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1. '86/1 VIII Kuwait Oil D 106'
- Description:
- Abstract: The correspondence in the volume is primarily concerned with the ongoing negotiations between the Kuwait Oil Company (led by Frank Holmes and Archibald Chisholm) and the Shaikh of Kuwait, Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, which were suspended in June 1934 following disagreements between the parties over certain financial remunerations and the question of the appointment of a Chief Local Representative in Kuwait, before being resumed in September 1934 and concluded in December 1934 with the signing of the concession agreement. Copies of the final draft concession agreement can be found at folios 82-97 and 247-283. Other correspondents in these negotiations are the Political Agent at Kuwait (Harold Dickson, with Ralph Ponsonby Watts acting) and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, with Percy Gordon Loch acting).Also included in the file is correspondence relating to a company called Traders Limited who submitted a draft oil concession agreement to the Shaikh of Kuwait in September 1934, potentially breaching the agreement made by the Shaikh with the Kuwait Oil Company not to consider any other oil concession application during the period June to September 1934.The question of the oil concession for the Kuwait-Nejd neutral zone is also discussed, with corespondence between the Foreign Office, HM Minister in Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan), the Secretaries of State for India and Foreign Affairs, representatives of the Arabian Development Syndicate, and the Deputy Saudi Minister for Foreign Affairs (Fuad Bey Hamza). The correspondence focuses on attempts to understand how the Saudi Arabian Government is handling their share of the concession, and how this might affect Kuwait.The volume also includes confidential records of meetings held at the Foreign Office with Fuad Bey Hamza (Foreign Minister for Saudi Arabia) in which the possibility of dividing the neutral zone are discussed. The Political Agent, Harold Dickson is consulted about these proposals and provides background information on the establishment of the neutral zone, the potential detrimental effects that disbanding it could have on the nomadic tribes living in the zone, and observations on the possible oil locations which would be most likely end up in the Saudi Arabian half under any division of the zone and the detrimental effect that might have on Kuwait.Other correspondence in the file includes discussions between the Secretary of State for India, Gilbert Laithwaite (India Office), Wilfred Ashton McClaughry (Air Ministry) and Charles Stuart Burnett (Air Vice-Marshall in Iraq) regarding the possible future need for a site at Shuwaikh as an airbase, and an agreement with the Shaikh of Kuwait for mooring buoys to be placed in Shuwaikh Harbour.Physical description: Foliation: The volume has been foliated in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio using a pencil number enclosed in a circle. The sequence commences on the title page and concludes on the last folio.A second incomplete sequence is present between folios 115-316, these numbers are also written in pencil but are not circled and can be found in the same position as the main sequence. Circled index numbers, in red or blue ink, are also present throughout the volume.Foliation errors: 1, 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D; 85 and 85A; 145 and 145A; 156A; 176 and 176A; 182 and 182A; 190A; 240 and 240A; 247 and 257B; 267 and 267A; 283 and 283A; 285 and 285AFoliation omission: 24The following folios will need to be unfolded to be read: 249-267; 269-283; 319-320
2. '86/1 X Kuwait Oil (D 131)'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file primarily contains correspondence between the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ), the Political Agent at Kuwait (Harold Dickson and Gerald Simpson DeGaury), the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle and Percy Gordon Loch), the India Office (John Charles Walton, Gilbert Laithwaite and Maurice Clausen) and the Kuwait Oil Company (abbreviated as KOC).Correspondence discusses the commencement of oil drilling operations in Kuwait following the signing of the Kuwait Oil Concession, in particular the appointment of Harold Dickson as Chief Local Officer, the need for a Customs and Passport Post, and the decision to move drilling operations from Bahra to the South of Kuwait due to the former having insufficient quantities of oil for production.Also discussed in the file is clause three of the political agreement between KOC and His Majesty's Government which relates to the appointment of non British or Kuwaiti personnel in Kuwait. Matters discussed include the process of applying for special permission for such individuals and applications for two specialist American personnel to be employed there. Further correspondence relates to the KOC's wish to send a team of sixteen American geophysical surveyors to Kuwait for six months to undertake Seismic, Magnetic and Gravimetric surveys.The file also contains correspondence between HM's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan), Foreign Office (Sir John Simon, George Rendel), India Office (Gilbert Laithwaite) and the Arabian Development Syndicate (Rex Jansen, Mr Ydlibi) on the question of the Kuwait-Nejd neutral zone and the two companies vying for the Saudi Arabian share of it, the Standard Oil Company of California and the Arabian Development Syndicate.Other correspondence of note in the file includes:A request by Paul Heath Boots, head of the geophysical survey for the KOC, to undertake terrestrial magnetic observations in Kuwait, Bahrain and surrounding countries as the last observations in these areas were made in 1909-1910. The correspondence includes detailed descriptions of the observations to be taken, the instruments to be used and how they hope to re-observe the magnitude and direction of the earth's magnetic field in order to determine in what way and direction the magnetic field had varied since the last observations were completed (Folios 166-167, 202-203);A letter from Traders Ltd to the Shaikh of Kuwait informing him that they are not willing to accept his decision to sign with the KOC and that they were referring the matter to their legal adviser;A request from the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (later the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company) for special authorisation to land their planes at Kuwait and undertake aerial surveys there;A request by the KOC to use part of the land at the Shuwaikh site, which had previously been earmarked by the RAF as a potential future airbase site, and the British Government's decision that the site was no longer required by them;The lighting of the oil derrick at Bahra for night-time work and the need to inform Imperial Airways and the Port Director at Basra as the derrick was under the air route and near the sea;Arrangements for accommodation of European women in Bahrain and Kuwait and reminders that no European women were permitted in Qatar or the Trucial coast;Assurances from the Shaikh of Kuwait to His Majesty's Government in regards to the granting of future oil concessions, following his dealings with Traders Ltd;A discussion of the use of private wireless stations by the KOC, whether these contravened international conventions and whether they would impact future post office services in Kuwait. Further correspondence relates to the need to register the wireless stations and obtain Indian telegraph service call signs for them;A request by the KOC to place temporary buoys in the Ras Khadama [Ra’s Kāz̧imah] channel and costs involved for the Port Director at Basra to arrange for the work to be done.The correspondence from the Shaikh of Kuwait is in Arabic, with English translations, and the correspondence from the Anglo-Persian Oil Company includes letterheads in Persian and English.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences on the title page with 1 and terminated on the last folio with 232. The numbers used for this sequence are located in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio and are indicated by a pencil number enclosed in a circle. Folio 180 has been omitted from the sequence.Foliation anomalies: 1A, 1B, 18A, 115A, 174AThe following folios need to be folded out to be read: 4, 6A former referencing system, using red crayon numbers enclosed in a circle can also be found throughout the file.
3. 'D.158. 86/1 - xi KUWAIT OIL'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file primarily focuses on the progress being made by the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) in drilling for oil in Kuwait, including establishing drills at new sites and the discovery of oil at the Burgan site in February 1938. Later correspondence relates to various topics, as follows: the work and tests required on the oil before announcements relating to the discovery of oil in commercial quantities can be made; discussions with the India Office over the difference between 'commercial quantities' of oil and 'commercial conditions' for oil, the latter requiring the company to discuss the establishment of a refinery with the British Government; the decision by the KOC to cease their activities in Kuwait, other than drilling for water, owing to the outbreak of war, along with their actions in safeguarding the wells against potential enemy action; the negotiations with the Shaikh of Kuwait regarding the payment of royalties for the discovery of oil and advances on those royalties. The primary correspondents are the Kuwait Oil Company; Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ); the Political Agent at Kuwait (Gerald Simpson de Gaury, Andrew Charles Stewart); the Political Resident at Bushire (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Charles Geoffrey Prior); the Secretary of State for India (Lawrence Dundas, the 2nd Marquess of Zetland) and India Office staff (J P Gibson, Alexander Symon, Roland Tennyson Peel)Also discussed in the file is the question of a concession for an area outside of the territorial waters of Kuwait and numerous correspondence between the Kuwait Oil Company, India Office, Admiralty (Clifford George Jarrett) and Petroleum Department (Frederick Charles Starling) that debate what the jurisdictions might be in such an area, the exact nature of the territorial waters surrounding Kuwait, and potential boundary and frontier issues that might arise from such a concesssion. The correspondence is cut short owing to the outbreak of World War II as the various departments no longer have the time to discuss such matters and an agreement is reached with the Company and the Shaikh of Kuwait to suspend the matter until the war is over.Other matters discussed in the volume include:An article which appeared in Al Sijilmagazine which criticises the Kuwait Oil Company for failing to find oil in Kuwait and the Shaikh of Kuwait for keeping the concession negotiations and signed agreement secret from his own people. A translated copy of the article is included at folios 8-9;The commencement by the Kuwait Oil Company of the construction of a jetty at Bandar Shuwaikh, and the potential defensive benefits such a jetty could have in war-time;A proposed visit by Colonel Harold Dickson, Chief Local Representative of the Kuwait Oil Company, to Ibn Sa'ud over Christmas 1938 that was eventually cancelled due to objections from the Shaikh of Kuwait;Arrangements with the American Mission in Kuwait for the provision of medical and hospital facilities for Company employees and the decision to employ another American nurse who would attend to the hospital needs of the company but would also assist with the work of the Mission's Women's hospital (folios 76-80);Correspondence between the Kuwait Oil Company, Secretary of State for India and the India Office regarding the appointment of American personnel in Kuwait and obtaining the British Government's permission for their appointments;Correspondence between the Political Agent at Kuwait, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and His Majesty's Vice-Consul at Khorramshar (Albert Napier) regarding a Kuwait Oil Company employee of non-British or Kuwaiti status who was granted a visa to travel to Kuwait for work without permission from the British Government and discussing the correct passport and visa procedures for non-British subjects travelling throughout the region.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation has been written in pencil and can be found in the top right hand corner of the recto side of each folio. The sequence begins with the first item of correspondence and ends on the inside back cover.Foliations anomalies: 1, 1A and 1B. Foliation errors: 173 and 176 have been omitted.
4. 'File 86/1 VII (D 101) Kuwait Oil'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains correspondence between the Political Agent at Kuwait (Harold Richard Dickson); Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); Officials in the India and Foreign Offices (including Sir Louis Kershaw, John Gilbert Laithwaite, George Rendel); the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ); the Air Ministry (Wilfred Ashton McLaughry); the Air Office Commanding, Iraq (Alexander Duncan Cunningham); and representatives of the Kuwait Oil Company (Frank Holmes, Archibald Chisholm), Arabian Development Syndicate, Anglo-Persian Oil Company, and Iraq Petroleum Company.The correspondence relates primarily to the Kuwait Oil Company's negotiation's with His Majesty's Government and the Shaikh of Kuwait for the Kuwait (also given as Koweit) Oil Concession, focusing on discussions around clauses in both the Commercial and Political Agreements and the Shaikh's concerns over how certain clauses may be perceived both within his own country and in neighbouring ones.Also discussed are developments in Saudi Arabia with regards to their share of the Nejd-Kuwait Neutral Zone Oil Concession, which was being competed for by the Standard Oil Company of California and the Arabian Development Syndicate, and the British Government's opinions on the situation and their intended approach with regards to the Kuwait share of the concession. The information relating to the Saudi Government's approach to the concession is relayed through letters and reports from Sir Andrew Ryan, HM Minister at Jedda, and contain details of his discussions with representatives of both the Saudi Government and the oil companies.The correspondence also includes a discussion relating to land at Shuwaikh, identified by the British Government for possible use as an air base, and includes negotiations over the cost of renting the site or the possibility of reserving it for future use. Also included are details of reconnaissance undertaken by the Air Officer Commanding for alternative sites, which was unsuccesful, and correspondence regarding the use of Kuwait Harbour for flying boats and the need to identify suitable locations in the Harbour for moorings.Physical description: Foliation: The volume has been foliated in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio with a pencil number enclosed in a circle. The foliation sequence commences on the first folio after the front cover, with 1A and concludes on the back cover with number 246. Foliation anomalies: 1A-E.
5. 'File 86/1 I (D 73) Eastern and General Syndicate - Proposed Oil Concession in Kuwait'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume covers the proposal by the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited for oil concessions in Kuwait (also spelled Koweit) which were to be negotiated on the Syndicate's behalf by Major Frank Holmes.Included within the volume are copies of the draft agreements and correspondence between the Syndicate, the Colonial Office, The Government of India, The Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, The Political Agent in Kuwait and the Sheikh of Kuwait with regards to the various clauses proposed in the agreements. The correspondence focuses primarily on clauses in the draft agreement which would permit the Syndicate to pass any concessions granted on to their American owners, and the concerns of both the Sheikh of Kuwait (Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) and the British Government over British companies operating in Kuwait.Further correspondence and documents of interest in the file include:Complete copies of the first and second proposed draft agreements, in English and Arabic with comments by British officials (folios 111-131 and folios 205-223). A further copy of the second draft, in English only and with annotations, is also included in the file (folios 6-24);Correspondence between the Political Agent; Political Resident, and the Colonial Office focusing on the importance of Kuwait's strategic position in the Gulf and the likelihood of a British Military and Naval base being required again in the country once Iraq becomes independent in 1932;Interest in re-acquiring leases for the areas of Shuwaikh, Ras-al-Ardh, al-Dasmah and al-Nigara in Kuwait for use by the Royal Navy and Air Force;Correspondence regarding drilling for water and the establishment of wells which Major Holmes has undertaken for the Shaikh of Kuwait and British suspicions that the well sites are being used for speculative oil drilling;Correspondence between the British Government and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (A.P.O.C) regarding their possible interest in the oil concession in Kuwait.Physical description: Foliation: The volume has been foliated in the top right corner of each folio with a pencil number. The foliation sequence runs from the first to last folios, the only exception being folio 194 which is located on the verso of folio 193.Foliation anomalies: 1A, 1B, 1C, 59A, 134A, 139A, 164A, 223A, 223BCondition: The volume no longer has a back cover or spine, and only part of the labelling for the spine remains.
6. 'File 86/1 VI (D 97) Kuwait Oil'
- Description:
- Abstract: The correspondence in the volume relates to three main areas of discussion:The Kuwait Oil Company's negotiations with the Shaikh of Kuwait, Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, for the granting of an oil concession in Kuwait. Included within the volume are copies of both the draft concession agreement, in Arabic and English, (folios 16-27) and copies of the political agreement between His Majesty's Government and the Kuwait Oil Company (folios 57-65, 71-80 and 83-84) as well as correspondence regarding particular clauses within both agreements. Also included are records of interviews between Harold Dickson, Political Agent Kuwait, and the Shaikh of Kuwait, 25-26 February 1934, discussing the Shaikh's thoughts on the draft concession presented to him (folios 28-35). The Kuwait Oil Company's negotiations were handled by Major Archibald Chisholm and Major Frank Holmes.The British Government's concerns over an oil concession for the Nejd-Kuwait Neutral Zone, and particularly the possibility of an American company receiving the concession from the Saudi Government. The correspondence is primarily between the Foreign Office, India Office and the British Legation at Jedda and seeks to determine what the position is between the Saudi Government and the two interested parties in the Neutral Zone concession: the Standard Oil Company of California and the Arabian Development Syndicate. Also included in the volume are records of two meetings held at the India Office between Sir Louis Kershaw, Deputy Under Secretary of State, and representatives of the Foreign Office, Admiralty, India Office and Petroleum Department to discuss the oil concession in the Neutral Zone, ways of attempting to ensure that British owned company secures the concession, and the difficulties of jurisdiction and protection of employees within the zone itself (folios 89-97 and 125-128).Correspondence between the Air Ministry, Air Officer Commanding , the Political Agent Kuwait and the Shaikh of Kuwait regarding the lease of three sites within Kuwait: two at Jahra and Subaihiya [Şubayḩīyah] for use as landing grounds and one at Shuwaikh for use as an air base. The correspondence includes details of how the three sites are to be used and the conditions which the Shaikh of Kuwait places on their lease.The volume also contains file notes (folios 220-225) which list each individual item of correspondence received and its date.Physical description: Foliation: The volume is foliated with pencil numbers, enclosed in a circle, located in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The foliation sequence runs from front to back covers. There is an earlier foliation sequence which uses uncircled numbers in the top right corner of each recto and runs intermittently from folios 2-30. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1A-1E, 16A, 27A, 56A, 57A, 128A, 186A. Folios 83 and 84 are fold-outs.Watermark: The watermark EllamS can be found on folios 60 to 65.