'File 10/3 II Qatar Oil Concession' [‎111r] (236/520)

He thought that it
was essential that
the main lines of
the agreement with
H.M.G. should be
communicated to
the Company in the
very near future,
in order to avoid
any suggestion
that the Company
had been allowed
to proceed with
the commercial
agreement with the
Sheikh on false
pretences: also
that if any
difficulty were to
\ experienced in
getting the Sheikh
Jo agree to our
terms it would be
important to devise
some means of
avoiding the
impression that
pressure was being
brought to bear
upon him in the
Interests of the
A.P.O.C.
questions inv
need careful
therefore be
A .P.O.C. what
be. But so
could bd comir
delay, and
that whatever
finally laid
application,
their difficu
the Sheikh or
Mr. Se
judge, the I
stated by Mr,
to the procec
Mr. Ls
Office fully
Mr. Rendel h£
great imports
to be laid dc
be well to gj
idea of the r
which Kis Ma;
to require wlr
our conments
generally,
they should 1
concluded on:
if such an a^
only and con-i
discussed,
the A.P .O.C.
with the She:
8.
He thought that it
was essential that
the main lines of
the agreement with
H.M.G. should be
communicated to
the Company in the
very near future,
in order to avoid
any suggestion
that the Company
had been allowed
to proceed with
the commercial
agreement with the
Sheikh on false
pretences: also
that if any
difficulty were to
^ experienced in
getting the Sheikh
to agree to our
terms it would be
important to devise
some means of
avoiding the
impression that
pressure was being
brought to bear
upon him in the
interests of the
A.P.O.C.
questions involved were difficult and would
need careful consideration, and it might
therefore be impossible at once to inform the
A.F.O.C. what precisely the conditions would
be. But so long as their general outline
could be communicated to the Company without
delay, and the Company given to understand
that whatever detailed conditions were
finally laid down would be of universal
application, it ought considerably to reduce
their difficulties in negotiating either with
the Sheikh or with the I.P.C.
Mr. Seal said that, so far as he could
judge, the Admiralty on the understandings
stated by Mr.Rendel, were unlikely to object
to the procedure suggested
:. t . Laithv/aite said that the Indi
Office fully agreed with the proviso to which
Mr. Rendel had referred, to which they attached
great importance. As regards the conditions
to be laid down, he thought thao it v*ould
be well to give the Company a fairly clear
idea of the nature of the safeguards, etc.,
which His Majesty 's Government would oe lively
to require when we infomed them next week of
our comments on the revised draft agreement
generally. It was obviously essential that
they should have this information before they
concluded any agreement with the bheikh, even
if such an agreement covered conmercial points
only and contained the proviso which had been
discussed. It would not be overlooked that
the A.P.O.C. could not conclude any agreement
with the Sheikh without the approval 01 the
I.P.C./