'File 14/1 III Oil concession in Muscat' [‎184r] (372/594)

opportunity of competing.
® ^ receive con sideration.
vHth regard to B (the Bahrein Unallotted Area),
Mr • Longri^^ leierreci to his previous call on the 31st
March, at which he had left a copy of the Company's draft
lease relating to parts of the Bahrein Unallotted Area and
he said that here again the Company were concerned about
the future intentions of Major Holmes, who was fully
informed as to their proposals. The Can pan y were satisfied
that there was little chance of the Sheikh of Bahrein giving
them the whole of the Unallotted Area and that they had
been led to believe that the Sheikh intended to give
everything except the liawar Group of islands to the
America,ns. For this reason they had departed from their
original intention to compete for the whole of the
Unallotted Area; but while they were prepared to leave the
main island out of their plans, they wanted rather more than
the Hawar Group and he hoped that His Majesty's Government
would feel able to support the Company on the basis of tne
draft concession. Sir Trenchard ?owle intervened at this
stage to point out that the Company's proposed concession
area included certain islands (i.e. the Hawar Group and
Fasht Dibal) whose ownership as between Bahrein and
n sp+prmired. While on the evidence
had not yet been clearly determined
n u. uoo Tfa i p^tv' s Government these
at present available to His Maj - -
r, n there was reason to suppose
islands belonged to Ha.- r
•,V f oatar mivht wish to advance claims uo
that the Sheikh of Q,atar ... - _
+ it wivht be preferable to a.,
them and he thought that it rr +ia + i0r , o
tv, fl resumption of negotiations
. ^ ^nat'onne the r e o ui.. ^ ^^
Sheikh of Bahrein to pootp -■
^ three months m order ,aa.z
• is two or tnreu
for a short period (.,ay t
cou id be finally determined, ni.
tu^ nnpptior of ownership coi-iu
the question suggestion/