"الكويت، ١٩٠٨-١٩٢٨" [‎١‎٠] (١٤/٢)

B.—History of Koweit Affairs, 1908-28.
(1).—1908-19.
7. The history of Koweit up to 1907 is given in the foreign Office
Memorandum of 1908. At the time when that memorandum was composed
and until the beginning of the War, Koweit was of vital interest to Great
Britain in connection with the Baghdad Bailway, and during the period
1908-14 His Majesty’s Government, in their relations with the Sheikh, had
primarily in view the consolidation of their position and influence in Koweit
in the face of the efforts of Germany to establish herself at the head of the
Gulf.
Secret Desp. from India,
168, Sept. 10 1908,
P. 1809/08.
Secret Desp. to G. of I., 9,
April 8 19IO, P. 3130/10.
8. The vexed question of the rights of the Sheikh of Koweit over the
islands of Bubiyan and Warba, dealt with in the Foreign Office Memorandum,
was carefully investigated by the local authorities and the Government of
India in 1907-9. The conclusions which emerged were that enquiry had
gone far to establish the claims of the Sheikh to the ownership of Bubiyan,
but that no satisfactory evidence had been produced as to his claims to
Warba ; and in the circumstances His Majesty’s Government decided that it
was inadvisable to raise any question of the rights of the Sheikh to either
island. (Both islands were recognised as falling within the dominions of
the Sheikh of Koweit by the Anglo-Turkish Agreement of 29th July 1913.)
Secret Desp. from G. of I.,
89
Desp.
to
P
Desp. from Sir G. Lowther
to Sir E. Grey, 657, Sept. 16
1910, P. 4052/10.
. ... ..... t . v. .. j v v. . L L, i l. V l V. \ \ i li
inevitably raised the wider question of the status of Koweit, gave rise
to considerable correspondence, in the course of which His Majesty’s
Ambassador at Constantinople was instructed to make clear the views
on that matter of His Majesty’s Government. Circumstances, however,
intervened to make an immediate demarche by Sir G. Lowther from time to
time unnecessary or undesirable, and the question merged in the general
Anglo-Turkish negotiations initiated in 1911.
P. 2062/11.
* P. 4214/14 (et seq.),
P. 2442/18, P. 5951/19.
10. The Sheikh undertook in 1911 not to grant a pearl fishing concession
to foieigneis save with the prior approval of His Majesty’s Government, and
gave a similar undertaking as regards oil in 1913. Subsequent developments
as regards oil concessions are dealt with in para. 29 below. With the
assistance of a loan of £12,500 from the Government of India, arrano-ements
were made in 1914 for the installation by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company,
on behalf of the Sheikh, of a water distilling plant, which was not however
brought into operation until 1919.*
question of Koweit played an important part in the Anolo
lurkish negotiations of 1911-14. An agreement was reached, and a
Convention, to give effect to it, signed on 29th July 1913. Under this
agreement, in the terms of which the concurrence of the Sheikh had been
secured, die territory of Koweit was recognised as an autonomous caza of
the Ottoman Lmpire ; the Ottoman flag was to be flown by the Sheikh but
he was to have the right to insert a distinctive emblem in the corner’- he
was to continue to be a Turkish Kaimakam, and his successors were to
be appointed to a similar position by the Ottoman Government- the full
admunstrative autonomy of the Sheikh was recognised within the territories
of Koweit proper, the limits of which were defined bv the red circle on
Map Lo II appended to this Memorandum ; within a surrounding area
(included within a green line on the map) which was occupied bv%ribes
recognised as dependent on him, he was, as in the past, to continue to levv
tubute and to perform the administrative duties of Turkish Kaimuhim^
in both regions I nrkey undertook to abstain entirely from anv interference’
though the light to appoint a Commissioner at Koweit “to m-ofpot fl ’
interests and subjects of other parts of the Empire ” was seeded to her
existing agreements between the Sheikh and His MaiestvC p ’
including the Secret Agreement of 18y9, “fe redgnl ef bv fhe oT™ 1 ’
Government, and His Majesty’s Government engaged that so In,3 »
change was made ,n the statu., 7 uo as now defined, they would not"itel the