Abstract: The file is concerned with an agreement between the British Government and Petroleum Concessions Limited; the agreement relates to the Ras al Khaimah oil concession arranged between the petroleum company and Shaikh Sultan bin Salim Āl Qāsimī, Emir of Ras al Khaimah. The document includes a 'pre-emption' clause which is relevant in the event of a state of national emergency or war.The agreement is signed by John Charles Walton, the Assistant Under-Secretary of State for India, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, in the presence of Alexander Colin Burlington Symon, Assistant Principal for the Political Department in the India Office. It is also sealed by the petroleum company.Physical description: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 2; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This file contains the following items:document detailing the cancellation of an oil agreement made between Shaikh Sultan bin Salim [Shaikh Sultan bin Salim Āl Qāsimī], Ruler of Ras al Khaimah, and Mr Basil Henry Lermitte, attorney of Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Limited, in 1938, and its extension in 1941;a new oil concession agreement made between Shaikh Sultan bin Salim and Petroleum Concessions Limited on 21 June 1945;a letter from Shaikh Sultan bin Salim to the Political Agent, Bahrain, dated 1 February 1946, regarding the opening of a bank branch in Ras al Khaimah as per Article 25 of the agreement.Physical description: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 10; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence, mainly between Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Crawshaw Galloway, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bahrain and Gordon Noel Jackson, the Assistant Political Agent, Bahrain about the gift of date gardens in his territory by Shaikh Sultan bin Salim [Al Qasimi, Shaikh Sultan bin Salim] the Ruler of Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al-Khaymah], to Shaikh Saud bin Maktum [Shaikh Said II ibn Maktum] the Ruler of Dubai and members of his family. The main file enclosures are:list of date gardens in Ras al Khaimah owned by the Ruler of Dubai and other members of his family, principally Shaikh Rashid bin Said bin Maktum, and compiled by the Residency Agent, Sharjah, August 1947 (folio 5);exchange of letters between the Political Resident and the Political Agent, Bahrain discussing the political implications of the transfers of land by the Ruler of Ras al Khaimah to the Ruler of Dubai, July-August 1947 (folios 2, 6);exchange of letters in Arabic, together with English translations, between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Ruler of Ras al Khaimah, about the advisability of reserving oil and mineral rights and registering transfers of land ownership at the Residency Agency, Sharjah, September 1947 (folio 8).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence starts on the front cover (f 1) and ends on the inside back cover (f 10). The folio numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The file comprises a letter from Ernest Vincent Packer, Manager for Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Limited to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Arnold Crawshaw Galloway) enclosing a copy of the oil concession agreement signed with Sheikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī of Ras-al-Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah]. The concession agreement is in English and Arabic.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 23; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 6-19; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence in English and Arabic between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Hugh Weightman), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman, John Baron Howes), the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Khan Sahib Saiyid ‘Abd al-Razzaq), the India Office (John Charles Walton, John Percival Gibson, Roland Tennyson Peel), and Petroleum Concessions Limited (John Skliros, Frederick Lewisohn, Stephen Hemsley Longrigg, Basil Henry Lermitte, Ernest Vincent Packer) regarding negotiations for oil concessions with the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s.Petroleum Concessions Limited’s negotiations with Shaikh Sultan bin Salim [Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Ras al Khaimah [Ra’s al Khaymah] are discussed, in which an agreement was initially reached with the Shaikh, who requested to see the political agreement between His Majesty’s Government and Petroleum Concessions Limited prior to concluding a concession agreement with the Company. A copy of the political agreement can be found at folios 65-66. The negotiations ultimately concluded an exploration permit for the Shaikh’s territory; with an allowance within the permit to a subsequent agreement for drilling and exploitation should the results of the exploration be favourable.Also included is correspondence regarding the Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Sharjah’s refusal to undertake the previously agreed exchange of letters, including his attempt to reword one of the letters, and potential measures that could be used to compel him to complete the exchange prior to his eventual agreement and formal completion of the Sharjah Concession Agreement. A printed copy of the concession agreement, political agreement and letters exchanged can be found at folios 92-101.Further correspondence relates to the question of the political agreement and whether the agreement of the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s to such an agreement is necessary.The correspondence concludes that the agreement does not require the Shaikh’s approval however as Dubai and Sharjah had both previously agreed to the political agreement and the Regent of Kalba was happy to agree to it as part of the concession it was not necessary to take any action on the matter at that time. Also discussed is the requirement for HMG approval to the establishment of a bank as part of the agreement and whether this was necessary; and the movements of the Standard Oil Company of California and the likelihood that they were using their alleged interest in Trucial Coast Oil Concessions to improve their chances of obtaining a concession in the unallotted area in Bahrain.Other matters discussed in the volume include:attempts at re-opening negotiations with Shaikh Shakhbut bin Sultan [Shaikh Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān], Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and the Shaikh’s insistence in writing that he was not bound by His Majesty’s Government approval and was free to negotiate with whomever he wished;a conversation between the India Office and Hamilton Ballantyne of the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) regarding representatives of the Shaikh of Bahrain (Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah) having alluded to the Shaikh’s desire to grant a concession for the remaining unallotted area of his territory to BAPCO but fearing that he would lose control of the Hawar Islands if he did so;Petroleum Concessions Limited’s interest in a negotiating concession for the territory of Kalba [Kalbā] with Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmad bin Sultan [Shaikh Khālid bin Aḥmad bin Sulṭān Āl Qasimī], Regent to Shaikh Hamad bin Said [Shaikh Ḥamad bin Sa‘īd Āl Qasimī] who was a minor. The correspondence discusses the actual extent of Kalba territory; Shaikh Khalid’s desire to create a combined Qawasim [Qawāsim] Shaikhdom with himself as ruler and his close relations with the Bani Chittab [Beni Qitab] tribe; and the concession agreement that was reached between the two parties;printed summary issued by the Petroleum Department of His Majesty’s Government detailing petroleum developments in the Arabian Peninsula in relation to Petroleum Concessions Limited (folios 103-105, 127-129).A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 196-203.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 6-195 with a gap between f 40 and f 91; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Percy Gordon Loch), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch), the India Office (Maurice Clausen, John Charles Walton) and Edward Henry Ommaney Elkington, General Manager of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (also referred to by their former name Anglo-Persian Oil Company) about options and concessions to explore for oil on the Trucial Coast.The volume discusses negotiations being undertaken by Hajji 'Abdullah Williamson on behalf of the D'Arcy Exploration Group (part of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company) with Shaikh Sultan ibn Salim [Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah], Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Sharjah and Shaikh Said bin Maktum [Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm], Ruler of Dibai [Dubai] which resulted in the group securing two year options to explore for oil in those territories. Also discussed is the possibility of pursuing options to explore for oil in Ajman and Umm al Qaiwaim [Umm al-Qaywayn], and negotiations for a two year option in Abu Dhabi which is unsuccessful.Other matters discussed in the volume include:major Frank Holmes interest in exploring for oil on the Trucial coast, including his correspondence with the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi and his involvement in a new British oil exploration company which does not come to fruition;a trip taken by the Shaikh Shaqbut bin Sultan bin Said (Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān), Ruler of Abu Dhabi to Basrah [Basra] and Baghdad to seek medical advice, and rumours that he may also be discussing oil exploration whilst there;discussions held in the India Office regarding the British Government's future policy with regards to the Persian Gulf and the development of oil there; along with measures to be taken to safeguard British interests in the Gulf and minimise the additional workload that oil concession negotiations might add to the Political Residency;the formation of Petroleum Concessions Limited, a part of the Iraq Petroleum Company to manage non Iraqi concessions and pursue new ones. The intention was for the new company to manage the Qatar concession and to follow through exploration and negotiations for those areas that the D'Arcy exploration group had obtained options for as well as to look at possible concessions in the Kuwait neutral zone, the unallotted area of Bahrain, and the remaining areas of the Trucial Coast;possible interest by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in exploring Kalbah [Kalbā] and the island of Tunb [Greater Tumb] for oil and minerals.Other correspondents in the volume include the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf (Captain Vernon Saumarez Butler); and the British Vice-Consul at Mohammerah (also given as Khoramshahr) (Frederick Charles Leslie Chauncy) who relays correspondence and information relating to Persia, Iraq and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.The correspondence from the various Trucial Coast Shaikhs is in Arabic, with translations in English, and the letter-head for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company is in Persian and English.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 254-268.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-272; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The volume discusses the intention of Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) to negotiate extensions on the options that the D’Arcy Exploration Company had acquired with the rulers of Abu Dhabi (Shaikh Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān), Ajman (Rāshid Bin Ḥumaid Al-Nu`aimī), Dibai [Dubai] (Shaikh Saʻīd bin Maktūm), Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] (Shaikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī) and Sharjah (Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī) and to open negotiations for concession agreements with them too.Included in the file is correspondence with the various rulers from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle) informing them of Her Majesty’s Government’s approval of the option negotiated with the D’Arcy Exploration Compan; and correspondence regarding the British Government’s knowledge and approval of the decision by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) for PCL to enter into negotiations with them through the PCL negotiator Frank Holmes. Also enclosed are copies of the proposed draft concessions for Abu Dhabi (ff 6-22), Dibai (ff 22-37), Ras al Khaimah and Sharjah.Further correspondence regarding the question of negotiations and concessions is included between Shaikh Sa’id bin Maktum, Ruler of Dubai and the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch) regarding the Shaikh’s request that Hajji ‘Abdullah Williamson accompany any surveying parties visit his territory; and his concern over the inactivity of the D’Arcy Exploration Company with regards to their two year option and subsequent reluctance to discuss any extension to the option until surveying had commenced.The volume also contains correspondence between representatives of the India Office (John Walton, Maurice Clauson), the Director of Petroleum Concessions Limited (John Skliros) and representatives of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (Langlois Massy Lefroy, Edward Henry Ommaney Elkington) discussing potential boundary issues with regard to the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s territories; the need for a special risks clause should any Company employees wish to visit or survey the interior of some of the Trucial Shaikhdoms; the procedure to be followed for Major Holmes to be permitted to commence his negotiations; and discussions around the draft concession agreements presented to the India Office and possible requirements to be included in a political agreement between the British Government and PCL.Also included in the volume are:correspondence between Sir Andrew Ryan, HM Minister at Jedda, and George Rendel of the Foreign Office explaining the Red Line Agreement, which was concluded in 1928, including the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company and Iraq Petroleum Company’s expectations under it and that the Kuwait Neutral Zone was not considered to be part of Kuwait proper and was therefore included within the agreement; reports submitted by the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Abdur Razzaq) to the Political Agent at Bahrain on the movements of Frank Holmes and his agents (Muhammad Yateem, Ashrif Halim) on the Trucial Coast including details of their visits to the various Shaikhs, and the topics discussed with them where known; the agreement that Petroleum Concessions Limited could open negotiations with the Shaikh of Bahrain (Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah) for a concession in the unalloted portion of Bahrain, and guarantees made by Major Frank Holmes to the Shaikh of Bahrain that PCL had no intention of transferring any potential concession to a third party but would exploit it through a subsidiary company which would most likely be named Petroleum Concessions (Bahrain) Limited; the proposal by Petroleum Concessions Limited to appoint Ernest Vincent Packer as Local Manager for PCL at Bahrain, and follow up of Packer’s references by the India Office; correspondence around the potential need for a separate Local representative to be appointed for Muscat should any concession be granted there, as the geographic area and expected workload would be too much if the local representative at Bahrain was expected to be responsible for both the Trucial Coast and Muscat.The draft concession agreements and correspondence to and from the Trucial Coast Shaikhs is in Arabic and English; the letter-head for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company is in Persian and English.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 237-243.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present between ff 70-236; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence, primarily between Major Frank Holmes as negotiator for Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL), John Skliros, Director of Petroleum Concessions Limited in London, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent at Bahrain regarding progress in negotiations with Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Sharjah for a concession in his territories. The correspondence discusses the amendments to the agreement which the Shaikh wished to make, various conditions he wished to place on the concession. and negotiations over the financial terms of a potential concession. A draft copy of the concession agreement can be found at folios 94-111.Also discussed is the signing of the Debai [Dubai] concession and PCL's acceptance of the signed copy; along with the written agreement given by Shaikh Sa’id bin Maktum al Maktum [Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm] to the Political Resident regarding a termination of contract undertaking.Further correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Secretary of State for India considers methods of applying pressure on the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s to sign concessions with Petroleum Concessions Limited in order to prevent American interests from acquiring concessions in the area. A letter is issued by the Secretary of State for India, on behalf of the British Government, to be used if negotiations and initial pressure failed to secure the concessions. The letter made it clear that the British Government would not permit more than one Oil Company to operate on the Trucial Coast and that they had approved agreements with PCL and were not prepared to permit negotiations with other Companies. The intention was for the letter to be used as a last resort as there could be difficulties if either Petroleum Concessions Limited or the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s came to learn of its existence before it was required.Other matters of note within the volume include:circular issued by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf to all Consuls and Political Agents with powers to grant visa’s requesting that no visa for the Trucial Coast be granted to Haji ‘Abdullah Williamson without prior discussion with the Political Resident. Also included is a note of a discussion which the Political Resident had with Mr Gordon, Assistant General Manager for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company at Abadan, regarding Williamson’s activities on the Trucial Coast whilst being employed by Petroleum Concessions Limited;report on a conversation between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi (Shaikh Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān) over statements made to the Shaikh about Major Frank Holmes and Petroleum Concessions Limited and their British status, which the Political Agent was able to correct; and concerns about rumours being spread on the Trucial Coast which could cause problems for both PCL and the British Government;draft copies in Arabic and English of the proposed Umm-al-Qaiwain [Umm al Qaywayn] concession agreement (ff 48-65), Ajman Concession agreement (ff 30-47), and Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] concession agreement (ff 112-129);Correspondence regarding a disturbance in Kalba [Kalbā] which had briefly prevented individuals visiting Ras al Khaimah;letter from the Sultan of Muscat and Oman (Sayyid Taymūr bin Fayṣal bin Turkī Āl Bū Sa‘īd) to the Political Agent at Muscat (Ralph Ponsonby Watts) regarding an encroachment by the Geologists for Petroleum Concessions Limited into his territory in the Buraimi [Al Buraymī] district; and observations by the Political Agent of the need to define the limits of the Sultan’s territory as soon as possible.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers arewritten in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 5-214; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Olaf Kirkpatrick Caroe), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Tom Hickinbotham, Hugh Weightman), the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Khan Sahib Saiyid ‘Abd al-Razzaq), the Secretary of State for India and Burma (Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland), India Office (John Charles Walton, Alexander Colin Symon, John Percival Gibson) and Petroleum Concessions Limited (Frederick Lewisohn, Stephen Hemsley Longrigg, Frank Holmes, Basil Henry Lermitte, Ernest Vincent Packer) regarding negotiations for oil concessions on the Trucial Coast.The correspondence focuses on the negotiations between Shaikh Sultan bin Salim [Shaikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] and Basil Henry Lermitte of Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) and the progress made in attempting to reach an acceptable agreement for both parties.Also included in the volume are details of the situation with the Shaikh Ahmad bin Rashid [Aḥmad bin rāshid Āl Mu'alla] of Umm al Qaiwain [Umm al Qaywayn] who wishes to await the conclusion of the Ras al Khaimah negotiations before agreeing to a concession with PCL; Shaikh Rashid bin Humaid [Rāshid Bin Ḥumaid Al-Nu`aimī], Ruler of Ajman who wishes to await the expiry of his existing option with PCL before commencing negotiations; and Shaikh Shakhbut bin Sultan bin Zaid [Shaikh Shakhbūt bin Sulṭān bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān], Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with whom it is concluded that negotiations should be put on hold until the Shaikh’s uncle and chief adviser Khalifa bin Zaid [Khalīfah bin Zāyid Āl Nahyān] had returned from Braimi [Al Buraymī].Further discussions refer to Qatar, where PCL intended concluding their geological explorations and to commence their drilling programme; and Muscat and Dhofar where they hoped to make use of an RAF plane in order to reach more remote areas for geological survey.Also included in the volume is confirmation of the acceptance by Shaikh Sultan bin Saqar [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī], Ruler of Sharjah of the political agreement and exchange of notes required by His Majesty’s Government in order approve the concession agreement made with Petroleum Concessions Limited; and the signing of the oil concession agreement in Sharjah on 13 September 1937. Later correspondence discusses some typing errors identified in the text of the concession agreement and the need for the political agreement to be the same as Debai’s [Dubai] and not the amended version recently approved by the India Office. Copies of the signed concession can be found at folios 6-85 and 157-175, and a copy of the political agreement and letters to be exchanged at folios 179-186.Other matters discussed in the volume include:formal confirmation by His Majesty’s Government of their approval of the grant of a concession by Petroleum Concessions Limited to the Shaikh of Debai and the acceptance by both parties of this approval. Also includes a printed copy of the Dubai Concession, political agreement and letters exchanged (ff 195-204);a letter from the Shaikh Shakhbut bin Sultan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi in response to the ultimatum issued to him by His Majesty’s Government preventing him from negotiating with any oil company not approved by them; and stating that he would negotiate with Petroleum Concessions Limited if approached by them but was otherwise free to negotiate with whomever he wished;request by Petroleum Concessions Limited to employ a French citizen, René Pomeyrol, as part of the geological team exploring Qatar and the Trucial Coast as no suitably qualified English geologists were available at that time; and to employ A Abdul Aziz Helmy as an interpreter on the Trucial Coast;letters sent by Haji ‘Abdullah Williamson to the Shaikhs of Ras al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi in which he proposes returning to the Trucial Coast and continuing negotiations with them, despite not being permitted to travel there or having the permission of Petroleum Concessions Limited to do so.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 202-215.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 7-203; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. The additional sequence is located in the same position as the main foliation, though some numbers are instead located on the verso. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superceded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Percy Gordon Loch), the India Office (Maurice Clauson), the Foreign Office (John Cecil Sterndale Bennett), the Colonial Office (Owen Gwyn Revell Williams), representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited (Frank Holmes, Stephen Hemsley Longrigg, John Skliros, Ernest Vincent Packer), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch, Tom Hickinbotham), and the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Khan Sahib 'Abd al-Razzaq) regarding the conclusion of negotiations with Shaikh Sa’id bin Maktum Al Maktum [Saʻīd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm], Ruler of Dubai for an oil concession for his territory and the signing of the concession agreement on 22 May 1937.Correspondence includes discussions around the conclusion of a Political Agreement (folios 192-193) and Refinery Agreement (folios 194-195) between the British Government and Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL); the approval of drafts of an exchange of notes (folios 9-10) to be held with the Shaikh of Dubai once the agreements had been signed; and the final negotiations over the wording and clauses of the Commercial Agreement between the Shaikh of Dubai and Petroleum Concessions Limited.Also discussed are concerns by the representatives of the British Government about the movements of representatives of the California Arabian Standard Oil Company who were alleged to be attempting to persuade the Trucial Coast Shaikh’s to not sign concession agreements with PCL and to wait until the end of their option clauses to negotiate better terms with them; and attempts by the Shaikh’s of Sharjah (Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qasimī) and Ras al Khaimah [Ra's al Khaymah] (Shaikh Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī) to convince the Shaikh of Dubai to join with them in undertaking such an action.Also discussed in the volume is the reluctance by the Shaikh’s of Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah and Ajman (Rāshid Bin Ḥumaid Al-Nu`aimī) to accept the security undertaking owing to the inclusion of an unlimited amount of compensation liability; the proposal by the British Government to amend the undertaking so that compensation requirements would be subject to Shara’ [Sharia] Law which the Shaikh’s of Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah and Ajman ultimately agreed to, and including formal acknowledgements in Arabic and English of this undertaking.Other items of interest within the volume include:a report from Thomas Fulton Williamson and David Glynn Jones, geologists for Petroleum Concessions Limited on their survey of Ras al Khaimah, Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and their cursory investigations in Ajman; also included is correspondence regarding the area of Jibal Fayah in Sharjah which the geologists were prevented from entering by the ruling Bani Kitab [Beni Qitab] tribe;meeting between the Shaikh’s of Abu Dhabi and Dubai at which Ahmad bin Khalif bin ‘Utaibah [Shaikh Aḥmad bin khalīf bin ‘Utaybah] and Shaikh Ahmad bin Hilal [Shaikh Aḥmad bin Hilāl], Ruler of Dhawahir [ Z̧awāhir] had served as mediator’s in order to settle the question of where the boundary between Abu Dhabi and Dubai should be;correspondence with Shaikh Saqar bin Sultan Al Hamid [Shaikh Saqr bin Sulṭān Āl Ḥamīd], Chief of Braimi [Al Buraymī] regarding a rumour that the Residency Agent at Sharjah was intending to visit Braimi in order to negotiate an oil concession and response from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf that they wished the Residency Agent to visit Braimi to establish personal contacts with local notables there;query from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf regarding the need for PCL to appoint a Chief Local Representative; and noting that Ernest Vincent Packer had been appointed as General Manager and whether they intended this to be the same as a Chief Local Representative or not;a request by PCL to employ Robert Sutherland Cooke as a negotiator in the Middle East and whether Cooke’s past employment difficulties in Iraq might hinder this request;the appointment of Basil Henry le Riolet Lermitte as Assistant Manager for PCL in Bahrain;a request for Mrs (Dorothy) Holmes to visit Sharjah with her husband which was initially rejected by the Political Resident over fears of setting a precedent for oil Company and Superintendent’s wives in the future but was ultimately approved as 'Um Rashid' (mother of the Shaikh of Dubai?) wished her to visit;correspondence between Major Frank Holmes and the Political Agent at Bahrain regarding his intention to commence negotiations for concessions with Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah as soon as the Dubai concession was signed;correspondence regarding the Shaikh of Umm al Qaiwain’s [Umm al Qaywayn] interest in opening negotiations with Petroleum Concessions Limited; and the possibility of opening negotiations with the Shaikh of Kalba [Kalbā] as it was now a Trucial Shaikhdom;correspondence regarding the alleged intrigues of Haji ‘Abdullah Williamson who was believed to be involving himself in local politics in the Trucial Shaikhdom’s and working for the California Arabian Standard Oil Company, whilst visiting there as an interpreter for Petroleum Concessions Limited;table detailing the amount of money being paid to each Trucial Shaikh under their Anglo-Iranian Oil Company options, including how often the payments are being made and which AIOC agent was handling the payments. The table also includes notes on instances where existing or future payments differed from the norm (ff 184-185).Correspondence with the Trucial Shaikhs and copies of agreements are in both Arabic and Engliash; letters written by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company have a Persian and English letterhead.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 288-300.Physical description: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 5-287; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file begins with correspondence in 1935 reporting the seizure of a dhow belonging to nakuda Salim bin Abdullah, a subject of Ras al Khaimah, by a large group of Arab inhabitants of Sirri Island, led by Ubaid bin Khalfan al Aqrubi. As a result of their enquiries, the British authorities in the Persian Gulf conclude that the seizure of the Ras al Khaimah dhow at Sirri Island in November 1935 was an act of retaliation by the islanders against the intervention of Shaikh Sultan bin Salim [Al Qasimi, Shaikh Sultan bin Salim] the Ruler of Ras al Khaimah some years earlier, in a dispute over inheritance involving one of his subjects, who was a relative and beneficiary of the estate of the deceased wife of Ubaid bin Khalfan al Aqrubi. The main correspondents investigating the incident are: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, both the Political Agent and the Assistant Political Agent at Bahrain, and the Residency Agent at Sharjah whose reports are in Arabic as well as in English. Their correspondence includes both Arabic and English copies of letters and a statement made by Shaikh Sultan bin Salim the Ruler of Ras al Khaimah, and also of a witness statement made by the nakuda Salim bin Abdullah. The file ends with correspondence in 1936 relating to the settlement of the disputed inheritance and the return of the seized dhow to its owner, with the assistance of the Iranian authorities. Included in the latter correspondence are letters exchanged between officials at the British Legation in Tehran and both the Foreign Office and India Office in London, as well as a letter (in English translation) from the Iranian Minister for Foreign Affairs at Tehran, regarding the attitude of the British Government towards the Iranian Government’s claim to sovereignty over Sirri Island.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 79; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 3-69; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the reporting and investigation of the murder of a Mohammedan and British Indian subject at Al Shagi in the territory of Ras al Khaimah, on 6 January 1936. The murder victim, who was never identified, had travelled to the Trucial Coast from Karachi via Muscat and Diba, on his way to Dubai. The alleged murderer was identified as his hired travelling companion, the camel driver Abdullah bin Salim bin Malkash of Diba and a member of the Shihuh [Shiḥūḥ] Tribe, in the jurisdiction of the Sultan of Muscat and Oman and under the governorship of the Wali of Khasab. The Shihuh Shaikh Muhammad bin Mahdi and his tribe, who were living at Bai’ah near Diba, successfully resisted attempts by the British and Muscat authorities to force them to surrender the alleged murderer who, although never prosecuted, was later reported to have died at Diba in April 1939, after being bitten by his camel. The main correspondents are: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Residency Agent at Sharjah, whose reports are in Arabic as well as English. Included in the correspondence are three letters in Arabic written respectively by Shaikh Sultan bin Salim the Ruler of Ras al Khaimah [Al Qasimi, Shaikh Sultan bin Salim], Rashid al Abdullah the Chief of Rab Rab village in Ras al Khaimah territory, and Muhammad bin Salman, an inhabitant of the Trucial Coast.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 88; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 1-87; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.