IOR/R/15/1/678

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.