Oil men, territorial ambitions and political agents : from pearls to oil in the Trucial States of the Gulf. Volume I / David Heard. [electronic resource]

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Heard, David (Petroleum engineer), author.

Series:

Gulf studies.

Gulf studies at Gerlach Press

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Petroleum industry and trade--Persian Gulf States.

Petroleum industry and trade.

United Arab Emirates--History.

United Arab Emirates.

United Arab Emirates--Economic conditions.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xix, 778 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berlin, Germany : Gerlach Press, 2019.

Summary:

<i>Oil Men</i> represents a unique resource for the student of the challenges, both physical and political, of oil prospecting in a region with no infrastructure and no formal boundaries between local power bases. The book charts the slow and unexpected transformation of the emirates from poverty to undreamed-of wealth.<br><br>Detailed coverage with extensive access to primary sources describes the frequently tortuous negotiations between oil companies, sheikhs and regional political agents, all of whom sought to protect their different vested interests.<br><br>The author has had full access to company records which are quoted throughout, including progress reports, minutes of meetings, telegrams and other primary sources.

Contents:

Intro

Half Title

Series Page

Title

Copyright

Contents

Common Acronyms

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

1 Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Before and During the War Years

1.1 Why is There so Much Oil in the United Arab Emirates?

1.2 The Search for Oil

1.3 The Red Line Agreement and the IPC, PCL and PD(TC)

1.4 A Summary of Events in the UAE up to 1939. The First Geologists

1.5 The Concession Negotiators

1.6 Lermitte, the PD(TC) New Man

1.7 And His (Her) Majesty's Government (HMG)

1.8 What Was Lermitte Doing when, on 3 September 1939, War Broke out in Europe?

1.9 Lermitte Visited the Rulers

1.10 A Concession for Fujairah?

1.11 A Dramatic Turn of Events

1.12 Every Inch to be Covered by a Concession

1.13 There Appears to Have Been War Panic in London

1.14 Williamson (Geologist) was Busy in London

1.15 Preparing for Post-war Operations

1.16 An American Visitor

1.17 Longrigg Returns from the War

1.18 The War is Over

2 Don't Shoot the Geologist

2.1 A Large Step Back in Time

2.2. The Role of HMG

2.3 The Trucial Oman Levies (Later Trucial Oman Scouts, TOS)

2.4 The IPC Office in London

2.5 Time for the Geologists to Return to the Trucial Coast

2.6 But Wait: Mohamed Ali Huwaidin al Kitbi has Something to Say

2.7 Jebel Faiyah at Last, or Not?

2.8 Why Shoot at a Geologist?

2.9 Geologists Resume Work at Faiyah

2.10 Was it Much Ado About Nothing?

2.11 Plans for 3 Geophysical Parties to Come to the Trucial Coast in Autumn 1946

2.12 The First Geophysical Survey in the North of the Country

2.13 Vehicles - for the Sheikhs

2.14 And Now We Shoot at the New Man - Welcome to Abu Dhabi

2.15 Back to the North Where No One Wants to Know the Ghafalah Tribe

2.16 The Surveyor, Fallon Does Not Find it Easy.

2.17 Would You Believe it?

2.18 Another Season of Geophysical Surveys, also in Abu Dhabi Territory

2.19 Jackson PD(TC) is Summoned by Sheikh Shakhbut

3 Adventures in the Sultanate of Oman

3.1 PD(TC) to Have a Man at Buraimi/Al 'Ain

3.2 Bird is Engaged

3.3 How did Bird Equip Himself for Such a Venture?

3.4 Bird at Buraimi/Jahili. In Al 'Ain

3.5 Bird's Second Trip to Buraimi/Jahili

3.6 Sultan with Bird

3.7 But Could the Sultan Deliver?

3.8 Was Mr. W. Thesiger a Pest?

3.9 Bird Goes to London

3.10 The Sultan Asserts Himself

3.11 Bird Goes to Muscat Again

3.12 The Geologist Survey - for a Time

3.13 A Re-appraisal

3.14 Bird Back at Jahili

4 Turbulent Times

4.1 Poverty, Gossip and Intrigue

4.2 Did the Company Help to Ease the Poverty?

4.3 Now a Bit of Economics

4.4 Longrigg Returns to Abu Dhabi After 10 Years

4.5 Ra's al-Khaimah, PD(TC) and a New Ruler

4.6 How to Make an Enemy of Your Neighbour - by Harbouring His Enemies

4.7 Dubai

4.8 Abu Dhabi

4.9 And How were Disputes Settled?

4.10 Hamriyah Sheikh Says 'Me Too'

4.11 More Surprises, from Abu Dhabi

4.12 Geophysical Party 3 Returns After the Summer 1948

4.13 The Outlaws in the Desert

4.14 The Trespassers. Aramco

4.15 And in London

4.16 Popof and the Locusts

4.17 Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan bin Zayed Receives a Loan

4.18 Enter Weightman by Sea-plane

5 Drilling at Last

5.1 A New Decade

5.2 Choosing the Site for the First Well

5.3 But We Must Have One Important Matter Clear First, the Boundary

5.4 An Interesting Rock Structure Crosses Under the Dubai/Abu Dhabi Border

5.5 The Political Resident Decides

5.6 Let's Drill a Hole

5.7 The Preparations for the Oil Company Invasion

5.8 A Well Site Decided

5.9 Longrigg Comes Again to the Trucial Coast

5.10 Labour Problems.

5.11 The Iraq Dimension

5.12 Banking

5.13 And Start Drilling

5.14 The Second Aramco 'Incursion' That was Not, and an American Visitor

5.15 Habits, Good and Bad, are Infectious

5.16 A Regrettable Incident

5.17 Support for the Operation at Ra's Sadr

5.18 Welcome Visitors from Dubai

5.19 The British Community was Growing!

5.20 Geophysical Again

5.21 A Bit of Petroleum Engineering

5.22 So to Dubai - Jebel Ali

6 The Continental Shelf

6.1 Alarm

6.2 What are Territorial Waters?

6.3 The Waters of the Gulf

6.4 Groups are Consulted

6.5 A Quick Change in PD(TC) Policy

6.6 Lermitte's New Instructions

6.7 Let's Look at the Islands

6.8 Skliros Tells Groups About the Threat, April '49

6.9 The Saudi Proclamation

6.10 What does Arbitration Mean?

6.11 Longrigg Takes Legal Advice in London

6.12 The Cloud Gathers, while HMG Speaks at Last

6.13 And Sheikh Shakhbut Declares

6.14 A Very Angry Sheikh

6.15 August in the Gulf

6.16 Longrigg does Some Research

6.17 Is Longrigg Trying to Apply Pressure?

6.18 Longrigg Visits the Trucial Coast Again

6.19 The Second Island Survey July 1950

6.20 PD(TC) Appoints an Arbitrator, and a New Man on the Trucial Coast. Henderson

6.21 Just a Minute

6.22 Sheikh Shakhbut Mends Fences

6.23 Sheikh Shakhbut Signs with Superior

6.24 A Surprising Development

6.25 A Date is Fixed, Aug. '51

6.26 Sheikh Shakhbut Makes International Legal History

6.27 And the Other Sheikhdoms?

7 Activity on the Borderline

7.1 A Reminder

7.2 Bedouin Know No Borders

7.3 Abu Dhabi's Border with Saudi Arabia

7.4 Sheikh Shakhbut's Brother Sheikh Hazza Goes to a Meeting in Saudi Arabia

7.5 A Major Set-back for PD(TC)

7.6 PD(TC) is Pushing HMG

7.7 The Dash to Qatar

7.8 And in London

7.9 Lermitte at Bahrain.

7.10 Half the Land is Closed to the Company

7.11 Geophysics 1951

7.12 Frustration and No Decision

7.13 Let's Try to Apply Pressure on the Foreign Office in London

7.14 The Dispute Takes a New Turn

7.15 Muddle Among the Politicals, while Codrai and Ali Tajir Get to Work

7.16 Sir Rupert Hay, Political Resident, Tries to Stop Codrai and Tajir

7.17 The Political Resident is Instructed at Last

7.18 The Saudi Collection of Zakat

7.19 Not Much Progress

7.20 Sheikh Zayed and Buckmaster Go to Liwa

7.21 Sheikh Shakhbut is Not Worried?

7.22 Turki bin Ataishan Arrives at Hamasa

7.23 What was Going on in London?

7.24 Back to the Trucial Coast

7.25 PD(TC) Helps Sheikh Shakhbut

7.26 Philby and Rentz

7.27 Rentz the Arabist

7.28 The Rentz Report

7.29 His Majesty's Government (HMG)

8 Exit Superior. Enter AIOC (BP) - D'Arcy

8.1 PD(TC) Instructed to Try for the Water

8.2 AIOC (D'Arcy or BP) Try for the Water

8.3 The End of Negotiations

8.4 Victor Hashim Returns and Offers to Help

8.5 Progress at Dubai and Qatar while Abu Dhabi Takes Time

8.6 Sheikh Shakhbut Goes to India

8.7 London Confers. Enter CFP, Compagnie Française des Pétroles (alias TOTAL)

8.8 Stockwell's Second Visit to Abu Dhabi

8.9 Stockwell Leaves Again Empty-handed

8.10 Sheikh Shakhbut Wins

8.11 AIOC Sends Hillyard to Live in Abu Dhabi

8.12 How Big is the Concession Area?

8.13 The First Offshore Survey

8.14 Conclusion

9 The Buraimi Oases

9.1 First a Word from Henderson

9.2 Buraimi. After Bird

9.3 Sheikh Zayed Goes to Ra's Sadr

9.4 Bird Gives Up?

9.5 The Sultan and the Sheikh Should Get Together

9.6 The Invasion, 31 Aug. '52

9.7 Skeikh Zayed's Reaction

9.8 Bird in Action

9.9 What had Been Going on in London?

9.10 IPC News Item

9.11 The 'Stand-still Agreement'.

9.12 A Loan for the Man in Charge, Sheikh Said bin Shakhbut

9.13 The Sultan Acts

9.14 Sheikh Zayed Comes to Sharjah to Meet Bird and Codrai

9.15 Sheikh Zayed in Dubai to Meet the PR. Political Progress?

9.16 A Visit to Muscat that was Not

9.17 Turki Does Not Honour the Agreement. HMG Shows the Flag

9.18 HMG is Provoked into Action

9.19 Starvation at Hamasa?

9.20 A New Agreement, 30 July '54

9.21 Turki bin Ataishan Goes Home

9.22 Who Keeps to the Agreement?

9.23 Preparing for the Tribunal

9.24 Henderson's Report

10 The Liwa Oases

10.1 Where are they?

10.2 Who was the First European to Visit Liwa?

10.3 Thesiger was First

10.4 PD(TC) Shows Interest

10.5 Hay Says No to PD(TC) and Yes to the Locust Team

10.6 HMG is Aroused, and Sends Viscount Buckmaster

10.7 The Gateway to Liwa

10.8 Feeling Towards the South

10.9 The First Car in Liwa - a Land-Rover

10.10 The Geophysicists Go to Sabkha Matti First

10.11 Codrai's Next Trip to Liwa

10.12 The TOL are Established in Liwa

10.13 Codrai Goes to Liwa Again

10.14 Liwa Oases Surveys

10.15 Locusts

11 The Return to Geophysical and Drilling

11.1 Frustrations

11.2 Another Well in Abu Dhabi Territory

11.3 Heseldin Visits the Trucial Coast

11.4 Let's Look at Murban

11.5 The Wrong Side of the Line. What Line?

11.6 Some Geophysical Work in the North

11.7 Fujairah

11.8 A Bit of Drilling Explanation

11.9 Well Murban 1. A Wild Cat

11.10 Heseldin Goes on Tour

11.11 Heseldin Visits Sheikh Shakhbut Again

11.12 Heseldin's Letter and Another Visit to Sheikh Shakhbut

11.13 Geophysical

11.14 Let's try Using Helicopters for a Gravity Survey

11.15 The Geologists, Among Others, are Not Satisfied

11.16 The Next Well - Not Murban

11.17 An Export Terminal?

11.18 The Secret

12 The Lion is Provoked.

12.1 First an Important Matter, the Flag.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 25 Sep 2025).

ISBN:

3-95994-065-3

OCLC:

1104081861