Coll 16/33 'Establishments. Employment in Koweit of retired Political Agent: case of Col Dickson. appt as Chief Local Representative of the Kuwait Oil Coy.'

Content

The file comprises correspondence, memoranda and other documents relating to the appointment of Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Richard Patrick Dickson as the first Chief Local Representative of the Kuwait Oil Company following his retirement from the post of 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. , Kuwait [also spelled Koweit in this file] on reaching the age limit of fifty-five in February 1936. The file notably covers and includes the following:

• The initial proposal that the position be offered to Dickson, made by the Sheikh [Shaikh] of Kuwait, Ahmad Al Jabir Al Sabah [Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ], in a letter dated 20 February 1935 to Major Frank Holmes (folio 65), the Sheikh’s representative in London on the affairs of the Kuwait Oil Company
• Communications chiefly between 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. and 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. (see notably folios 55-58, 36-37 and 30-33), regarding: the political and financial advantages and disadvantages of such an appointment; concerns that the ‘proper’ selection procedures are seen to be followed; an alternative scheme for a two-year extension of Dickson’s post as 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. , Kuwait; and the eventual concurrence of 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. , Foreign Office, 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. and Government of India in approving the appointment
• Communications with the Kuwait Oil Company regarding Dickson’s appointment and his terms and conditions
• A copy of the ‘Koweit Oil’ concession document, comprising ‘1. Political Agreement of 5th March 1934 between His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom and the Kuwait Oil Company’ and ‘2. Commercial Agreement of 23rd December 1934 between His Excellency the Sheikh of Koweit and the Kuwait Oil Company’ (ff 39-46).

The majority of the correspondence is dated 11 February 1935-8 January 1936. The remainder (folios 2-9) is from 1939 and covers the extension of Dickson’s contract beyond the initial five-year period, and Dickson’s difficulty in returning to Kuwait from leave in England following the outbreak of war with Germany in September 1939.

In addition to 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. and 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. , correspondents include: William Fraser, AIOC (Anglo-Iranian Oil Company), London; the Government of India, Foreign and Political Department; Dickson; and Holmes.

The file includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence.

Extent and format

1 file (66 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 front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 68; 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.

The file is additionally enclosed in a black leather folder.

Written in

English in Latin script

Type

Archival file

Access & Reference

Original held at

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.

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

IOR/L/PS/12/2802

History of this record

Date(s)

11 Feb 1935-14 Sep 1939 (CE, Gregorian)

Related material

Related primary sources

Documents regarding Dickson's appointment can also be found in the following files:

IOR/R/15/5/247 'File 5/1 XII Kuwait Oil Company' 9 Jan 1935-13 Feb 1936

IOR/L/PS/10/999/3 ‘Persian Gulf: oil concessions in Bahrain, Kuwait etc; correspondence from 1926-1931 and 1932-1933’

Subjects

DiplomacyPersonnelConcessions, Oil, Kuwait

Places

Koweit

People & organisations

Political Resident, Persian GulfKuwait Oil CompanyEmir of KuwaitPolitical Agent, KuwaitHarold Richard Patrick Dickson

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Coll 16/33 'Establishments. Employment in Koweit of retired Political Agent: case of Col Dickson. appt as Chief Local Representative of the Kuwait Oil Coy.', British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2802, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000000602.0x000154> [accessed 4 October 2024]

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