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‘File 28/35 Denial programme Qatar’ [117r] (238/746)
The record is made up of 1 file (365 folios). It was created in 5 Jun 1935-31 Dec 1943. It was written in English and Arabic. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
2
&
1942 which reads as follows:
"Agree to bear extra cost of payment in silver but whether
"or not we should continue to pay in silver is matter for
"
Political Agent
A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency.
to decide and you should abide by his
"decision"
Prom this it will appear that the Managing Director does
not wish to insist on strict adherence to the Company’s
rights under Article 20 of the Concession.
b) In the absence of any ruling as to the legality of the tender
of notes in patar combined with the fact that silver can
only be obtained by the Company and exported with the
assistance or approval of the Political Department, the Company
is not in a position to settle the matter with the Shaikh.
(c) It would thus seem that the Political Department, as the
Managing Director indicates, must give the ruling. m here
appears two courses open to the Political Department:
(i) To inform the Shaikh that it is quite clear from the
Company’s Concession - Article 20 - that the Company is
within its rights not only in paying in all sums into
the Pastern Bank Limited, Bahrain, but also in the use
of notes, and in this case, it is advisable for the
Shaikh to declare paper currency legal tender in patar.
Any loss suffered by the Shaikh in changing notes to
silver is due to war conditions, and the Company is
under no obligation to reimburse the Shaikh in respect
of such losses. In fact, losses due to the war must be
borne by the Shaikh.
(ii) Alternatively, the
Political Agent
A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency.
can accept the
Shaikh’s contention that it is in the spirit of the
Concession - Article 18 - that the Shaikh should not
suffer from conditions created by wars outside qatar.
If this is conceded, then the Shaikh has a good case
for his claim to be paid in silver or in notes on a
silver basis if silver itself cannot be made available.
If the Political Department favours this alternative,
then the Company would expect the following safeguards:-
Firstly, assistance from the Political in getting
silver from India and exporting it either direct to
Qatar or via Bahrain and the Eastern Bank Limited,
Bahrain.
Secondly, that the Shaikh should be given clearly to
understand that the continuance of the arrangements
is binding on them only for the period during which
operations are suspended and that even during that
period they cannot be held responsible if because of
deterioration in the war situation or other unforeseen
circumstances they are unable to continue the abovementioned
facilities. The Company, however, would agree to abide
by the decision of the
Political Agent
A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency.
as to whether or
not the facilities should be continued.
Note: It is a matter for consideration as to whether or not, if
silver is unavailable, the Company should pay in notes
according to face value plus the additional cost, also in
notes, of changing the sum due into an equal amount of
silver. In practice, this would be very difficult as the
Shaikh could'be expected to haggle endlessly on the exchange
rate.
27th wctober 1942.
About this item
- Content
The volume contains copies of letters, agreements and other papers relating to the temporary cessation in 1942 of oil operations undertaken by Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited (PDQ) in Qatar, in response to events in the Second World War, and negotiations over an agreement between the Ruler of Qatar and the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bahrain for the cessation of operations, and continued payment of the concession and other costs. The volume’s principal correspondents are the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield, superseded by Major Tom Hickinbotham in October 1943); the Manager of PDQ (Ernest Vincent Packer, also in the file as chief correspondent for Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL)); the Ruler of Qatar (Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī).
The volume includes:
- a telegraphic instruction from the Under Secretary of State for India, dated 19 June 1942, informing of the Commander-in-Chief Middle East’s decision to plug all oil wells in Qatar and suspend drilling operations, ‘for reasons connected with the War Effort’ (f 10);
- a copy of a report marked Most Secret, detailing the oil denial proposals for PDQ’s operations in Qatar, prepared by Major E Boaden of the Royal Engineers, and dated 23 May 1942 (ff 19-20);
- correspondence dated June to July 1942, relating to the plugging and junking of oil wells in the Qatar oil field, and evacuation of oil and water supply equipment, under orders received by the Tenth Army (ff 45-53, ff 67-69);
- correspondence relating to arrangements to transfer oil drilling equipment from Qatar to Karachi;
- correspondence between PDQ/PCL, the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bahrain, and the Ruler of Qatar, relating to the protracted negotiation of terms for the suspension of oil operations in Qatar, chiefly concerning: retention and pay of guards to protect oil company property; salaries for the Ruler of Qatar’s representatives and the Director of Customs at Zekrit [Zikrīt, also referred to in correspondence as Zekhrit]; rent of the oil company’s house (Company House) in Doha [occasionally referred to as Dohah], and employment of servants; supply and use of the Company’s ice machine, water pump; provision of communications between Doha and Dukhan; maintenance of a launch between Zekrit and Bahrain;
- correspondence relating to the method of continued concession payments to the Ruler of Qatar: chiefly in the form of discussion over whether the payments should be in silver rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. , preferred by the Ruler but potentially difficult to supply, or in paper currency through the Eastern Bank Limited;
- multiple copies of the draft agreement of terms between the Ruler of Qatar and the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bahrain;
- correspondence dated October and November 1943 relating to arrangements for the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. in Bahrain to visit Doha and the Ruler of Qatar, in order to conclude the suspension of operations agreement;
- a copy of the original agreement between the Ruler of Qatar and the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bahrain, dated 23 November 1943, setting out payments and facilities to be provided by PDQ during the suspension of operations in Qatar (in English and Arabic, with the latter signed by the Ruler of Qatar and Major Tom Hickinbotham, ff 336-338).
While the volume’s correspondence begins in in May and June 1942, an extract of an earlier letter from the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. , dated 5 June 1935 (f 6) provides the earlier date indicated in this catalogue entry’s date range.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (365 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The file notes at the end of the volume (ff 350-368) mirror the chronological arrangement.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 371; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional incomplete foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 163-349; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
- Written in
- English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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‘File 28/35 Denial programme Qatar’ [117r] (238/746), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/729, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100025797598.0x000027> [accessed 27 September 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/2/729
- Title
- ‘File 28/35 Denial programme Qatar’
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:3v, 6r:6v, 8r:21v, 27r:35v, 37r:39v, 41r:42v, 44r:48v, 50r:59v, 62r:64v, 69r:69v, 75r:86v, 91r:97v, 100r:101v, 103r:103v, 105r:114v, 116r:119v, 122r:128v, 134r:138v, 140r:142v, 144r:149v, 162r:162v, 164r:164v, 166r:179v, 183r:184v, 188r:189v, 191r:193v, 195r:195v, 199r:200v, 202r:205v, 210r:212v, 217r:217v, 221r:224v, 227r:228v, 232r:234v, 240r:240v, 243r:248v, 250r:256v, 258r:260v, 268r:268v, 272r:282v, 284r:286v, 288r:289r, 294r:294v, 299r:299v, 303r:303v, 306r:307v, 311r:312v, 314r:314v, 316r:317v, 321r:330v, 333r:335v, 340r:340v, 342r:344v, 348r:348v, 350r:370v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence