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1. 'VOL. B. 60. CONFIDENTIAL 86/14 - vi. BAHRAIN UNALLOTTED AREA.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman, Reginald George Evelin Alban), the India Office (Roland Tennyson Peel, John Percival Gibson), the Admiralty (Clifford George Jarrett), the Shaikh of Bahrain (Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah), and the Bahrain Petroleum Company (Hamilton R Ballantyne) and discusses the conclusion of negotiations in London for a political agreement to accompany the concession secured by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) from the Shaikh of Bahrain for the unalloted area of Bahrain.The correspondence focuses primarily on the question of whether a pre-emption clause is required in the political agreement or whether a force majeure clause would be an acceptable alternative given His Majesty’s Government’s likely need for oil in wartime and other emergencies. The negotiations were concluded in June 1941 with the concession agreement being signed in Bahrain 19 June 1941 and the Political Agreement signed in London 29 June 1941.Other correspondence discusses a request made by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) to accelerate their exploration work in the Unallotted area of Bahrain and the need for a final settlement of the terms of both the concession agreement and political agreement in order to support the company’s acceleration proposal.Also discussed is the drilling work undertaken by BAPCO in order to obtain structural information on their newly acquired concession area. The drilling work undertaken had also succeeded in finding drinking water on Fasht al Jibal [Fasht ad Dībal] and their intention to drill on Hawar Island included the intention to create water wells should drinking water be found there too. The correspondence concludes with the decision taken by BAPCO in 1941 to suspend their exploration work in new areas owing to a lack of available labour and to concentrate instead on their existing production and refining activities.Another topic under discussion in the volume is the question of the ownership of the Hawar Group of Islands with His Majesty’s Government reaching a decision in August 1939 that the Hawar Group of Islands belonged to Bahrain and not Qatar. Correspondence includes the Shaikh of Qatar (Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī)’s dissatisfaction at the outcome.Later correspondence from 1941 includes the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf expressing their concerns over the decision that was reached and suggesting that the evidence be reconsidered and an expert in that area such as Sir Clive Kirkpatrick Daly be consulted for his opinion on the question.As part of the discussions a request is made to the Air Vice-Marshall, Commanding British Forces in Iraq for a photographic mosaic to be taken of the Hawar Group of Islands. The mosaic was required in order to determine a line of division between the territorial rights of Bahrain and Qatar.Also discussed was the question of ownership of the island of Fasht Dibal [Fasht ad Dībal], which was at that time claimed by Bahrain; regarding the Political Resident’s scepticism regarding the validity of Bahrain’s claim and the question of whether the Shaikh of Qatar should be given the opportunity to put forward any claim he had towards the island.One other matter of note within the volume relates to reports and rumours of attempts by Turkish officials at Hasa to secure their authority over the district they controlled. These attempts were alleged to include Turkish officials visiting Zakhnuniya Island [Jazirat az Zakhnūnīyah] to try and convince the Dowasir tribe there to swear allegiance to Turkey; it is claimed their intention was to take control of Dohah [Doha], and perhaps the whole Katar [Qatar] peninsula from the Shaikh of Qatar. The alleged movements of Turkish officials on Zakhnuniya Island resulted in an official protest being made by the Shaikh of Bahrain who considered the island to be part of his territory.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 214-227.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside of 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 188-227; 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.
2. 'Confidential 86/14-ii B.47 PETROLEUM CONCESSIONS LTD. BAHRAIN'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard C Fowle, Percy G Loch, Olaf K Caroe, Hugh Weightman), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy G Loch, Hugh Weightman, Tom Hickinbotham, John B Howes), the India Office (Maurice J Clauson, Roland T Peel, John C Walton, John P Gibson), the Shaikh of Bahrain (Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah), the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles D Belgrave), Petroleum Concessions Limited (John Skliros, Stephen H Longrigg, Frank Holmes, Ernest V Packer) and the Bahrain Petroleum Company (Hamilton R Ballantyne, Edward A Skinner) regarding negotiations for a concession in the unalloted area of Bahrain which would include Bahrain's territorial islands and the Hawar Group of Islands.The correspondence centres on the Shaikh of Bahrain’s decision to postpone negotiations for one year until May 1938 in order to concentrate on the resolution of his ownership claim to Zubarah [Az Zubārah] which was being contested by the Shaikh of Qatar (Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī). Later correspondence relates to the Shaikh’s decision to split the unalloted area into two concessions with the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) being granted the remaining area on the main island and some territorial waters including Sitrah Island; and Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) being granted the Hawar Group of Islands and a number of other territorial islands and waters along with an allocated site at Muharraq for use in constructing a refinery and storage areas.Also included is continued discussion around the question of ownership of the Hawar Islands and Fasht Dibal [Fasht ad Dībal]. The India Office concluded that their evidence supported the Shaikh of Bahrain’s claim to the islands and that therefore responsibility for disputing the claim lay with any other potential claimants. The question under discussion however was whether to make the Shaikh of Qatar, as the other potential claimant, aware of their conclusions.Other matters discussed in the volume include:the question of oil rights to Zubarah, which had been granted under the Qatar Oil Concession, and the assurance given by the Shaikh of Bahrain to His Majesty’s Government that should his claim of ownership to Zubarah be recognised it would not affect the Qatar Oil Company’s work in that area;notes on a meeting at the India Office with Hamilton R Ballantyne, a representative of the Standard Oil Company of California who were interested in oil concessions on the Trucial Coast as well as the unalloted area of Bahrain.discussion regarding Major Frank Holmes’ actions during his work for PCL in 1936/1937 on the Trucial Coast and the Political Resident’s wish to prevent him from travelling to Bahrain or the Trucial Coast in order to prevent further potential confusion and intrigue. Also reported on is a conversation between the Political Agent at Kuwait and Major Holmes at which Holmes' vision for oil concessions to drill under the pearl banks between Bahrain and Qatar is revealed.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 193-200.The correspondence with the Shaikh of Bahrain and various draft concession documents are 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 back cover with 205; 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 6-192; these numbers are written in pencil and red crayon, 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.