Coll 30/87(2) Part II 'Qatar: Oil Concession - P.C.L.'s Operations.' [253r] (512/603)
The record is made up of 1 file (296 folios). It was created in 6 Jan 1945-13 Apr 1948. It was written in English. 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.
Any reply to be addressed.^
The Secretary.
Telephone: Abbey 7000.
Telegrams:
“Minfupo, Sowest, London.”
Reference: PD.21/12/1 Pt.2.
Your Reference: Sxt.4225/1^
fit
MINISTRY OF
FUEL AND POWER
Petroleum Division,
7, Millbank,
London, S.W.l.
»th July, 194-6.
Dear Harrisor^, I j
4 p |
Thanks for your 2nd Ju ly with enclosures
on the subject of the Bahrein Petroleum Company’s proposals
to resume operations in the Bahrein Additional Area, including
the Hawar Islands and certain other areas adjacent to the
Qatar coast.
^ So far as we are aware the territorial extent of the
Bahrein Additional Area has not been delineated and there
is no formal fecord on a map to show what was covered by the
expansion of the BAPCO concession which took place in
October 1939. Furthermore, so far as we know, the precise
area covered by "the Hawar Islands", .which H.K.G. decided in
October 1939 belonged to the State of Bahrein rather than to
Qatar, has also not been defined on a map. If the foregoing
is correct, we suggest that we might go rather further than
is at present suggested in requiring BAPCO to hold off develop
ment pending settlement of the ^Bahreirv^Qatar boundaries.
We should see no objection to BAPCO being allowed to develop
their operations at points A, B, C, and D on the map enclosed
with your letter, i.e. those lying northwards from the main
Bahrein Island. We also agree that they should not, for the
present, be allowed to develop at points E and P on their
map (jaradeh and Jabal Croup). In the case of the Hawar
Islands Neighbourhood, we should.certainly be averse to
/ letting BAPCO go to work at point J (Sowad Janubiya) until
a territorial position is defined. This consideration we
feel also really applies to the Hawar Islands themselves.
Point H, for instance, on BAPCO’s map lying at the southern
/end
About this item
- Content
The file concerns the operations of Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) (and its subsidiary Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited) in Qatar. Of particular importance in the file is the issue of the division of the sea bed for drilling operations between PCL's concession, and that of the Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited (BAPCO) in Bahrain.
The file contains discussion of the issue by the 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. , the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Fuel and Power, 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , 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. , Bahrain.
The papers cover: the resumption of drilling operations in Qatar after their suspension during the Second World War; payment of royalties; the Hawar Islands; the granting of permission to use wireless sets; the response of British officials to a United States Government request to PCL for information on petroleum resources in Qatar and the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. , October-November 1946; aerial surveys of the Bahrain-Qatar Unallotted Area; the application of US President Harry S Truman's continental shelf doctrine to the issue (e.g. folios 141, 110); maps of the area; Admiralty comments on the need for all parties to be aware that the sea bed only was concerned, and that the waters above, and free navigation, were in no way affected (folio 46); correspondence from the oil companies involved; and the reactions of local rulers to the negotiations.
The file also contains five maps.
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.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (296 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 296; 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. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out. Foliation anomaly: 268a.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
Coll 30/87(2) Part II 'Qatar: Oil Concession - P.C.L.'s Operations.' [253r] (512/603), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3806B, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100056534851.0x000072> [accessed 6 April 2025]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100056534851.0x000072
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100056534851.0x000072">Coll 30/87(2) Part II 'Qatar: Oil Concession - P.C.L.'s Operations.' [‎253r] (512/603)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100056534851.0x000072"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000648.0x000176/IOR_L_PS_12_3806B_00515.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000648.0x000176/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/3806B
- Title
- Coll 30/87(2) Part II 'Qatar: Oil Concession - P.C.L.'s Operations.'
- Pages
- front, back, front-i, 2r:4v, 7r:12v, 15r:15v, 16v:17v, 18v:22v, 31r:51v, 52v:85v, 86v:104v, 105v:123v, 125r:130v, 131v:155v, 157r:167v, 168v:211v, 212v:218v, 230r:233v, 234v:239v, 242r:243v, 244v:254v, 258r:266v, 267v:268v, 268ar:268av, 269r:271v, 272v, 275r:282v, 283v:286v, 296r:296v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence