Page 74 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf - Vol II) 1907-1953

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12. Izzat Jaafar who is referred to in the last preceding paragraph has been
the subject of much correspondence. During the last war His Majesty s
Government insisted on his removal from Kuwait because of his suspected
intrigues with the Axis powers. He returned after the war and obtained a position
of much influence in Ahmad’s household. Abdullah al Salim immediately after his
accession was pressed by the Political Agent to expel him but demurred and it was
eventually agreed that there were insufficient grounds for proceeding further against
him and that he should be allowed to stay in Kuwait. In 1951 he wrote to the
Secretary of State asking on what grounds the previous Political Agent had
demanded his expulsion. He was told that the grounds could not be disclosed but
that the case against him would be treated as closed. After this he resumed his
duties as Social Secretary at the Ruler’s palace and at the end of 1953 was reported
to be regaining his influence.
13. Kuwait came into little prominence during the war. There was reported
to be a substantial amount of pro-German feeling there at the beginning of it, but it
did not manifest itself. Later the Ruler and others contributed generously to the
Fighter Fund. There were difficulties from time to time over obtaining supplies
for the local population but generally speaking the merchants throve* mostly on
illicit trade. Advantage was taken of the shipbuilding facilities at Kuwait for the
construction of barges for the use of the forces in Iraq.
14. Kuwait has never had a properly organised administration. No reliable
budget has ever been issued, money is allotted by the Ruler to the various
departments in a haphazard manner, no check is exercised over their expenditure,
and there are no recognised scales of pay for State employees. The various
departments are distributed amongst the leading members of the ruling family in
the manner already described (paragraph 3 above). It had been suggested to Ahmad
in 1938 that he should appoint a British Adviser but when he eventually asked for
one it was considered impolitic to accede to his request (paragraph 11 above). When
with the production of oil in 1946 the State revenues began to increase by leaps and
bounds His Majesty’s Government considered it incumbent on them to do their
best to ensure that the State was properly administered and that its revenues were
used to the best advantage. After the events of 1938 the State finances were for
a time in the hands of Fahad but in 1940 when it became clear that he had been
responsible for substantial defalcations Abdullah al Salim took them over. In
1946 when the question of putting the States’ finances on a proper footing was
discussed with him, Ahmad himself suggested the appointment of a British Officer
for the ourpose, and the Political Resident was instructed to encourage this idea.(20)
In 1947 he informed the Political Resident that he was thinking of asking for
British advisers for finance, customs and police and asked for lists of candidates.
In the following year he said that he wished to appoint a British Financial Adviser
but that he had to prepare the way and he asked that he should not be hurried.
He maintained this attitude for the rest of his life.
15. It had been decided not to make the appointment of a British Financial
Adviser a condition precedent for the recognition of Abdullah al Salim as Ruler on
Ahmad’s death at the beginning of 1950 (paragraph 2 above) but the Political Agent
took up the question with him immediately after his accession and received an
evasive reply.r1) For some time previous to this care had been taken to avoid the
use of the word “ adviser ” in discussing this appointment, as likely to offend
Kuwait’s susceptibilities, and to substitute “expert.” In October 1950 the Ruler
unexpectedly announced that he had instructed Mr. Kemp, his agent in London, to
engage British experts for his Finance and Customs Departments. He subsequently
instructed Kemp to collaborate with the Foreign Office in their selection.
16. In February 1951, Lt.-Col. G. C. L. Crichton, C.S.I., C.I.E., late of the
Indian Political Service, was selected for the Finance Department appointment.
The Ruler at first seemed inclined to hand over the whole of the administration to
him. He agreed promptly to proposals which Crichton made for the recruitment
from the United Kingdom of a State Engineer, an auditor and an accountant. He
also agreed to the setting up of a Development Board. Crichton was in due course
appointed Controller of Finance but was not placed in charge of the Finance
Department. Schemes he proposed for controlling the finances of the departments

(J0) I.O. to F.O. Ext. 6066/46 of September 13. 1946 (E 9321/8065/91 of 1946).
(*■) Tel. from Kuwait to P.R. 52 of February 5, 1950 (EA 1018/4 of 1950).