Page 158 - The Origins of the United Arab Emirates_Neat

I 2. | The Origins of I he United Arab Emirates
lo enter the field. Longrigg, on the other hand, convinced the
India Office that there was no possibility that a rival company
would seek a concession in the two shaykhdoms, and the matter
was not referred to again. On 23 March 1939, however, Petroleum
Concessions obtained from Ajman an exploration permit similar
lo that granted by Ras al-Khaimah, and on 20 March 1945 Umm
al-Qaiwain entered into a commercial agreement with the company.
Within six years, then, the rulers of all the Trucial states had
I
committed themselves to the company that the British Government
had selected to explore for and exploit oil on the Coast. Although
Longrigg, in his authoritative study on oil in the Middle East,
says that no preliminary agreement was forced on the rulers against
their will,87 it is clear from the above account that the British
political authorities did use a variety of subtle forms of pressure
in order to secure a firm footing for British interests and to exclude
possible American competition. No gunboat diplomacy was used;
not a shot was fired; and no extra expenses were incurred for
the Treasury to bear. Official policy would not have stood to
gain by any alteration of the status quo.