'File 5/1 XI Kuwait Oil Company' [‎214r] (432/452)

7.
<•
loioicJi Cxiil^ in favour of the truo intorosts of this
country.
1^. Lord Lloyd subsequently again rang up and spoke to
Mr. Lai thwaito. Ho said that in the light of tho
conversation he had got in touch with Traders Limited and
strongly advised them to put themselves right with the
Government and get into touch with 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. .
15. Pie made the further point that he had for some
time been restrained by the Foreign Office only with
difficulty from ventilating the whole of this question, of
which he took so serious a view, was it entirely fair
that when he had held his peace because he was advised
in
that it was/the best interests of the country, Government
departments should be pressing on in tho Gulf with steps
designed to hand the concession over to a syndicate which,
even if 5Q^ British, was likely in practice to be under a
decisive American influence. Las It too late even at this
stage, when he had shown that there was a purely British
group in the field, to close the negotiations down?.
Mr. Laithwaite said that ho doubted whether there was any
very material difference, emccpt as regards small points,
botvvoen the position of tho K owe it concession when Lord
Lloyd had first spoken to the Foreign Office last May,
and the position to-day. The e
concession had been decided by
ssential features ol the
last spring. Negotiations
for a concession had nov
7 almost reached finality and ~ould
t be abruptly broken off. It was not only as though it
re a question of a new concession for which a Br'
mpany were competing. Mr. Laithwaite would, however,