"ملف ٦/٤ II الحدود الكويتية-العراقية" [و‎‎١‎٦‎٦] (٤٤٠/٣٣١)

SflmiM IU L..
N.O. No. C/253
LM6)
The Political Agency,
Dated the 2cth March, 1948.
Please ref'er to the correspondence restirr: with your
printed letter No.355-S dated the 9th February, 1948.
2. I have had occasion recently to discuss with the Shaikh
the question of maintaining security in the northern part of his
territory, and he is now patrolling the area with 4 armed cars and is
taking exceedingly effective steps to stop smuggling to Iraq. In fact
my information is that this traffic has been brought to a complete
standstill.
3. This is satisfactory; but the Shaikh is nervous that his
armed cars, although they do not go north of the Raudhatain, which is
indubitably some miles within' Kuwait territory, will meet Iraqi
police cars which are said to enter Kuwait for illicit purposes with
out the knowledge of the senior police officers. Should a meeting
take place he is afraid that the Iraqis would open fire and the
Kuwaities have to reply.
well
4. The Shaikh is perfectly/aware of the desirability of
avoiding any such incident but, while emphasising this, I have told
him that I cannot advise him to relinquish control of what is
undoubtedly part of his territory for fear of a clash with marauding
Iraqis. I feel, that, since this patrolling is on a larger scale
than that practiced previously, it might be as well to inform the
Iraqi Government that it is being carried out and to ask them to
ensure that their police co-operate, as it is in their interests of
Iraq* that smuggling should cease, it would be desirable for the
Iraqis to agree to Kuwait cars going right up to Safwan for purposes
of liaison with their own police.
5. It appears that the Shaikh is keen that the frontier
should be demarcated and that he would then be prepared to build
The Hon’ble
Lt-Colonel Sir Rupert Hay, K.C.I.E., G.S.I.,
Political Resident in the
Persian Gulf, Mimln*