File 537/1921 Part 2 'Persia: Oil - A.P.O. Co's development of new oil-fields; Oil Boring at Dasht-i-Qil; A.P.O. Co's agreement with Kashkuli Khans' [‎191r] (53/254)

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Mgyesty s GoYermnent.1
PERSIA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[ E 8441/7/34]
No. 1
[August 24.]
Section 7.
Sir P. Loraine to the Earl of Balfour .—{Received Auqust 24 )
(No. 427.)
My ^ ol ^’ _ Tehran, July 8 , 1922.
I HAVE the honour, with reference to Mr. Bridgeman’s despatch No. 315 of the
12th December last, to transmit to your Lordship herewith (1) copy of the official
minutes of the meeting between Sir A. Wilson, Resident-Director Anglo-Persian Oil
Company, and Soulet-ed-Dowleh ; (2) translation of the agreement made between
Sir A. V ilsoii and boulet-ed-Dowleh on behalf of his son Mohammed Nasir, Ilkhani The paramount chief of certain tribes in south west Iran. of
tiie Kashgai tribe ; and (3) translation of a revised agreement between Sir A Wilson
and the Kashgai and Kashkuli chieftains.
In. order that, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company might be able to explore for oil in
Dasht-i-Qil and Bikaiz, it was found necessary to come to some agreement with the
chiefs of the Kashkuli tribe, so that adequate protection might be afforded by those
chiefs to the staff of the oil company employed m those operations. With this object
in view an agreement was come to between Sir A. Wilson and the Kashkuli chiefs in
October 1921, and at that time it was intended that Sir A. Wilson should likewise meet
Soulet-ed-Dowleh before the spring 1922 migration of the Kashgai tribe so that the
Kashkuli chiefs fears that Soulet-ed-Dowleh might take umbrage at the agreement
between them and the company might be dispelled, and also that Soulet-ed-Dowleh
himself might have material proof that he was not being entirely left out of the
picture.
Although the Kashkuli tribe pays taxes to Soulet-ed-Dowleh, their subservience to
him is of a somewhat loose nature, but they are mortally afraid of him, and look to
Kaw r am-ul-Mulk for protection against him. By an agreement made in December 1920,
Soulet-ed-Dowleh recognised that Kawam-ul-Mulk should extend his paternal benevolence
to the Kashkulis and should even nominate the Kalantars of the tribe, but
notwithstanding that, they are too far removed from Kawam-ul-Mulk’s immediate
influence to be able to count on his protection if Soulet-ed-Dowleh should really wish
to oppress them.
As the spring approached, Soulet-ed-Dowleb appeared to become highly
apprehensive that his promised meeting with Sir A. Wilson would not materialise;
the Kashkuli chiefs also became very much afraid that if Soulet-ed-Dowleh started his
migration before that meeting he would wreak his vengeance on them for the agreement
they had made in the winter of 1920 with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company as it were
behind his back and without his consent.
A high nervous tension was evident in both camps, which, increased daily as no
definite news of Sir A. Wilson’s arrival was forthcoming. Various calming messages
were, however, conveyed to both parties, which to a certain extent allayed their fear^,
though not entirely. _ .
At last it was possible to inform them that Sir A. Wilsons expected arrival at
Shiraz would take place about the middle of May. .
It may be mentioned in passing that several robberies had taken place m the very
early spring in which both Kashgai and Kashkuli had been concerned, and in response
to complaints forwarded to Tehran, the Central Government had instructed Soulet-ed-
Dowleh to apprehend and punish the robbers. This gave Soulet the pretext, or w nc i
he had been seeking, and he immediately announced his intention of punishing tie
Kashkuli, nominally as the offending party concerned in this brigandage, but really as
an act of vengeance for having stolen a march on him in making their agreement with
the oil company. Happily for the Kashkulis, however, they became acquainted with
Soulet’s plan in time, and were able to gather together with certain o ei an i ou et
elements of the Kashgai tribe and retire before the advancing Soulet who, after a two-
days’ march away from the accustomed line of migration of his tn e, mug et er o
his action and gave up the pursuit.
Shortly afterwards Sir A. Wilson arrived in Shiraz. x ^ 1
Some weeks previously 1 had informed the Persian Government of the intended
visit of Sir A. Wilson to Shiraz and its object, and had asked the Persian Government
I 87 aa—71
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