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Territorial Claims: Saudi Arabia and Iran 135

have been restored. His insistence, despite the danger of a Ghafiri
alliance against him, that the Na‘im restore the property they
had harmed, did much to strengthen his prestige. Throughout the
following decade, his authority grew and became recognised through­
out the region.
The inland districts were far removed from the attention ol the
British authorities, whose policy of non-interference called for a
mere recording of events. It was only when I bn Sa ud officially
approached the British Government about his coastal boundaries
with the Gulf states that the incidents in Buraimi and Dafrah
assumed any kind of importance. After I bn Sa‘ud had granted,
in 1933, a concession to Socal, the United States Government
officially inquired of the British Government where the eastern
frontiers of Saudi Arabia lay. These were defined by the Foreign
Office in April 1934 as being consistent with the Blue Line (running
due south from the head of the bay opposite Zaknuniyyah island
to the line of demarcation between Turkish Arabia and Aden)
agreed under the Anglo-Turkish Conventions of 1913-14.38 The
Saudi Government protested, saying that much had changed since
1913, but the British Government remained firm. The Foreign Office
statement on the Blue Line was the result not only of the inquiry
by the United States, but also of consideration, at almost the
same time, of a number of points related to the granting of an
oil concession by the ruler of Qatar. He had asked that the British
grant him protection should he dispose of the concession as they
wished, and there was the question of Qatar’s boundary with Saudi
Arabia. The Anglo-Persian Oil Company had a licence to explore
in Qatar that was due to expire in August 1934. In the months
preceding this date, Shaykh ‘Abdallah showed signs of favouring
Socal, and Fowle attributed this to the influence of Ibn Sa‘ud.39
The ruler of Kuwait confirmed the Resident’s suspicions with a
report that the king had warned ‘Abdallah not to grant the APOC
a concession.40 An earlier rumour, never properly substantiated,
had it that in December 1933 ‘Abdallah had travelled to Riyadh
and signed an agreement with Ibn Sa‘ud to the effect that the
hinterland of Qatar, and consequently any oil therein, belonged
to Saudi Arabia.41 In March 1934, Fowle met with ‘Abdallah
and made it clear to him that the APOC was the only company
he could deal with. The ruler of Qatar was greatly perturbed,
hinting that he had an agreement binding him otherwise.42 He
admitted that the agreement was with Ibn Sa‘ud. but added that
it was private and only to keep him out of danger.43 It was
after this confession that considerable pressure was placed on ‘Abdal­
lah to grant a concession to the APOC. He was severely reprimanded
for making an agreement with Ibn Sa‘ud, and taken to task for