Page 211 - Records of Bahrain (7) (ii)_Neat
P. 211
Bahrain-Qatar seabed, 1951-1960 601
FOUNTON OFFICE, 3.W.1.
(DA 1531/15) Moroh 25, 1960,
Wo huvo not boon idle obout tbo Bohrain/Qntar ooa-bod boundary
olnco Morgen Hon wroto on March 10 (1531/3).
2. Tho 1967 mop la clearly no longer to bo found, Wo havo
ac cop tod that tho lino ahown on tho chart cont with Morgan Men* a
letter of Fobruory 10 (1531/3) woe Intended as a copy of It. Wo
havu now obtained from tho Admiralty a chart (Wo. 2666) showing
four 11nee:
M tho 1967 lino, or strictly apoulcing tho lino which
we osoumo to bo this;
(b) tho thoorotical niodion-linoo conntructcd by tho
Anglo-IJnltod Utatou working party in Wovombor 1957;
(c) the Unco within which tho Sholl Company of Qatar ore
froo to prospect (our letter of September 2, 1952,
to t ho Courpony);
(cl) tho llnua within which Shall oro free to drill without
prior consultation (our letter of October 16, 1952 to
tho Company).
3. This chart, la being copied and we hope to got eoplco lpto tho
bog on March 26 for you i nd Doha together with a copy of
Commander Kennedy*u lottqr of March 21 referring to tho chart*
6. Nobody hero con soo jt he.t the 1967 lino woo drawn up on any
rocognlcod principle at all, and ono of tho exporto (not to bo
quoted) hoa givon bin view that the mat hod adopt od woo to draw a
nice otmight line botwocn oomo likely-looking potato, Ginoo tho
lino oonflicto seriously with tho currently accepted median-lino
principled, and oinca it aaoniu on the whole unfair to Dohruln (who
mottoro much moro to uu than Qatar) thoro la certainly food for
thought. Wo oro not reedy yot to, give you our vlowo on tho quoc.
of principle, but I thought you would like to have tho chart r.o
oorly oo poaoible.
5* It lo hard to ooy at pronent when wo nholl bo obia to wrj*
again. Among othor thingo it bun' boon arranged with Shall (
D*P. in rciipoct of Admo) that they shall talk to uo about the
principles underlying tho dcmorcotion of ooo-bod boundarico,
for various reasons thin cannot toko place for about n month*
•Obvlouoly wo cannot diox’cgord tho interest of Shell in tho moinui..
anco of tho 1967 sword, particularly r.inco v/o have previously led
them to ouppono that wo arc unwilling to connlder modifying tho
1967 lino.
6 • Puroly no a cockshy (which roprooonts at present merely o
poruonal thought), do you think thoro would bo any prospect of
battling with tho Kulor of Bahrain on tho following linoc? (Uo
might hnvo to ho ohown a rough ckotch-uiop also.)
/ 7*
J. A. Ford, Koq•, M.C.,
BAHRAIN.
COMFIDNilTTAL