Coll 6/8(1) 'Printed Series: 1929 to 1938.' [‎161r] (326/1062)

43
the NeL^EasUhfough ftrSdia^^L Ea'SerrfauU m C™* 1 *’ “
Oil Corporation is a powerful comrL^ ^ 1 5 T lf 0l1 Co . m Pany. The dull'
refining and marketing oil throue-lmo/ thp^lP-f , m Q P^ oducm ^ transporting,
Mountains. It is also engaged if nr Sta k S ’■ eaSt ? f the Kocl 5
Colombia, and markets oil extensively in VnS, 01 mu ' fcxlc '.’’ Venezuela and
is that of the Mellon fanhly,“lre saM tn hf' he ^ rm01 P al interest “ H
'eiers and to have ended up’-with an 80 ner n.'ro cora ( ,i m originally as finan-
independent company, but it is interested with ti ' lnterest - ihe - Gulf is an
(a recent meronr of the n-fn “ the Soe °ny—Vacuum Company
Cornanvi and S n wf an T dard ^ Company of New York and Vacuum Old
the Eastern and General 'svndhS’e ' t lC ' P -' C - is also interested with
1007 uoi'-.i f syndicate m a possible concession in Koweit In
1927 it obtained on option from the Eastern and General, on the Bahrein Con
cession which the syndicate had secured in December 1925. Eventually how
ever this concession was taken over by the Standard Oil of California, presuml
ably because the Gulf as a member of the I. P. C„ could not hold it. In
!t acquired from the Eastern and General Syndicate an option over any rights
which the syndicate might possess in Hasa, the neutral zone and Koweit It
could only operate concessions in Hasa and probably also in the neutral zone
with the permission of the I. P. C.
cu ^ Standuird Oil Company of California—Mtev the break-up of the
ptandard Oil Group m 1912, many members of the group became independent
including the above company. This company is one of the largest oil companies
in me United states, and is a complete unit, being engaged in producing re
fining, transporting and marketing crude oil and refined products. ’The
company is engaged in production in eight States in the United States, and
has oil properties in Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela. The Standard Oil
Company of California and the Gulf are independent of each other, although
there is a general impression that the various Standard Oil Companies still
have some community of interest and are prepared to co-operate in matters
of general policy. At times, however, there has been keen competition
between them. As pointed out above, the Standard Oil Company of California
holds the Bahrein Concession, which it operates through the Bahrein Petro
leum Company, a Canadian Corporation. It has also just secured from Ibn
Sand an oil concession in Hasa, full particulars of which are not yet available.
(C )—Past Concessions affecting Saudi Arabia.
(1) Northern Hejaz .—It is possible that certain concessionary rights were
granted in Turkish times, but this subject has not been explored in the Lega
tion. There was talk of a concession under the Hashimite regime and Mr.
Philby was one of those interested, hut there is no evidence of a Hashimite
concession having been granted. Any interest of Mr. Philby’s is presumably
identical with that of Midian (Limited), an inactive but still going concern,
closely allied with Sharquieh (Limited).
(2) Jedda (Hejaz, West Coast of Arabia).—Two American engineers
(Twitchell and Crane) carried out investigations for oil in 1931. The Petro
leum Department brought the matter to the notice of the Anglo-Persian Oil
Company, who replied that the geological prospects in this area were not
regarded as favourable [see under paragraph (A) (1)].
(3) Muscat .—The Anglo-Persian Oil Company obtained a concession in
1925 to prospect for oil for a period of two years with the right to a mining
lease, but this concession has now lapsed.
(4) Mokalla.—ThQ Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company started negotiations
for a concession in 1928-29, but the matter was not proceeded with as they
reached the conclusion that the prospects of discovering petroleum were quite
favourable.
(5) Horn—The Anglo-Persian Oil Company applied, probably for
ospecting rights only, to Ibn Sand in 1921. The E.G.S came into the field
;er P At fte beginning of 1923 Major Holmes submitted a draft c o noe ^ion
Sir P Cox. In March 1923, the latter, acting under instructions from home
ggested to Ibn Sand that he should decide nothmg mitiPlie had tad an
portunity of considering an offer by A y°y'l, who “ H ‘ s „S“l 7 ^ r fer the
mt considered to have a prior claim. About the sa ^® V ; terests
o companies were in touch with each other with a view to sharing interest^
d ItTstatedXt at one point they went through a pretence of breakrng off