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Coll 6/67(5) 'Boundaries of South Eastern Arabia and Qatar (Khor al Odeid)' [‎102r] (208/797)

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The record is made up of 1 volume in 2 parts (391 folios). It was created in 15 Oct 1937-11 Aug 1939. 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. .

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***iMP~'
THIS DOC UMENT IS THE ?^OPERTY OF HIS ^..JALE COPY
• ™.~—„—— — ; BRIT ANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
EASTERN (Arabia).
CONFIDENTIAL.
[E 4403/1S0/91]
P. z.
577!
I
> L>
July 25, 1938.
Section 1.
Copy No.
I 4 4/
s
ju .
3oi j
76
(No 137) ^ Bullurd to Viscount Halifax.—(Received July 25.)
My Lord Jedda, July i, IMS.
1 MAVr, trie honour to transmit herewith, in translation, a note from the
Saudi (jovernment, dated the 26th June, about the eastern frontier. It is a reply
I ; ,je ] i K) ^ e > u copy of which was sent to the Foreign Office with mv printed
3634-JJfr despatch No. 72, dated the 14th April, in which the right pf His Majesty’s
Government to Seep tfieTArneriean"dircbmpany concerned informed of the frontier
situation was reiterated, and it deals also in principle with the question of
prospecting for oil in the disputed zone. It will be seen that the Saudi Govern
ment do no more than repeat their offer to refrain from prospecting in the disputed
zone until a frontier agreement is arrived at, provided that His Majesty’s Govern
ment will ensure that a similar policy of abstention is observed from the Qatar
side.
2. In my telegram No. 56 dated the 7th March, I reported Fuad Bey’s
‘ personal ” opinion as toHhe, sdrF of solution that might be acceptable to his
Government. Fuad Bey went to Syria 'on leave soon after that, and had I been
in a position to give him my views on his opinion, the reply was to be sent to him
there. It is possible that the Saudi Arabian Government have been waiting for
such a reply, but their reference to Fuad Bey may have resulted from their con
sciousness that he is the only person in their employ who thoroughly understands
the bilingual correspondence on this subject and can be trusted to write a clear
reply.
3. The deadlock is still complete. The only hopeful feature in the situation
is that the Californian Arabian Standard Oil Company are more and more
inclined to believe that the oil-field in Flasa is extremely rich. If this belief is
well-founded, Ibn Saud’s bitterness on the frontier question, in so far as it has an
economic basis, should diminish with time, though an increase in his income will
not make him less touchy on the point of prestige.
4. On looking through the file, I see that, owing to a regrettable oversight,
the Saudi note which I summarised briefly in my telegram No. 40 of the 23rd Feb-
ruarv was never sent to you. A translation is enclosed. 1 expect to proceed to
England on leave in a few days, and this question can perhaps be considered once
more while I am at home, though I have no useful suggestions to make. All we
can do it seems is to revert to our proposal for a preliminary examination of the
area in dispute,’ which is little more than a device by which we hope to convince
the Saudi authorities that Jabal Nakhsh is an integral part of the small Jabal
Dukhan range If the invitation which I have received holds good and I spend a
few weeks at Ibn Saud’s camp in Nejd next spring, it might perhaps be possible
to organise a visit to the Qatar boundary for this purpose.. ,
5 I am sending copies of this despatch with copies of enclosures, to the
Hrmonrable + he 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. at Bush ire and the
Secret to the Government of India in the External Affairs Department at
^ ra ^ a ‘ I have, &c.
R, W. BL T LLARD.
Enclosure 1.
Saudi Government to Sir R. Bullard.
(Translation.) innwd Taif, June 26, 1938.
HlS HTrTG ILhell in repl ug to your note dated the 14th April, 1938, due
I REGRET the delay Mmiste r for the Mmistry for
tonTffS as to Xam^nformation wh.ch he has concerning the matter m
question whUe he, as you are aware, is on sick leave.
[355 bb—1]

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Content

This volume primarily concerns British policy regarding the eastern and south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia, specifically those bordering Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Muscat (i.e. the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman). Much of the correspondence relates to British concerns that oil companies operating in the region may begin prospecting in disputed territory.

References are made to various existing and proposed lines, including the 'blue line' (laid down in the non-ratified Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913 and redefined and adopted in the Anglo-Ottoman convention of the following year). Reference is also made to a 'final offer' proposed by the British to the Saudi Government in November 1935, since which time no conclusion has been reached.

Matters discussed in the correspondence include:

  • The reported activity of the California Arabian Standard Oil Company (Casoc) near Qasr-es-Salwa [Salwá, Saudi Arabia] (located east of the blue line), and whether this activity necessitates a renewed effort by the British to reach a settlement with Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] regarding the Qatar-Saudi boundary.
  • Ibn Saud's claim to Jebel Nakhsh [Khashm an Nakhsh, Qatar], which lies in territory included in the Qatar oil concession.
  • Whether the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi should be persuaded to cede Khor-el-Odeid [Khawr al ‘Udayd] to Ibn Saud.
  • The impact of Britain's Palestine policy on Anglo-Saudi relations.
  • The Foreign Office's suggestion that the Khor-el-Odeid question should be submitted to arbitration.

In addition to correspondence dating from 1937-39, the volume contains copies of correspondence dating from April 1904 (including translations of two letters from the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi), which discusses Abu Dhabi's claim to Khor-el-Odeid.

Correspondents include the following: 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 Trenchard Craven William Fowle); 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. , Bahrain (Captain Tom Hickinbotham); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Reader William Bullard); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, Viscount Halifax); the Secretary of State for India and Burma (Lawrence John Lumley Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland); the Viceroy of India (Victor Alexander John Hope, Lord Linlithgow); the Minister for Saudi Foreign Affairs [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd]; officials of the Foreign Office, the 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. , and the Government of India's External Affairs Department.

Also included are the following: copies of the minutes of meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, dated 8 November 1937 and 8 February 1938; a sketch map depicting the various possible boundary lines of south-eastern Saudi Arabia.

The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence (folio 2).

Extent and format
1 volume in 2 parts (391 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: this file consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the front cover of volume one (ff 1-188) and terminates at the inside back cover of volume two (ff 189-395); 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-394; these numbers are printed, and are not circled.

A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English in Latin script
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Coll 6/67(5) 'Boundaries of South Eastern Arabia and Qatar (Khor al Odeid)' [‎102r] (208/797), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2138, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100066383065.0x000009> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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