"الملف 73/7 I (D 19) وضع الكويت، سكة حديد بغداد، والمفاوضات الأنجلو تركية في ١٩١١" [ظ‎‎٢‎٨‎٨] (٦٣١/٦١٠)

There seems no objection to the 1904 (post office)
of 24th May 1900 (arms traffic), oi letter i am to observe that,
With reference to the hnal the Turkish Government a
since it is not proposed tu ( on . , ■ t j le previous understanding
Z^rl 0i Z -ms more than we have a right to
"•T -m™.. .».! T, m MCk,f.. I
Treaties eelracted ' 'Y '' ' 11 "i '.' reiesoi, why They should not
Sanads," and to wthall^itl _• — ^ liut it seems expedient to
be communicated if L- 1 .. . , ( i ii' ..ndonthe coast rest not
remind the Porte that British consent, and
merely on the agreements t one u < . chiefs and the Government
long established relations between the local cmeis
of India. j am, &c.,
, R. R itchie.
The Under Secretary ot btate,
Foreign Office.
Enclosure No. 3.
India Office to Foreign Office.
/T t . . \ India Office,
(Immediate.) 30tli October
' With reference to this Office letter of the 11th September
reeardino- the communication to the Turkish Government of our treaties
wS Koweit ami other states in the Persian Gulf, I am directed by the
Secretary of State for India to inform you that on a Inrtliw wnwd. > ati.^
of the terms in which the Government ot India proposed to delme our
obligations towards the Sheikh ot Koweit he finds himself no longer able
to concur in them. . •, ,,1 . i inno
The telegrams of 4th December 1901 and 14th Octobei
on which the Government of India appear to base the obligation to
protect Koweit by land and sea, m the Marquess of Crewe s opinion
clearly refer only to the incidents that occasioned them, and cannot he
understood to have given any general undertaking. Nor, in view ot Uio
fact that it has since been decided that our obljgataonsjxtemt to the
"wliole of the Sheikh's territory as described in Lorimer s Ga^efUer,
"would Ti Be sale to pledge ourselves to any specific method oL deiendmg
them. As was pointed out by Lord Morley in this Office letter oi 8th
April last, the term " good offices 1 (which by Colonel Meade s lettei oi
23rd Jan'urry 1899 we undertook to accord to the Sheikh) is a con
veniently vagne one, and Ford Crewe is ot opinion that it is neithoi
necessary nor sale to go beyond it. Ihe action taken by His Majesty s
Government in 1901-02, when men and guns were landed at Koweit to
defend it against unprovoked Turkish aggression, will moreover have
made it plain to the Porte in what way we are prepared to interpret the
term if necessity arises.
His Lordship would, therefore, suggest that the formula should run
" As regards No. 1 His Majesty's Government have informed the Sheikh
" of Koweit that so long as he and his heirs and successors act up to
" their obligations under the Agreement His Majesty's Government
" undertake to support them and accord them their good offices. 1 Vv ith
perhaps the addition that His Majesty's Government reserve to them
selves the right to interpret that term at their discretion.
I have, &c..
The 1 r nder Secretary of State, R. R itchie.
Foreign Office.