Sovereignty over islands and territorial waters in Persian Gulf

This file concerns the extent of the area of Kuwait seabed boundaries. It contains correspondence relating to:

• Request from Western Geophysical, who are carrying out a seismographic survey in the Agip seabed concession area, to set up a Shoran radio station on Bubiyan Island to aid their operations. It is suggested that the Ruler of Kuwait should agree to cooperate with Iran in this matter, but should use the opportunity to put on record his seabed claims (18)
• Method for announcing Kuwait's seabed claim (19)
• Copy of a memorandum titled 'Offshore Areas in the Western Persian Gulf' along with comments and responses to the memorandum (20)
• Enquiry from R E R Bird of the Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC) as to the ownership of various islands in the Gulf along with a reply from the Foreign Office (21)
• Pamphlet entitled 'Brief remarks on median lines and lines of equidistance and on the methods used in their construction' written by Commander R H Kennedy. The pamphlet was distributed by the UK delegation during the Geneva Conference on the Law of the Sea (24 February - 28 April 1958) (22)
• Commissioning of E Schofield of the Royal Geographic Society to draw median lines in the northern part of the Gulf for the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and the Pan American Petroleum Company, and the suggestion that he be sent literature to guide him into using what HMG consider to be the correct principles (23)
• Proposal to suggest to the US that further talks be held regarding the division of the Gulf seabed and that extra staff be appointed by the Eastern Department of the Foreign Office to carry out the necessary preparatory work for the talks (24)
• Unveiling of a plaque on the island of Nabiyu Tunb [Lesser Tunb Island] by the representative of the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah in order to assert the Ruler's claim to the island (26)
• Offshore concession agreement between NIOC and the Pan American Petroleum Company and the intention of the Political Agency in Kuwait to protest against its delimitation of the Iranian seabed. It includes an extract from the concession agreement (27)
• Possibility of Anglo-US cooperation in resolving the question of the division of the Gulf seabed, and the suggestion that the Ruler of Kuwait raise the question of the Kuwait-Iraq seabed boundary during his visit to Baghdad (29)
• Possibility of R H Kennedy providing IPC with technical information to help them to construct median lines on a map of the Gulf (30)
• Inadvisability of the Ruler of Kuwait raising the boundary question with Iraq so soon after the 14 July Revolution; a summary of a discussion with George W Knight, the European Vice-President of the Pan American Petroleum Company on the delimitation of the Gulf seabed; and a cutting of an article from The Times titled 'Overlapping in the Gulf' (31)
• Visit made in error by HMS Loch Alvie to Sirri Island, which is claimed by Iran (32)