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.142 CONFIDENTIAL. 86/13-i. P.C.L. KUWAIT.'

Description:

Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence between the India Office (John P Gibson, Maurice Clauson, Roland T Peel, John C Walton); the Foreign Office (George Rendel, Lacy Bagallay); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard C Fowle); the Political Agent at Kuwait (Gerald S de Gaury); His Majesty’s Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, Sir Reader Bullard); Secretary of State for India (Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Anthony Eden); and Petroleum Concessions Limited (John Skliros, Stephen H Longrigg, Frank Holmes) regarding the Kuwait Neutral Zone and Petroleum Concessions Limited’s interest in attempting to secure an option or concession from the Shaikh of Kuwait and the Government of Saudi Arabia for their shares in the zone.The volume consists of general correspondence regarding Petroleum Concessions Limited’s interest in and work towards various concessions in the Persian Gulf and various possibilities for approaching the Saudi Arabian Government regarding their share of the Neutral Zone concession. Also discussed are attempts to ascertain the exact nature and extent of the Standard Oil Company of California’s preference rights for both the zone and the remainder of the territory of Saudi Arabia.Further discussion surrounds His Majesty’s Government’s concerns over the financial situation in Saudi Arabia and their desire where possible to provide assistance and support, along with the challenges of balancing this desire with their own policies and interests in the Persian Gulf.The main focus of the discussion in the volume centres on the possibility of a buy-out clause relating to the neutral zone concession existing in the Standard Oil Company of California (SOCAL)’s option agreement with the Saudi Arabian Government and the subsequent discovery that SOCAL’s preference rights were much more extensive. The exact nature of the preference rights are identified by the Foreign Office being supplied copies of the relevant concession articles by Mahmood Riyad Zada of the Royal Legation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in London.The correspondence concludes with PCL deciding to make an offer to the Saudi Arabian Government, via their representation in London, for a concession covering central and western Saudi Arabia and the Kuwait Neutral Zone to be worked by Petroleum Development (Western Arabia) Limited. Separate correspondence documents discussion between Hamilton Ballantyne of the Standard Oil Company of California and the India Office about SOCAL's potential interest in the neutral zone concession now that oil has been discovered in Hasa and Kuwait.Also included in the volume is the memorandum prepared in the Petroleum Department, June 1938, looking at areas where petroleum concessions were mostly likely to be, or had been already been obtained, on the Arabian Peninsula.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 224-230.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 235; 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 24-223; 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.

4. 'D.178 86/13-III KUWAIT NEUTRAL ZONE'

Description:

Abstract: The file contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (William Rupert Hay); the Political Agent at Kuwait (Gordon Noel Jackson, Maurice O’Connor Tandy); the India Office (later the Commonwealth Relations Office, Eion Pelly Donaldson, Adrian Harbottle Reed, Ralph Ingham Hallows); the Foreign Office (Lancelot Frank Lee Pyman); the Ministry of Fuel and Power (William Dunmore Monsell-Davies); His Majesty’s Minister at Jedda (Alan Charles Trott); the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) and various oil companies in relation to the auction process instituted by the Shaikh of Kuwait for his share in the Kuwait-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone oil concession.The companies which expressed an interest in bidding for the Kuwait neutral zone concession included Petroleum Concessions Limited, the Burmah Oil Company, the Eastern Gulf Company, the Amerada Petroleum Company, the American Independent Petroleum Corporation, the Superior Oil Company of California and the Canadian Eagle Oil Company. However owing to the Shaikh's requirement that financial backing and resources to undertake exploitation of an oil concession are proven by each potential bidder only four companies were permitted to continue and submit final bids on 1 June 1948 – Petroleum Concessions Limited, the Burmah Oil Company, the Eastern Gulf Company and the American Independent Petroleum Corporation.Other matters discussed in the file include:the question of the political agreement between His Majesty’s Government and successful Oil Company and discussing whether such an agreement could be made with an American Company and also what changes and special requirements would have to be made owing to the concession only being for the Shaikh of Kuwait’s share of the neutral zone.a visit paid by the Shaikh of Kuwait to Ibn Saud (‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd)and the question of whether or not the neutral zone was discussed by them.debate around the possibility of a geographic division of the neutral zone in order to make administration of the zone easier, and the conclusion that negotiations for such a division could take years and would not perhaps be in the best interests of the Oil Companies exploiting an oil concession there.a hydrographic survey of the coast-line of the neutral zone to locate a suitable landing site for heavy equipment.a new air service instituted by Iraq Airways in 1947 that would fly from Basra to Kuwait and Bahrain.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 272-299.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 302; 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 2-99 and ff 113-300; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.

5. '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.

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.

7. 'CONFIDENTIAL 86/13-II VOL. D.177. KUWAIT NEUTRAL ZONE'

Description:

Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard C Fowle, Charles G Prior); the Political Agent at Kuwait (Gerald S de Gaury, Arnold C Galloway, Tom Hickinbotham); the India Office (John P Gibson, Roland T Peel); the Foreign Office (Lacy Baggallay, Charles W Baxter); His Majesty’s Minister in Jedda [Jiddah] (Sir Reader Bullard); Petroleum Concessions Limited (John Skliros, Stephen Hemsley Longrigg, Frank Holmes); the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) and the Arabian Americian Oil Company (ARAMCO, formerly the Standard Oil Company of California (SOCAL) and the Californian American Standard Oil Company (CASOC)).The correspondence centres on interest in a possible oil concession for the Kuwait-Saudi neutral zone and in particular the Shaikh of Kuwait’s share of the concession, which had yet to be awarded, and the Saudi Government’s share which was taken up by ARAMCO in July 1939.The early correspondence relates to World War II during which both the Eastern Gulf Oil Company and Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) express interest in the Shaikh of Kuwait’s share, but to which the Shaikh consistently responds that he is not interested in discussing the question as he hopes that he may be able to regain control of the whole of the zone should the King of Saudi Arabia, Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd], pass away. This situation continues until 1946 when the Shaikh decides to begin considering offers for a neutral zone concession and invites various companies including Petroleum Concessions Limited, the Eastern Gulf Oil Company, ARAMCO and the Burmah Oil Company to compete for the concession.Other matters discussed in the volume include:a proposed visit by Harold and Violet Dickson to Ibn Saud December 1938 which was eventually cancelled;a report from His Majesty’s Minister at Jedda regarding discussions held between Stephen Hemsley Longrigg of Petroleum Concessions Limited and the Minister of Finance to the Saudi Arabian Government regarding concessions for the unalloted areas of Saudi Arabia, after which PCL concluded they were not prepared to bid for owing to the preference rights given by the Government to the Californian Arabian Standard Oil Company;a visit paid by Shaikh Yusuf Yasin [Yūsuf Yāsīn] of the Saudi Arabian Government to Sir Reader Bullard, His Majesty’s Minister at Jedda regarding a possible oil concession for the Kuwait-Saudi neutral zone in which the Saudi Arabian Government’s growing need for money was noted along with concerns that the Saudi Government seemed to think British and American Oil interests were conspiring against them to keep offers low.confirmation that the Californian Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC) had taken up their right to a concession for all unalloted areas of Saudi Arabia, including the Saudi Arabian share of the neutral zone. The concession agreement was ratified in July 1939 and published in the Umm-al-Qura newspaper.a report of a visit made by Colonel Harold Richard Patrick Dickson of the Kuwait Oil Company to Abraq al Kabrit [Abraq al Kibrīt] to see CASOC’s drilling operations and obtain water samples.Correspondence between Major Frank Holmes, Adviser to the Shaikh of Kuwait on Oil Matters and the Shaikh of Kuwait in which oil in the neutral zone is discussed along with possible arrangements for transit oil from Basra to pass through Kuwait and the likely financial benefits to the Shaikh of such an arrangement.discussion between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Political Resident regarding the outstanding Saudi Arabia boundary questions and the appropriate time to address the issues. The boundary questions being discussed included the Kuwait Neutral Zone; Jebel Naksh [Nakhsh] and Khor-el-Odeid [Khawr al ‘Udayd] which Saudi Arabia had made claims to but which the British Government considered to belong to Qatar and Abu Dhabi respecitively; and the boundaries between Trucial Coast States, Muscat and Saudi Arabia and how best to draw boundary lines between them, including Saudi Arabian claims to the Baraimi [Al Buraymī] Oasis, and the British Government’s opinion that any boundary settlement needed to ensure the Baraimi Oasis remained part of Abu Dhabi territory.rumours of an intended meeting between Ibn Saud and the Shaikh of Kuwait at Gaisun [Al Qayşūmah]; and further reports that the Shaikh of Kuwait, Shaikh Abdullah bin Isa Al Khalifah [ʻAbd Allāh bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah] [(brother of the Shaikh of Bahrain) and Mohammad Tabriz bin Abdul Aziz bin Saud [Muḥammad bin ʻAbd al-ʻAzīz Āl Sa‘ūd] (a son of Ibn Saud) had all been in the Gaisun area and had corresponded but that Ibn Saud had not travelled there.a request by the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO) to undertake a hydrographic survey of the coast of the neutral zone in order to locate a harbour site suitable for unloading heavy equipment for the trans-Arabian pipeline, and the granting of permission by both the Saudi Arabian Government and the Shaikh of Kuwait for the work to be undertaken.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 244-263.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 267; 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 3-243; 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.

8. 'Confidential D 107 86/5-I Eastern and General Syndicate Ltd. - Saudi Arabia'

Description:

Abstract: The volume contains correspondence to and from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Percy Gordon Loch), Political Agent at Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch), and Political Agent at Kuwait (Harold Richard Patrick Dickson) regarding matters in Saudi Arabia and their affect, particularly on Kuwait and Bahrain. The main topic of discussion being a concession in Hasa, Saudi Arabia which was contested by the Standard Oil Company of California and the Iraq Petroleum Company, and was awarded to Standard Oil in July 1933.The correspondence, primarily between HM's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan) and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir John Simon) includes details of the negotiations and translations of the concession agreement which was published in Umm-al-Qurain July 1933. Also discussed are attempts to obtain information about the special agreement between Standard Oil and the Sa'udi Arab Government which was not published and which contained details of the exact values of the concession, the area covered by it, and a clause relating to the Kuwait-Najd neutral zone concession. Later correspondence also discusses the progress being made by Standard Oil in developing their concession.Other matters discussed in the file include:correspondence from the Political Agent at Kuwait regarding rumours that the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) travelled to Najd to meet with Ibn Saud (‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd), King of Saudi Arabia, or one of his close advisers to discuss matters including a potential alleviation of the blockade on Kuwait and their joining forces in regards to the oil concession agreement in the neutral zone (ff 6-17);a memorandum written by the Petroleum Department about Petroleum in Arabia which covers the topics: Petroleum prospects in Arabia, interested or potentially interested companies, past concessions affecting Saudi Arabia, the present position. The memorandum includes brief summaries of all the key oil companies and interested parties in oil concessions in Arabia (ff 90-91);correspondence regarding the prohibition on private planes flying to Bahrain and a request by the Standard Oil Company of California to use Bahrain as their base of operations during their survey of Hasa which was denied, and the eventual decision to allow Standard Oil's aeroplane to land at Bahrain should there be a serious medical emergency involving either their staff or those of the Mesopotamia-Persia corporation (ff 112, 131-133, 155-156, 173-175);a record of an interview which Frederick Charles Starling of the Mines Department had with Edmund William Janson of the Eastern and General Syndicate Limited in which Eastern and General's interest in a possible concession in Asir was discussed along with their activities in regard to previous concessions (ff 147-149).A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 179-187.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 6-192; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.

9. 'File 39/2 (1 B/8) Effect of abrogation of APOC concession by Persian Government on oil market in Bahrain'

Description:

Abstract: The file contains a letter from the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain and a letter from Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC), regarding the situation in Bahrain after the dispute between Britain and Persia, due to the cancellation of the 1901 D'Arcy Concession (see IOR/R/15/1/636).The file also includes extracts from previous correspondence, reports and leaflets from APOC, and a copy of the 1933 agreement between the Imperial Government of Persia and APOC, in French and English.The file also includes copies of newspaper articles on the subject, from The Times.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 40; 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 1-39; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.

10. 'File 39/7 (10/9) Kuwait Oil Concession'

Description:

Abstract: The file contains correspondence between Kuwait Oil Company, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Political Agent at Kuwait. The correspondence discusses the discovery of oil in Kuwait; because of the scarcity of oil found in the well at Bahra it was decided to drill another well around the w ara(sandstone) hill (now part of Burqan Field), where oil was found in commercial quantities in 1938. Copy of the 1934 Agreements between the British Government, the Sheikh of Kuwait and with Kuwait Oil Company is included in the file (ff 3-10). The discovery of oil in Kuwait increased interest from Saudi Arabia over the Neutral Zone, which is subject of correspondence from Petroleum Concessions Limited.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 44; 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 2-37; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.

11. 'File 39/8 Oil Development, Middle East: Trans-Arabian pipe line'

Description:

Abstract: The file contains correspondence between the Government of India, the India Office, the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Fuel and Power and the Political Resident at Bahrain about American interest in Middle East oil. The correspondence discusses a Trans-Arabian oil pipeline to the Mediterranean Sea, to be built from AbQaid [Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia] to the South of Palestine, and the visit of representatives of Petroleum Reserves Corporation from USA to the Persian Gulf.The file also contains:enclosed in the correspondence, copy of oil concession between Standard Oil Company of California and the Government of Saudi Arabia, 1933 (ff 16-20);agreement on Petroleum between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1944 (ff 74-77);newspaper cuttings and extracts;map showing the Trans-Arabian Pipeline 'Middle East Oil' (f 55).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 81; 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 2-44; these numbers are written in a combination of red crayon and pencil.

12. '86/1 IX Kuwait Oil (D 111)'

Description:

Abstract: The file is primarily concerned with the conclusion of the Koweit [Kuwait] Oil Concession negotations between the Shaikh of Kuwait [Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ], and the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC). Correspondence includes discussion between both parties and the India Office over final amendments to the wording of the concession agreement, the confirmation of the Shaikh's readiness to sign the agreement, and His Majesty's Government's decision to approve of the decision. The official signing of the concession took place at the Political Agency, Kuwait, on 23 December 1934 in the presence of the following: the Shaikh of Kuwait; Frank Holmes and Archibald Chisholm, negotiators for the KOC; Harold Dickson, Political Agent at Kuwait. Signed copies of the concession, in Arabic and English can be found at folios 21-41 and 211-218.Further correspondence in relation to the concession includes arrangements to send geologists to Kuwait to undertake surveys, and a discussion around the requirement for the India Office to approve the employment of any non-British individuals by the KOC.Also included are records of interdepartmental discussions relating to the negotiation process, thoughts on the concession agreements presented by KOC and Traders Ltd, the decision to approve the Shaikh of Kuwait's agreement to sign the KOC concession, and possible courses of action in anticipation of criticism from Lord Lloyd (George Lloyd, 1st Baron Lloyd) over the decision to award the concession to KOC. The individuals involved in these departmental meetings included the following: Gilbert Laithwaite, John Walton and George Crombie from the India Office; Frederick Starling of the Petroleum Department; George Rendel and Kenneth Johnstone from the Foreign Office; and Ebenezer Seal from the Admiralty.Also discussed are the negotiations between the Shaikh of Kuwait and Traders Ltd which took place between September and November 1934, along with the rumours and suspicions regarding the financial backing and support for the Company, the possible involvement of members of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) in the process, and the conduct of the Shaikh of Kuwait in having entered into negotiations without prior approval from His Majesty's Government and having broken a promise to the KOC not to entertain any other competitor at that time.Other matters discussed in the file include:The Standard Oil Company of California's option regarding the Saudi Arabian share of the Kuwait-Nejd Neutral Zone Concession and the possibility of it working with the Iraq Petroleum Company in order to obtain the whole concession (folios 56-57, 188-191, and 206-210) .There is also reference to a geological survey of the Neutral Zone undertaken by British representativesThe visits of Harry St John Philby and Stephen Hemsley Longrigg to Kuwait in 1935, both of whom were interested in ascertaining the Shaikh of Kuwait's position regarding the Kuwaiti share of the Neutral Zone concession (folios 170-192)The Kuwaiti-Saudi Arabia blockade conference, including correspondence on where the negotiations were to be held, the numbers of delegates permitted by both sides, and the Shaikh of Kuwait's insistence that any settlement must be based on a solution involving the customs post and the manifest system (folios 193-204).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 223; 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; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. The sequence includes three foliation anomalies, f 40a, f 175a and f 175b.