'File 14/3 Oilfields in the Gulf outside Muscat territory' [‎21r] (41/54)

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Juriadiotion over the Sub-aoil beneath
aea, i m mediately adjacent to territorial
waters «
A meeting was held on 16th January in Mr.Beckett’s
room at which the Following were presents
.
Vv.K. Beckett
G.C.BoJDodds
G. W.Lepper
K. L.Stook
?• A.K.Harrison
L. Porter
B.A.Greenhill
B • £ • • Gage
T.Wikely
F•A.Fallat
H. W.A.Freese-Fennefather
Foreign Office iin Chair)
Admiralty
Ministry of Fuel and Power
M in is t ry of F ue 1 and Po wer •
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. .
Colonial Office.
£•.2 .Secretariat
Foreign Office.
Foreign Office.
Foreign Office.
Foreign off ice.
Mr.Beckett opened the meeting by explaining the
position under the agreement whica we had contemplated
making between ourselves and the United States with regard
to tae Bahamas# whereby each of the two parties would
refrain from endeavouring to acquire by occupation the sub
soil beneath the sea immediately adjacent to the territorial
waters of the other leaving the latter free to do so. The
Americans had been thinking along the same lines with regard
to the suosoil adjacent to United States territorial waters
and on 26th September President Truman had issued a Proclam
ation i co^y attached ) extending American jurisdiction over
the sub-aoil adjacent to the whole length of their coast.
The Americans, in fact# he.d done unilaterally wnat we were
proposing to do by agreement, and their action had already
had repercussions in Mexico and other countries, which
regarded the proclamation as a useful precedent and, in the
case of Mexico, had already used it as such. A'e should
therefore consider what our line should be. Should wes
(i) Complain of the American action, putting in
reservations etc.
(ii) Bo nothing, or
(iii) Take positive action ourselves with a view to
establishing our position not only in the Bahamas but else
where as well, following the American example?
As regards (i), we would not be likely to alter
what has now become the declared policy of the united States
and indeed our policy with regard to the Bahamas was designed
to achieve a similar result in the m limited area to which
it related.
As Kuwait and other countries, for whose interests
we were responsible* would require a lead from us as to
whether they should use the American action as a precedent,
we clearly could not adopt the alternative of doing nothing,
whatever other merits, if any, this course might have.
it remained, theref ore, to see whether it would not
suit our book to follow the American lead ourselves and
make some public pronouncement indicating that we approved
its general principles in internatianai law.
/ A