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Coll 30/83 'QATAR OIL CONCESSION, POLICY AND PROTECTION.' [346r] (702/1018)
The record is made up of 1 volume (505 folios). It was created in 29 Dec 1933-12 Jul 1935. 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.
SnTccordi'nf flig t ht ? 0m :Doha - woul d be called upon to take
action, according to the situation, to disperse any hostile g-atherino^ anrl
render any large-scale attack by Ibn Saud’s tribafforces imnossib e 8 ’ ll will h!
noted that owing to the accident of water, raiding parS are tied Howl tn
^ p^rmltte^to uL° f air aCh '- 14 essential that aircraftXuld
q e permitted to take action against those objectives most likely to give the
required results, and that their use should not be confined to whatever boundaries
the Sheikh’s domain may eventually be fixed. uounuaries
The presence of one of His Majesty’s ships on the coast of the peninsula
“ —r “s «- S« g ~ «?
a t> an i e , mer ?' enC "’ dev f lo Ped which it was beyond the power of the Navy
and Royal Air Force to deal with with the forces available locally, we would
suggest that the Government of India should be approached with a view to the
provision 01 the necessary troops for the period of the emergency.
„ consider that, subject to the above safeguards, the commitment can be
lulhlled, since with our existing forces it should be possible to deter Ibn Saud
from making any foimal attack and to disperse and to punish any major raids
Caveat in event of Oil not being found.
ll- are n0t yet aware of tile approximate situation of the oilfields, nor
even if oil has been located in workable quantities. Wh consider it desirable that
some caveat should be entered to the effect that our guarantee of protection is
dependent upon oil being found and the concession taken up and worked within
some limited time.
Reference to the Committee of Imperial Defence.
12. As a matter of procedure, we presume that the proposed commitment
will not be entered into without prior consideration at the Committee of Imperial
Defence, on which all Government Departments are represented. This, we under
stand, would follow precedents already established in the case of the military
aspects of the Iraq Treaty, the proposed Treaty with Egypt and the Status of
Tangier.
Conclusion.
13. Our conclusions may be summarised as follows :—
(1) — {a) That the principle of endeavouring to secure the Qatar oil
concession for a company registered in Great Britain is in the best
interests of His Majesty’s Government (paragraph 3).
(&) That as a preliminary to any guarantee of protection, the boundary of
Qatar should be decided upon (paragraph 4).
(<?) That any guarantee given should be framed in more general terms than
those at present proposed (paragraph 5).
{d) That it should be made clear that the guarantee applies only to
unprovoked aggression, and that the Sheikh must take reasonable
steps for his own protection and for the safety of British and foreign
personnel (paragraphs 6 and 7).
{e) That a landing ground, with the necessary storage facilities, should be
provided in Qatar, and that an adequate system of intelligence should
be instituted (paragraphs 8 and 9).
(2) We consider that, subject to the above safeguards, the commitment can,
if necessary, be fulfilled, and that there is no objection to a suitably
qualified assurance being given to the Sheikh (paragraph 10).
(Signed) ERNLE CHATFIELD.
A. A. MONTGOMERY-MASSINGBERD.
E. L. ELLINGTON.
2, Whitehall Gardens, SHE. 1,
February 16, 1934.
About this item
- Content
The volume concerns British Government policy towards Qatar in the light of the bid by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) to obtain a concession from the Shaikh of Qatar (Abdullah bin Qasim al Thani [‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī]) to produce oil in the country. The British Government were keen that the concession should be obtained by a British company (APOC) and not by the Americans (Standard Oil Company of California). The oil concession was granted to APOC in 1935.
The papers include: discussion of policy by various British Government departments and officials (notably 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 Sir Trenchard Craven William Fowle; the Government of India, Foreign and Political Department; and the Foreign Office); the security of Qatar against raids from the Arabian interior; relations between Qatar and Ibn Saud [Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd, King of Saudi Arabia]; the decision of the British Government to offer military protection to Qatar in exchange for the granting of the oil concession to APOC (including discussions by the Committee of Imperial Defence, and its Standing Official Sub-committee for Questions concerning the Middle East); the development of air facilities in Qatar as a means of protecting the state, including correspondence from the Air Ministry; discussion of the Qatar boundary; note of a conversation 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. and Haji Williamson (folios 147-148); the surrender to the British Government of jurisdiction over British subjects, British-protected persons, and non-Muslim foreigners in Qatar; the recognition of Shaikh Hamad as successor to the Shaikh of Qatar; British opposition to a request by the Shaikh of Qatar for machine guns and armoured cars, because of the provocative effect this would have on Ibn Saud (folios 33-35); agreement that the 1916 treaty between the British Government and the Shaikh of Qatar should be binding on his heirs and successors; and the terms on which military protection was to be afforded by the British Government (folios 12-14).
The papers also include correspondence between the Shaikh of 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. .
The papers include one item of an earlier date than the main date range: a copy of the 1916 treaty between the British Government and the Shaikh of Qatar (folios 451-452).
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
- 1 volume (505 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 commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 501; 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. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the two leading and ending flyleaves. 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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Coll 30/83 'QATAR OIL CONCESSION, POLICY AND PROTECTION.' [346r] (702/1018), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3800, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100057526959.0x000067> [accessed 19 April 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/3800
- Title
- Coll 30/83 'QATAR OIL CONCESSION, POLICY AND PROTECTION.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:ii-v, 1r:17v, 18v:19v, 20v:41v, 45r:91v, 94r:113v, 126r:179v, 182r:199v, 200v:263v, 267r:450v, 453r:501v, iii-r:iv-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence