'Minutes memos despatches etc' [‎36r] (71/156)

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Government, whose Customs administration covers
the Sheikh’s territories.
Great Britain has had close commercial relations
with/ tire Sheikh lor a long period,, which assumed
particular importance with the concessions accorded
to Mr. W. K. d’Arcy in 1901 by the Persian Govern
ment for working oilfields on the borders of Moham-
merah. This concession (see (B) (6) below) was
taken up by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company in 1909,
w r ho made an agreement with the Sheikh in that year,
and laid a pipe line from the Maidan-i-Napthun field
to a refinery at Abadan, close to Mohammerah, the
Sheikh undertaking to police the refinery and lower
section of the line. By an agreement with the com
pany, signed on the 20th May, 1914, His Majesty's
Government secured a controlling interest in the
company.
In 1909 Sheikh Kazal begau to press His Majesty’s
Government for more definite political assurances of
a nature both to safeguard his dynasty and his position
vis-a-vis the Persian Government and foreign Powers
other than Great Britain. Such assurances were given
in a general form in a written communication from
Sir P. Cox on the 15th October, 1910; and on the 8th
December, 1910, the Persian Minister for Foreign
Affairs enquired whether there was any truth in the
report that the Sheikh was under British protection.
• The British Minister at Teheran replied that the
Sheikh was not a British-protected person but that
His Majesty’s Government had special relations with
him, and would support him in the event of any
encroachment on his rights. It was decided at the time
that no further information should be conveyed to the
Persian Government regarding the Sheikh's relations
with His Majesty’s Government.
The present relations of His Majesty’s Government
vis-a-vis the Sheikh on the one side and the Persian
Government on the ether are determined by the terms
of the following written communication made to the
Sheikh on the 22nd November, 1914, the date of the
occupation of Basrah by British forces:—
“ With reference to the assurances conveyed to
your Excellency in my letter dated the 15th October,
1910 (=llth Shawwal, 1328), and having regard
to the further valued services and conoperation
which your Excellency has rendered to the British
Government and British interests in Arabistan
and the Shatt-el-Arab, I am now authorised to
assure your Excellency personally, and do so by
this writing, that whatever change may take place
in the form of the Government of Persia, and,
whether it be Royalist or Nationalist, His Ma jesty’s
Government will be prepared to afford you the sup
port necessary for obtaining a satisfactory solu
tion, both to yourself and to us, in the event of any
encroachment by the Persian Government on your
jurisdiction and recognised rights, or on your
property in Persia. In like manner they will safe
guard yon to the best of their ability against any
unprovoked attack by a foreign Power, or against
any encroachment by such Power on your said
jurisdiction and recognised rights, or on your
property in Persia. These assurances are given for