Coll 30/21 'Persian Gulf: Koweit. Blockade by Ibn Saud. Koweit-Nejd Relations' [‎196v] (403/1142)

10
attack by land or sea. The Secretary of State for India, on closer consideration
found himself unable to accept this proposal. 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. letter to the Foreign
Office of the 30th October, 1911, remarked :—
“ The telegrams of the 4th December, 1901, and the 14th October, 1902
on which the Government of India appear to base the obligation to protect
Koweit by land and sea, in the Marquess of Crewe’s opinion, clearly refer
only to the incidents that occasioned them, and cannot be understood to have
given any general undertaking. Nor, in view of the fact that it has since
been decided that our obligations extend to the whole of the Sheikh’s
territory, as described in Lorimer's Gazetteer, would it be safe to pledge
ourselves to any specific method of defending them. As was pointed out by
Lord Morley in this Office letter of the 8th April last, the term ‘ good offices ’
(which, by Colonel Meade’s letter of the 23rd January, 1899, we undertook
to accord to the Sheikh) is a conveniently vague one, and Lord Crewe is of
opinion that it is neither necessary nor safe to go beyond it. The action
taken by His Majesty’s Government in 1901-02, when men and guns were
landed at Koweit to defend it against unprovoked Turkish aggression, will,
moreover, have made it plain to the Porte in what way we are prepared to
interpret the term if necessity arises.
“ His Lordship would therefore suggest that the formula should run •
‘ As regards No. 1, His Majesty’s Government have informed the Sheikh of
Koweit that, so long as he and his heirs and successors act up to their
obligations under the agreement, His Majesty’s Government undertake to
support them and accord them their good offices,’ with, perhaps, the
addition that His Majesty’s Government reserve to themselves the rKht to
interpret that term at their discretion.”
The Foreign Office (Foreign Office letter dated the 1st November 1911)
accepted the proposed redraft and addition, and a communication in this sense
was made to levfik Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. m Sir Edward Grey’s letter of the 24th October, 1911.
13. Ihe undertaking given in 1914 that Koweit “shall be recognised as
an independent principality under British protection,” may be regarded as
a whole 11 ^ ^ de g ree 0;1: responsibility for the protection of the principality as
iqic 14 ’ \9 n tilG deat \ of Sheikh Mobarak his eldest son was informed, in March
916, on his accession, by the Viceroy, that, “ so long as you act up to the existing
^ ?n rit1 ^ ^ 0U ma ^ ex P ect ^ support as
drath in 7 i d Qi b 7 A S1 ™ llar assurance was given on Sheikh Jabir’s
Sheikh ?LwI t0 brother and successor, Sheikh Salim, in March 1917.
him thrmiu-h tVp rf was a^salasfactory, and it was found necessary to warn
(which nrpfnmahl 01 lca Resident, on the 5th July, 1918, that the assurances
trhim COVered the assurance of the 3rd November, 1914) conveyed
acts “ contra rv ?n S fh 0nW f re c f 0nd i tl A nal good behaviour, and that, should
committed*^ ft,tn^” h” t6 (A ^is Majesty’s Government unfortunately be
committed in future, he would be held personally responsible.
15. In connexion with the operations against the Ikhwan in 1928 the
& 0 de 0 fent e o P fKT e ° f of His Majesty’s Government
out forwa rd that 5™!, V oon f dered m 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. , when the view was
reading our Hahilitv °fi ^ e ngagements suggested that, on a strict
Conclusion.
appear' co^stein /t°! n ^ corres pondence summarised above, (a) we
on the good behaviour nf in aken the view that our obligations are conditional
we are committed to “cm rf - v ^ secon dly, that, subject to this reservation,
we are committed to good offices m respect of “ Koweit ” an assurance which
has, since 1911 been accepted as extending to “who^
sXort^b tbTdt T' US ^ anything Turtr Van dfploLtic
boundaries* belong ttTeirsVf Eh Moh hat l tb V° wn y f Kowelt “ d its
for the Bunder Shweikh site was termkated aVeSffi
was not abrogated, and the reciprocal pledges embodied in that agreement should