الملف ٥٣٧\١٩٢١ الجزء ١ "بلاد فارس: النفط - الدفاع عن حقول شركة النفط الأنجلو-فارسية إلخ" [و‎‎١‎٣‎١] (٣٢٤/٢٥٧)

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Majesty’s GevP.mr^ t. ]
Prmted l° r the C °™™ittee of Imperial Defence. May 1922.
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COMMITTEE OF IMPERIAL DEFENCE,
PROTECTION OF SOUTH PERSIA OIL-FIELDS.
(Previous C.I.D. Paper No. 157-C.)
A
Note by Secretary.
AT their Sixteenth Meeting on the 26th November, 1921, the Standing Defence
Sub-Committee arrived at the following conclusions :—
“ (&•) That the Air Ministry should be invited to undertake the responsi
bility for obtaining information regarding possible dangers to the oil-fields.
(5.) Since the Colonial Office and the Air Ministry are the Departments
which will shortly be responsible for all matters in connection with Mesopotamia,
these Departments should accept the liability for keeping up-to-date plans for
the despatch from Mesopotamia to Alrwaz of a force for the preliminary defence
of the oil-fields in an emergency/’
2 . The views of the Secretary of State for the Colonies on paragraph (fr) of the
above conclusions are stated in a letter dated the 21st December, 1921, which is
printed as Annexure I to this note.
In that letter he explained that his qualified promise of assistance from Iraq is
conditional upon the acceptance of the three principles stated below :—
“(1.) That military assistance can only be sent if the General Officer
Commanding or Air Officer Commanding considers it will not endanger either
the situation in Iraq or the position of the troops that are left behind.
ct (2.) That any assistance sent in the shape of men or material be at once
replaced fro m In dia or elsewhere^
“(3.) ThaF all financial liability involved in the despatch of troops from
Iraq to South Persia be borne by the Government Department which calls for
such assistance. Should the Anglo-Persian Oil Company themselves apply for
assistance, it is suggested that they be made responsible for all financial liability y
incurred.”
3. A letter from the Colonial Office, dated the 19th April, 1922, transmitting a
>py of a scheme prepared by the Air Staff for the protection of the South Persian
il-fields in certain eventualities and accepting the responsibility for obtaining
iformation regarding possible dangers to the oil-fields in accordance with para-
raph (a) of the conclusions of the Sixteenth Meeting of the Standing e ence
ub-Committee, is printed as Annexure II to this note.
4. It will be seen from the Memorandum by the Oversea Defence Committee
TI.D. Paper No. 157-C) that the turbulent and fanatical tribes m Arabistan who
re very susceptible to Mahommedan agitators, are the most serious menace ° ^
Purity of the oil-fields; and it is also possible that the Bakhtian, acting u
ntside influence, might abandon their present friendly attitude.
Lawlessness in Arabistan or a Bakhtiari attack are like 7 0 e c ?L f -
nti-British agitation in Iraq; so that it is, doubttul if the rs c ° ,
r Mch military assistance would be available from Iraq could e c qmp : •
5. The action proposed to be taken by the Air Force m certain eventualities is
4 forth in paragraph 11 of the Air Staff Memorandum of e - p