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Coll 30/87(2) Part I 'Qatar: Oil Concession.' [‎367r] (752/1310)

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The record is made up of 4 volumes (639 folios). It was created in 14 Jan 1935-8 Nov 1944. It was written in English and Arabic. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. .
Confidential.
Memo. B. 445
Political Agreement of 5th June 1935 between His Majesty’s
Government in the United Kingdom and the Anglo-Persian
Oil Company, Limited.
THIS I dated the Fifth day of June, One thousand nine hundred
and thirty-five, is made BETWEEN His Majesty’s Government in the United
Kingdom (hereinafter called “His Majesty’s Government”) of the one part
and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, Limited (hereinafter called “ the
Company,” which expression shall where the context so admits he deemed to
include its successors and/or assignees) of the other part.
WHEREAS in the event of the Company obtaining a concession from the Sheikh
of^ Qatar (hereinafter called “the Sheikh”) certain responsibilities will devolve on
His Majesty’s Government, the Company has agreed with His Majesty’s Government
as follows :—
1. Notwithstanding anything contained in Article 12 of the Agreement between
the Company and the Sheikh, that agreement shall not be transferred to any other
company without the prior consent in writing of His Majesty’s Government, and
any other company to which that agreement may be transferred shall be and
remain a British company registered in Great Britain and having its principal
place of business in Great Britain, and its Chairman shall at all times be a British
subject.
2. Notwithstanding anything contained in Article 12 of the Agreement between
the Company and the Sheikh, any subsidiary company shall be and remain a British
company registered in Great Britain and having its principal place of business in
Great Britain, and its Chairman shall at all times be a British subject.
3. The employees of the Company in Qatar shall at all times be British subjects
or subjects of the Sheikh, provided that, with the consent of His Majesty’s Govern
ment, such persons of other nationality as are required for the efficient carrying on
of the undertaking may be employed.
Notwithstanding anything contained in the Agreement between the Company
and the Sheikh, the importation of foreign native labour shall be subject to the
approval of the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
4. For the purpose of dealing with the Qatar authorities one of the superior
local employees of the Company, who shall be a British subject, shall be designated
chief local representative of the Company in Qatar. The approval of His Majesty’s
Government shall be required for the person so designated. He will be ordinarily
resident in Qatar and will be responsible for the Company’s local relations with the
Qatar authorities, which shall be conducted through the political representative of
His Majesty’s Government in Qatar if and when such a representative is appointed.
5. Subject to the terms of the Agreement between the Company and the Sheikh
the Company undertakes at all times to pay due deference to the wishes of the
Sheikh and to the advice of the political representative (if any) of His Majesty’s
Government in Qatar and the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
6. Any right given to the Company under its agreement with the Sheikh to
utilise means of transportation b}^ air shall be subject to any general regulations
for civil aircraft made by the Sheikh on the advice of Elis Majesty’s Government.
7. Notwithstanding anything contained in the Agreement between the Company
and the Sheikh the Company shall not have the right to use or occupy, and shall
not include in the areas to be acquired or utilised for the purposes of its operations,
any sites which may have been selected by or on behalf of the Sheikh or His
P.Z. 3209/35.
4558b

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Content

The file concerns the signing of the agreement between the British Government, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) (later the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company), and the Shaikh of Qatar, Abdullah bin Qasim al Thani [‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī] to award the company an exclusive oil concession in Qatar (also spelled Qatr and Katr). The file also concerns preliminary oil explorations in Qatar, and the subsequent suspension of operations on the orders of the British Government.

The papers cover: discussion, drafts and text of the commercial agreement between the Shaikh of Qatar and APOC (signed 17 May 1935); discussion, draft and text of the political agreement between HM Government and APOC (signed 5 June 1935); the use by the Shaikh of modern, Egyptian Arabic to make comments on the draft (folios 624-625); British support for the proposal that disputes between foreign employees of the company and inhabitants of Qatar should not be submitted to the Shara [Sharia] courts (folio 604); intelligence on the activities of the Standard Oil Company [California-Arabia Standard Oil Company] (e.g. folio 443); British emphasis that military protection would be afforded to the Shaikh of Qatar on condition that he awarded the oil concession to APOC, and the assumption by Britain of responsibility for the protection of Qatar (e.g. folios 400-403); the transfer of the concession from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company to Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited (e.g. folios 335-357); the payment of salaries to the Shaikh's representatives (e.g. folios 294-295); water drilling operations by the company (e.g. folios 237-241); references to Qatar's disputed border with Saudi Arabia; reports of preliminary drilling results and first discoveries of oil (1939-41); employment of foreign personnel by Petroleum Concessions Limited in Qatar (folios 180-182); the suspension of drilling operations on the orders of HM Government in 1942 as a result of war conditions, including correspondence on the subject between British officials and the Shaikh of Qatar, 1942-43; note that the suspension had been ordered because the British military authorities were unable to spare sufficient personnel to ensure the destruction of the oil wells, should the military situation demand it (folio 41); correspondence dated 1944 concerning a proposed increase in world oil refining capacity; and further correspondence dated 1944 concerning the boundary between Qatar and Bahrain at Hawar Island.

The main correspondents are senior officials at the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , representatives of the oil companies concerned, and the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .

The Arabic language content of the file consists of approximately 30 folios of correspondence, largely between British officials and the Ruler of Qatar.

The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
4 volumes (639 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: this file consists of four physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover of volume one (ff 1-161) and terminates at the inside back cover of volume four (ff 486-647); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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Coll 30/87(2) Part I 'Qatar: Oil Concession.' [‎367r] (752/1310), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3806A, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100047810667.0x000099> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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