مجموعة ٢٥/ ١٨ "مراسيم ملكية بريطانية: قطر: السلطة القضائية على الأجانب في قطر" [ظ‎‎٢‎٩‎٤] (٦٣٥/٥٨٨)

Bahrein, entitled to British protection. (See paragraphs 9
and 11 of Mr. Laithwaite's memorandum of 1930 flagged in
ly&e file),
3. As regards Koweit, please see the 1925
correspondence v/ith the Sheikh of Koweit (flagged red in the
bound volume), where the latter delegated to H.M.G.
jurisdiction over British subjects and protected persons and
the subjects and protected persons of non-Muslim foreign
governments. Although this correspondence is not explicit
on the point, it has always been read here, I think, as
leaving to the Sheikh jurisdiction over natives of the
Arab States of the Persian Gulf, ‘and indeed this
interpretation seems to be implicit in the correspondence,
particularly in view of the Bahrein precedent mentioned above.
4. We do not appear to have any correspondence bearing
on the position in regard to this question at Muscat, .
5. Colonel Fowle suggests that if there is any doubt
about the position at Kov/eit it might be desirable to ask the:
Political Agent whether lit- fact the subjects of the other
States of the Gulf in special treaty relations v/ith H.M.G .
are in fact treated as British protected persons for
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jurisdictional purposes at Koweit.
6 . On the general question of the meaning of the
phrase "British protected persons" the Foreign Office would,
I think, agree that the phrase is a vague one, which is
susceptible of varying interpretations and that in practice
it can be and is interpreted for different purposes in
different ways in accordance with v/hat happens to suit us
best in any particular case. (I remember that in informal
conversation Mr. Fitzmaurice, the Foreign Office Legal
Adviser, recently agreed generally that this v/as the
position). It would also no doubt be generally agreed that
the term "British protected persons" used in its widest
sense would cover the natives of the Arab States in the
Persian Gulf i n special treaty relations with H.M.G. and