Coll 6/67(4) 'Boundaries of South Eastern Arabia and Qatar.' [104r] (207/843)
The record is made up of 1 file (420 folios). It was created in 12 Nov 1935-27 Sep 1937. It was written in English. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
THIf/oCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
loM S
EASTERN (Arabia).
CONFIDENTIAL.
April 19, 1937.
Section 1.
E 2124/258/91]
Copy No.
Sh‘ R. Bullard to Mr. Eden.—{Received April 19.)
(No. 47.)
Si r? Jedda, March 27, 1937.
I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith a copy of a record made by
Mr. Rendel of a discussion which we had with Sheikh \ usuf \asin and Sheikh
Hafiz Wahba on the 19th March about the eastern frontier of Saudi Arabia in
and near the region of Qatar. The record is accompanied by two sketch maps
made by Mr. Rendel, viz., (1) the Jabal Naksh area,(') (2) Khor-al-Odeid^ 1 )
2. In accordance with the instructions conveyed in your telegram No. 1 of
the 4th January, I had for some time been discussing the southern frontier with
Fuad Bey, as neither His Majesty’s Government nor Ibn Saud felt able to give
way about either Jabal Naksh or Khor-al-Odeid. The information collected by
Mr. Rendel on the spot seemed, however, to be so clear that I fully agreed with
him that it would be worth while to make an effort during his stay in Jedda to
come to an agreement on this, the most difficult part of the frontier, in the hope
that this potential cause of friction, perhaps dangerous friction in time of crisis,
might be cleared out of the way. The history of the case subsequent to the
discussion recorded by Mr. Rendel is given in my despatches No. 41 of the
23rd March and No. 46 of the 27th March, but for convenience of reference I
summarise the relevant portions of those despatches here.
3. At an interview with Ibn Saud on the 21st March Mr. Rendel made an
appeal for a settlement of the Jabal Naksh-Khor-al-Odeid-Sufuk (Safaq) portion
of the frontier. Ibn Saud repeated his familiar argument that the whole of the
coast used to belong to his ancestors and that the present rulers would not deny it.
It was true that he had recognised the treaties between the coastal rulers and His
Majesty’s Government in the Eladda Agreement, but on the question of the
boundaries there was a limit beyond which he could not go. The boundary of
Qatar was well known to be Araik (Uraiq) which was in the nufud. The maps
which were at hand were examined, but none showed Araik. I said that unless
mv memory was at fault I had seen a map on which Araik was shown to the
south of Jabal Naksh; if that were so, there would no longer be any disagreement
on this point. Ibn Saud then turned to Khor-al-Odeid, and said that in claiming
it for Saudi Arabia he was thinking of the interests of His Majesty’s Government
as much as of his own. No one else could govern that region. When crimes were
committed there it was to him that the people applied for redress.
4. On my return to the Legation I found that in the only map that showed
Araik (that enclosed in Mr. RendeTs letter of the 16th January, 1936, to
Sir Andrew Ryan) it was in fact shown just north of Qasr-al-Salwa, i.e., exactly
where we have proposed that the boundary should run. I also consulted telegram
No. 92, which 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.
sent to 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.
on the 1st February, 1936. which supports this view. I therefore wrote to
Sheikh Yusuf Yasin suggesting that the definition of the boundary given by the
King left Jabal Naksh to Qatar. His reply, which is given as an enclosure to my
despatch No. 46, dated the 27th March, if confused in some respects, is clear
enough in denying that the King admitted that Qatar included Jabal Naksh and
in implying that the boundary runs between Jabal Dukhan and Jabal Naksh.
I have since discussed the matter with Sheikh Yusuf Yasin as well as one can
discuss a subject with a man who admits that he knows nothing about it. He
quotes Fuad Bey’s statement of the 3rd April, 1935, a copy of which was sent to
you in Sir Andrew Ryan’s despatch No. 100 of the 7th April, 1935, and declares
that that letter still expresses the King’s views. Now this statement assumes, in
its first paragraph, that there is an area lying between Jabal Dukhan and Jabal
Naksh, and. although we know, from Mr. Rendel’s observations, that Jabal Naksh
[981 t—1]
(0 Not reproduced.
About this item
- Content
This file primarily concerns British policy regarding the eastern and south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia, specifically those bordering Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and Muscat (i.e. the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman).
Much of the correspondence relates to British concerns that the boundaries should be demarcated prior to the commencement of any oil prospecting in the area. The file's principal correspondents are the following: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, succeeded by Sir Reader William Bullard); 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. (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch); the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Muscat (Major Ralph Ponsonby Watts); the Secretary of State for the Colonies; the Secretary of State for India; the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; officials of the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, 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. , and the Admiralty.
Matters discussed in the correspondence include the following:
- Whether the British should press King Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] for a settlement of the outstanding questions relating to the aforementioned boundaries.
- Sir Andrew Ryan's meeting with Ibn Saud and the Deputy Minister for Saudi Foreign Affairs, Fuad Bey Hamza, in Riyadh, in November 1935.
- The disputed territories of Jebel Naksh [Khashm an Nakhsh, Qatar] and Khor-al-Odeid [Khawr al ‘Udayd].
- Whether or not a territorial agreement between Ibn Saud and Qatar was concluded prior to the Anglo-Qatar Treaty of 1916.
- The intentions of Petroleum Concessions Limited regarding the development of its oil concession in Qatar.
- The line proposed by the British for the boundary between Saudi Arabia and the Aden Protectorate.
- The Kuwait blockade.
- Leading personalities in Oman.
- Details of Harry St John Bridger Philby's expedition to Shabwa [Shabwah, Yemen].
- Four meetings held between Sir Reader Bullard, George Rendel (Head of the Foreign Office's Eastern Department), and Ibn Saud, in Jedda, 20-22 March 1937.
Also included are the following:
- Copies of the minutes of meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East.
- Copies of correspondence dating from 1906, exchanged between 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. (Major Percy Zachariah Cox), the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department, and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi [Shaikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan], regarding the latter's claim to Khor-al-Odeid.
- Several maps and sketch maps depicting the proposed boundaries discussed in the correspondence.
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 (folio 2).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (420 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 421; 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 in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2137
- Title
- Coll 6/67(4) 'Boundaries of South Eastern Arabia and Qatar.'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:30v, 33r:47v, 50r:60v, 64r:93v, 95r:107v, 109r:210v, 213r:304v, 313r:358v, 360r:421v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence