Page 20 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf - Vol II) 1907-1953

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representative informed the Political Agent beforehand that he was attending the
conference but the Kuwait representative did not. In 1951 the Arab League passed
a resolution calling upon Arab States to take action to prevent oil reaching Israel,
and the Rulers of Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar were asked to refer any appeal which
they received direct from the League on this subject to the local political
authority.f‘) Later a report was received that the League was proposing to send
a delegation to Bahrain and Kuwait to discuss the question of preventing Arab
oil from reaching Israel.!17) No delegation materialised and there is no evidence
that an appeal was received by any of the Rulers. In December 1952 Kuwait sent
a delegation to Damascus to attend a United Nations Social Seminar, which was
almost exclusively an Arab League Affair,(") without consulting or even informing,
the Political Agent. Early in 1953 the Secretary-General of the League wrote to the
Ruler of Kuwait accusing Kuwait of being a bridge for trade with Israel.!19) The
Ruler, without consulting the Political Agent, replied denying the accusations and
saying that Kuwait would play no such part. In August 1953 the Head ot the
Kuwait Education Department informed the Political Agent that he had received
an invitation to send delegates to an Educational Conference at Alexandria. 1 he
Political Agent was asked to inform the Ruler that there was no objection to
acceptance of the invitation and to ask that the reply to it should be sent through
him.(40) This does not appear to have been done. In October 1953 three members
of the Sub-Committee of the Social Committee of the Arab League visited Kuwait
and the Kuwait Oil Company and subsequently the Director of Education at
Kuwait sent both the Kuwait Oil Company and the American Independent Oil
Company a long questionnaire concerning labour relations and cognate matters,
asking that a reply to it should be sent for research by the Central Committee of
the League.!41) The acting Ruler advised that no replies should be sent to this
questionnaire. The delegations's visit to Kuwait was made with Her Majesty’s
(jovernment concurrence.!42) They also proposed to visit Bahrain, but the Ruler
asked that they should not be granted visas pending a reply to certain enquiries
and as a result of the delay which this caused they abandoned their proposal. In
December 1953 a Jedda newspaper stated that the Lebanese Government had
announced that the League would shortly discuss Kuwait’s application to join it.
Beirut did not confirm this report and the Ruler of Kuwait denied all knowledge
of it and repeated his statement that Kuwait would co-operate with the League in
educational, social and medical matters but would have no dealings with it
whatsoever on political or defence questions.C1)

IV.—Miscellaneous

(a) The Persian Gulf Lighting Service
20. The administration of the Persian Gulf Lighting Service continued until
1948 on the lines described in the Historical Summary of Events, 1907-1928.!44)
General administration and financial control was exercised by the Government
of India with the advice of a non-official advisory committee at Bombay, and the
day-to-day operations of the service were carried out by the Basra Port Directorate
which also collected the dues from which the service was maintained.!,5) The
Political Resident kept an eye on the operations and intervened when political
considerations were involved. The Nearchus, which had been declared unfit for
service in 1923,!46) continued to function as lighthouse tender until 1952, being hired
for the purpose from the Iraqi Government. During the last war she was fitted
with accommodation for the Political Resident and was regularly used by him for
his tours, when His Majesty’s ships were not available for the purpose.
(Jt) P.R.toF.O. 1066/18 of October 3. 1951 (EA 1261/7 of 1951).
!”) Tel. from Cairo to F.O. 612 of September 22. 1951 (EA 1261/4 of 1951).
(“) B.M.E.O. to F.O. Despatch 1 of January 22. 1953 (E 1731/2 of 1953).
(”) Tel. from Kuwait to P.R. 73 of March 16. 1953 (EA 1022/7 of 1953).
(4#) Tel. from F.O. to P.R. 1031 of August 19. 1953 (E 1071/23 of 1953).
(“) Kuwait to F.O. 123/49/53 of December 8. 1953 (EA 15318/8 of 1953).
(”) Tel. from F.O. to P.R. 1286 of October 24. 1953 (EA 1621/21 of 1953).
(°) Tel. from Kuwait to P.R. 401 of December 23, 1953 (EA 1022/12 of 1953).
!44) Paras. 17-19 at p. 141. P.G. 13.
(<s) I.O. to F.O. Ext. 7703/46 of November 18. 1946 (E 11306/656/91 of 1946).
(4‘) Para. 14 at p. 140. P.G. 13.
46639 c