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tendont at Safwan, and that while cars were allowed to enter Iraq none were
allowed to enter Kuwait. This state of affairs continued for two days when the
Iraqis rescinded the order, but stimulated that exit visas would be required
before a traveller could leave Iraq for Kuwait. The official reason given to the
Kritish Consul at Basra was that the Iraqi authorities only wished to stop those
passengers suspected of spreading propaganda against the Shaikh of Kuwait :
This at a time when the Iraqi press was full of anti-Kuwait propaganda.
Tn March the Kaimakam of Abul Khasib served a demand note for £19,480
on the heirs of Shaikh Mubarak, on account of past unpaid taxes. The demand
stated that if the amount were not paid within 10 days their property would be
attached. But before the 10 days were up the Fao and Faddaghiya estates were
botli seized by the Mudir of Fao. However, after strong representations by
His Majesty’s Government, the majority of the Shaikh’s cultivators were even­
tually reinstated.
Title to the Shaikh}s date qardens in Iraq.—Reference (c) of II of the report
tor 1988.
On the 6th February a decision was given against the Shaikh hy the Bagdad
Appeal Court, to whom an appeal had been made against the decision of the
Basra court which had declared the Shaikh’s title invalid. The appeal was dis­
allowed on a grammatical quibble, it being stated that, the correct form of rhe
verb had not been used in the surety bond prepared by Mr. Partu, the Shaikh’s
lawyer. Mis Highness had paid the maximum Iraqi appeal tax of £300 at the-
inception of the appeal. In June judgment was passed transferring the
ease to Land Settlement.
During the earlier part of the year the Iraqi press published infiammatorv
propaganda articles stressing the alleged desire of the people of Kuwait to join
Kuwait to Iraq the object being to incite the Iraqis to try Hitler’s Sudeten
methods on Kuwait. The King of Iraq also broadcast in the same strain from
Bagdad. On the death of the King the campaign died down.
(b) Saudi Arabia.—Kuwait-Saudi relations remained excellent throughout
the year.
Tn March, the London and the Palestine Arabic broadcasts mentioned an
official Saudi communique to the Egyptian press, in which King Ibn Sand em­
phatically denied a newspaper report that he was agreeable to the inclusion of
Kuwait to Iraq. “ Kuwait is Kuwaiti and belongs to the Kuwaitis ” the com­
munique said was his attitude.

VII.—OIL.
Tn July the oil bearing strata was reached in Burgan well No. 3.
The new office building at the west end of Kuwait was occupied at the latter
part of the year. The staff quarters at. Magwa were also completed but had
not been allotted at the close of the year.
Soon after the outbreak of war the Kuwait Oil Company decided not to
declare commercial production, owing to war conditions prevailing, but to pay
the Shaikh the royalty due, i.c., 2.} lakhs per annum instead. The Shaikh pro­
tested against the decision and demanded 4 lakhs as compensation. The case
had not been settled by the end of the year.
VIII.—ROYAL NAVY.
The usual visits by His Majesty’s sloops of the Persian Gulf Division were
made before the outbreak of war.
IX.—ROYAL AIR FORCE.
During the year aircraft of the Royal Air Force used the Kuwait landin'*
ground in the course of their routine duties.
Sections of armoured cars from Shaibah visited Kuwait four times duvin"
the year on a normal training visits. :
In September the Royal Air Force installed a pack wireless set at the
Agency so that Kuwait in an emergency should no longer be dependent on tbc
single land line belonging to Iraq and on which breakdowns arc a frequent occur-
aence.