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, for the concluBion with Kuwait of an agreement
13. As regards the prop _ ] . consider it most desirable that some such
similar to the ^hm Ag not merely with a view to providing machinery
agreement should be nego but w ith the object of emphasising the inde-
for the rapid settienieiit ^^ lt> I a m adressing a separate despatch to
pendent status of the Buler ^ ^ t and wiU pere merely say that in my
the Government of ^n mint of our poiicv in the Gulf to uphold, maintain
opinion it s ^ oul f be ^ Ca oggibrn way the independence of this small 'principality
and emphasise m e y 1 k neighbours, and one of the means to this
^ 0Un ne^tirtion of a fornml treaty between Kuwait and Nejd. I
end would be g p 0 iiti C al Agent to discuss the matter with the
have therefore instructed the Boiiuca ^ fomid that ^ provigions
rfShra Agreement arl aplicable mulatis mutandis to Kuwait mthnomate-
Kd pr^uX hS be done through Hie Majesty’s Minister at Jeddah.
Should any material modification be found necessary then doubtless it mil be
possible in the near future to arrange a meeting between the Shaikh and Bin
Sand and possibly, if His Majesty’s Government saw on objection, the Political
Agent or I could also attend to discuss the matter.
14 In the course of a private discussion with Bin Sand I mentioned the
matter of Kuwait customs, but the latter was entirely uncompromising, at the
same time he was quite frank and said he was in dire straits tor money (which
I believe to be more or less correct) and that he must get it prom somewhere and
that the Shaikh of Kuwait had a comfortable income without having to work for
it while he Bin Sand, led laborious days and was constantly beset by financial
worries This of course was a ridiculous argument but time did not permit of
mv pressing this matter further then nor was the moment altogether propitious.
1 do not think, however, that there is much use in continuing a discussion on
paper with Bin Sand on tins subject. There arc many wheels within wheels. For
one thing Bin Sand’s chief financiers are the wealthy firm of Qnsaibis at Bahrain.
They farm the.customs at Oqair and Qatif and it is obviously in their interests
to compel trade to pass through those ports in preference to Kuwait and, since
the introduction of the arrangement by which goods consigned to Nejd only pay
2 per cent, transit duty at Bahrain, their task has been much facilitated, and they
naturally have much influence with Bin Sand. If Bin Sand could be induced to
farm out to them the customs on goods entering Nejd through Kuwait it is very
probable that nothing more would be heard of the question of the customs duties
on this border and that the trade of Kuwait would revive. I think the best thing
would be to wait a short time and see whether, wuth the more peaceful conditions
that it is honed will prevail, there is any revival of trade and lessening of the
blockade of Kuwait and, if not, to arrange for a meeting betwees the Shaikh
and Bin Sand acconfpanied by a political officer to thrash out the whole matter.
15. As I have reported in my telegram No. 32 of the 31st January, the Shaikh
of Kuwait paid- a formal visit to Bin Sand while I was there. As I have said
above, at Bin Sand’s request he had sent out tents, servants and supplies for us
there, and we were rcallv his guests and not those of Bin Sand. He was anxious
to pay his respects to Bin Sand and assured the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. that the visit
would merely he a formal one as he himself is desirous that anv discussions with
Bin Sand regarding Kuwait affairs should he carried on by us on his behalf. He
and some of the membei’s of his family were therefore conveyed bv air to Bin
Baud’s camp, stayed two nights and were flown back to Kuwait. He gave me
to understand that no controversial matters were discussed, but Bin Saud re
cce mod from the Awazim the loot they had carried off in the three recent raids,
and restored it to him.
T). On my arrival at Bin Sand’s camp the King expressed a desire that the
aeroplanes supplied to him by His Majesty’s Government should be flown from
p/’ip 1 to us camp so that he would see them. A telegram was therefore sent to
wJrTh 108 n 1C 1 'V V. c 0 " !lcej ’ l!1 eBarge of the aeroplanes to fly them up to Khaban
i v p. ,] T le . c °ecurjed in the transmission of the message since the wire-
about Alr F ? rce hOTe . to Darin was iiot workiw, but
in finrfin^ flm'j ‘' er t-ie aeroplanes arrived, thousfii thov had some difficulty
ekoii Ji Arot * anc h w ® s , mllch Stratified. The machines had not
left l.ni H, p r> \ ' r ' m to get back to Darin, and were still there when I
port of nkro? fTA yj° ree IT to accord facilities for the trams-
j f-sra, and they have doutbless returned to Darin since.
the arrangem n ent U s S whik d f ire t0 fVjess my thanks to the Royal Air Force for
’—11 11— ver o mnrio . or the con veyance of myself and my partv
" Correspondence pages 92-99 in F. No. 149-(4)-N.! 25.