ملف رقم ٣٤٥ لسنة ١٩٠٨ الجزء الثاني "المحمرة: الوضع. نزاع الشيخ مع والي البصرة. تقليد الشيخ وساماً. تجديد التطمينات للشيخ". [و‎‎١‎٥] (٥٦٦/٣٤)

“ British protected person, hut that His Majesty’s Government had special
“ relations with him, and in the event of any encroachment on his rights he
“ would receive their support.” This intimation seems to have been
received without comment, and the facts as then stated have been given
publicity to in the Press and are well known to all Persian officials and
educated Persians generally. Again, recently, in connection with the
Muin-ut-Tujjar’s pretension that the Dutch Government were displaying
active interest in the question of Karun
irrigation from Ahwaz, Sir Walter
Townley informed the Persian Premier
that “ the railway scheme had much
“ increased our already large interests
Telegram No. 328, dated 20th Sep
tember 1913, from Minister, Teheran, to
Resident repeated Foreign Department
under Residency No. 1619, dated 20th
September 1913.
“ in that part of the world.”
Apart from the above, the arguments suggested in the preceding para
graph based on the position of Mohammerah as a component part of the
Gulf sphere can be used with equal force to the Persian as to the Russian
Governments.
14. The position as between ourselves and the Sheikh of Mohammerah
appears to me to be as follows :—
It is a little over a decade since it was recognised that a more vigilant
and active policy was called for in order to consolidate our position at the
head of the Gulf, which in connection with the Baghdad Railway project
and other delevelopments was likely to become the principal arena of
development in the near future. This policy had for its primary features
the cultivation of close relations with Kuwait and Mohammerah, and the
pursuit of it has been attended with the happiest results. Both Rulers have
shown themselves to possess statesmanlike qualities and to be worthy of our
confidence and support, and both their political status and the commercial
prosperity of their territories have been greatly benefitted by the association.
Both of them appear to me to have complete confidence in the sincerity of
our attitude towards them and in the community of interests on which it is
based. Our position at Kuwait may be said to have been definitely regulated
by the recent Convention with the Porte, and to be susceptible of little
further improvement for the present.
In regard to Mohammerah it is not so strong, though so far as the
Sheikh’s attitude towards us is concerned it leaves nothing to be desired.
He was prompted m 1909 to enter into a most satisfactory agreement with
the Oil Company under the D’Arcy Concession, and since his decoration
with the K.C.I.E. in 1910 in connection with that matter and others, he
has given repeated signs of his confidence and goodwill. Among them I
may mention (i) the accord of an exclusive option for irrigation; (ii) the
grant of rights of preemption over the foreshores of Khor Musa ; (hi)
co-operation” in connection with the railway project; and (iv) in regard to
the river frontier and the Riverain Commission. He is now ready to give
us a definite concession for irrigating a particular tract of country from the
waters of the Karun, and it is ready m draft m case of uigency, in order to
enable us if necessary to refer to a concrete concession between specific
limits obtained by us from the Sheikh. This, however, has merely
been decided by the Sheikh, Major Haworth and myself, for the above
colourable purpose, whereas I venture to think that expert advice is
necessary for the selection of a suitable scheme. Meanwhile, as
explained by Major Haworth in the memorandum 1 accompanying, he urges
that his own position is still in some ways precarious, and in view of pro
spective developments earnestly desires that it should be examined and
strengthened as far as may be within the scope of practical politics.
15 At my farewell interview with him on 4th instant he un
burdened himself at length. While expressing the utmost gratitude for
the support accorded to him during the past few years and freely
acknowledging the benefit he had derived from it, he explained that his
own position was still a very difficult one, and that his responsibilities and