IOR/L/PS/12/3873

The file concerns the drafting of the Dubai Oil Concession commercial agreement between the Ruler of Dubai (Shaikh Said bin Maktum Al-Hasher [Saʻīd bin Maktūm bin Hasher Āl Maktūm]) and Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Limited, a subsidiary of Petroleum Concessions Limited. The agreement was signed on 22 May 1937 (folios 38-55). The Ruler of Dubai also agreed to the following conditions set by the British Government:

• The commercial agreement was to be subordinate to the political agreement between HM Government and Petroleum Concessions Limited, signed on 5 February 1937
• If the Company failed to observe any of the terms of the political agreement, the Ruler had the right to terminate the commercial agreement, and take over all the company's properties within his territory.

The papers include draft and signed copies of the agreement; correspondence between the India Office and representatives of the Company over the wording of the agreement; comments from other British Government departments (e.g. the Foreign Office and the Air Ministry); and India Office confidential print entitled 'Dubai Oil Concession and Connected Documents' (Memo. B 458).

The Arabic language content of the file consists of draft and signed copies of the agreement in both English and Arabic.

The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.