclusive right to drill for, produce, pipe, and carry aw?.y on and
petroleum ]) rod nets throughout the whole Persian Pmpire excluding the i\e
Nonhorn provinces (Azerbaijan, Ohiian, Mazanderan Asterabad, and Khoi-
assau). The onlv oil-fiehls at present being worked by the Compant undei
this concession are situated in the neighbourhood ol .Maidan-i-Naphtun in the
Baklniari country, whence the oil is conyejjedm a pipe-hne to >e Company s
relinerv on Abadan Island at the head ol the Persian <uili. Altei leaung the
Bakhtiari hills the pipe-line runs through a tribal area subject to the influence
of the Sheikh of Mohainnierab. Under agreement tilth the Company the
Bakhtiari Khans have undertaken to police and protect the held uoiks a t
upper section of the-pipe line, while the Sheikh ol Mohamnierah is unuei a
siniilar ohligation in regard to the refinery and the lower part ol the line. 1 he
Bakhtiari Khans are entitled, by agreement, to 3 per cent, ol the shares u
v v formed to work oil in Paklitian country, and thus haw a
substantial interest in tlie success of the venture. In May Pd 14 an agreement
was concluded between the Company and the Admiralty, by winch tbe lattei
acquired a sufficient number of shares to give them a controlling nueiest
tlie_Companj t j 1( , pipe-lino was never interfered with; but m
i ^ o FpIwu-u-v of the present vear eonsiderable,damage \vas done by the
' ' against the Sheikh of Mohamnierah, to the
^ioii l^" l^^en die Bakhtiari border and Ahwaz. The damage has
KrAjone line ^ t^ipm.s^s,
subsidy of ]lc ‘ ‘ ^ iint - n ii. iv 1915 when a rupture with the
fulfills! their engagements out in aiav i»io, wiitu ‘ 1
further agreement v\ith •> ■ > p ■ nn d 0 f their finding themselves no
hostilities between Great llntmn nd Pm t^imd cd^en ^ ^ of the .
%
^rbaidtan, Gilan,
izand^ran, Ast^ra-
i-d and Khora3 3aji.
Dloyees auring luudc r , .1
TUT a-'o lth MaV 1915. It may be mentioned that the population at the o.l-
feids consTsteof some
Th<» text of the concession is flagged on t/ie
fiA below. Its area covers the whole Persian ^
Empire, exclusive of the five northern provinces,
and therefore includes lUshw and other Persian
islands in the Gulf. But the Admiralty are not
satisfied with this; they want to make the company's
rights