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' [‎203r] (77/254)

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r No. 417-S. of 1922 dated Busliire, the 6th June 1922.
From—The Hon’ble Lieutenant-Colonel A. P. Trevor, C.S.I., C.I.E., Political
Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
To—D. de S. Bray Esq., C.S.I., C.I.E., C.B.E., Foreign Secretary to the Government
of India in the Foreign and Political Department, Simla.
Agreement concluded between the Anglo-Pers r i an, Oil Company and the Ilkhani The paramount chief of certain tribes in south west Iran. of the
Kashqai covering the exploitation of oil in the whole of the Kashqai garmsir.
With reference to paragraph 9 of my letter No. 303-S., dated the 19th October
*1921 [Serial No. (1)], Government of India will remember that when Sir A. T.
Wilson, on behalf of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, concluded an agreement with
the Kashkulis in October 1921, the latter stated very definitely that they feared
the enmity of Soulet, which they considered would assume a more violent forifi
in consequence of their having made an agreement with the Company. They
further told Sir A. T. Wilson that they considered it was the Company’s duty t&
shield them as far as possible from being molested by Soulet for having concluded
such agreement, and this he promised to do (vide paragraph 3 of enclosure 5 to
enclosure 11 of my above-mentioned letter).
2. The Persian Government having announced that the Company were not
authorised, under the terms of the D’Arcy concession, to conclude agreements
with the local Khans without their previous acquiescence and approval,•His Majes
ty’s Minister at Tehran entered into negotiations with them and secured their assent
to a meeting between Sir A. T. Wilson and Soulet, at which a Government repre
sentative had to be present, with a view to concluding an agreement. Unfortunate
ly for various reasons this meeting was postponed again and again by Sir . *
Wilson until the season for migration of the tribes to the Sarhad had arrived with
no agreement concluded. The Kashkuli Khans consequently became more and
more restive thinking that they had been left m the lurch. Eventually two of
them came with Mr. Clegg to Bushire to obt^n assurances from me. I told them
my latest news was that Sir A. Wilson would come about the end of April and they
left content. However Sir A. Wilson’s arrival was again postponed for anuther
15 days.
3. On April 23rd news «. received from K.»™n tint Met M en^mprf
about i mile from that town with a following of some 250
creased to some 800 sowars and 400 tufangc is, an “ o |, 0 9 oneonce before
and drive off the Kashkulis from the oil area round Bdiarzahe^d dme„^c^beoin
in 191,. A message was therefor, .mmedmlely sent “ ““ij
urging him to take no action which won d p ] ^ w j„, „■ , expected
Kashkuli territory pending his meeting w , t p i n re pl y Soulet stated
to arrive in Baghdad from England ah the T 1 that he coukl not delay
that he had waited a long time for Sir A- • > , it was not his
his migration to his summer quarters any ' jn 8 e , , rw . e ; ve( l instructions from
intention to damage the Company s m|e r -?s .s u b an d robberies carried
the Persian Government to punish the Kashkuiis tor r~ or dors
out by them during the past year and for non-payment ot^reven
were however categorically denied by the ersm ,
4. Soulet on leaving Kazerun P roce ® d ^ rt t 1 ^d d p r ^eeded towards the Sar-
Reacted Shahijan wdien he suddenly turne i ans were believed to be (1) in-
had. The reasons for this sudden change in > fovernor General, the Qawam and
trigues against him in Shiraz on the par o made Ilkhani The paramount chief of certain tribes in south west Iran. and (2) his belief
Ali Khan 8 liulf brother of Soulet who the opposition which
111 the exaggerated rumours which reache possessed machine guns.
**» “Sis were prepared hr make. afIect t he Kash-
, 5. This threatened attack by Soulet did, h ^ Bo ir Ahmedi country
kulis’ arrangements, and the majority of the tube n
0216 ™ 8 ENG. in INDIA FOKEIG
•gECBETARY’S NO 4gM
DATED JUL 13.
Recti,I