The volume discusses the ongoing negotiations in Constantinople between the Ottoman, British and Russian Governments through 1912 and 1913 regarding the Turco-Persian Frontier. Also discussed is the decision in July 1913 to establish a delimitation commission to which Albert Charles Wratislaw and Arnold Talbot Wilson are appointed as representatives of the British Government.Also discussed in the volume is the region of Kermanshah and in particular Qasr-i-Shirin [Qaşr-e Shīrīn], along with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company's concerns over the rights accorded to them in their 1901 concession should some of that territory be ceded to Turkey.Further discussion relates to the movements of Russian and Turkish troops near the frontier and the withdrawal of Turkish troops from certain places along the frontier.This volume is part two of two. Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 volume (334 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.The subject 1356 (Turco-Persian Frontier) consists of 2 volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/266-267. The volumes are divided into 2 parts, with each part comprising one volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 334; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the two leading and ending flyleaves. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
This file concerns the circulation of currency between Saudi Arabia, the Persian Gulf and India. The file contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; the Political Agent at Bahrain; Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Advisor to the Government of Bahrain; C W F Skrimshire and M Gunn, the Eastern Bank Limited, Bahrain; Yousuf bin Ahmed Kanoo [Yūsuf bin Aḥmad Kānū]; the Residency Agent, Sharjah. There is also correspondence from the India Office and the Government of India, which has been forwarded to the Political Agent by the Political Resident.The correspondence for 1935-36 (ff 3-21) concerns the import of large quantities of Indian rupees into Saudi Arabia via the port of Jedda and Persian Gulf ports, due to the Saudi government’s preference of paying officials and tribal subsidies in rupees instead of dollars. The essence of this situation is explained in a report by Loch, entitled 'Note on the Rupee-Maria Theresa Dollar position in Najd, Hasa and Bahrain', sent to the Political Resident on 3 March 1936. The correspondence for 1939-40 (ff 22-49) concerns further abnormal exports of rupees from Bahrain to Kuwait and Hassa (al-Aḥsā’) due to a lack of confidence in the stability of the Saudi Arabian riyal as a result of the Second World War; also discussed is the possibility of an embargo being placed on the export of rupees from India to Saudi Arabia and the impact that that would have on the Trucial Coast states and Qatar. The final section of correspondence for the year 1944 (ff 50-55) concerns a request from ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Saud) for the British government to send senior military and financial experts, preferably Sunni Muslims, to Saudi Arabia to aid the establishment of an army and reorganise the financial structure of the state.1 file (60 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. File notes appear at the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-61; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The file discusses the proposed new radio frequencies to be used by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) for their air navigational aids, and enquiries to Cable and Wireless (Cecil Edward Gahan), Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf (L E Porter), Air Staff Liaison Officer at Bahrain (G E Lewis), RAF Sharjah and International Aeradio Limited (Anthony J Hemelik) as to whether the new proposed frequencies would be acceptable to them.The word wireless has been misspelled on the cover of the file as 'wirless'.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 19-20.1 file (21 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 21; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-18; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. Pagination: the file notes at the back (ff 19-20) have been paginated with pencil.
The file contains correspondence, circulars and other papers relating to visits by the Viceroy and Governor-General of India (the Marquis of Willingdon, Major Freeman Freeman-Thomas) and his wife Lady Willingdon (Marie Freeman-Thomas) to Bahrain and Sharjah in May 1934, while travelling by Imperial Airways from Karachi to Basra, and their return to both of these places on the return flight back to Karachi in August 1934. Correspondents in the file include: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle, the Political Agent at Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, and the Residency Agent at Sharjah, Khan Bahadur ‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Latif.The file includes:correspondence concerning the arrangements made for the Viceroy and Lady Willingdon’s overnight stay at the RAF rest house at Sharjah, on the night of 16 May 1934, and their meeting with the Residency Agent and the Sheikhs of Sharjah (Sultan bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī) and Dubai (Sa‘id bin Maktum Āl Maktum);correspondence concerning the arrangements made for the Viceroy and Lady Willingdon to visit Bahrain on 17 May 1934, including: arrangements for the Ruler of Bahrain, Sheikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, to hold a coffee reception in a tent at the aerodrome; the presentation of a speech and gift to the Viceroy by Sheikh Ḥamad; the presentation of invited Arab and European/American guests to the reception, including a lists of invitees (ff 64-65), an invitation to (f 44) and responses from European and American guests (ff 159-167), which includes representatives of the Government of Bahrain, Bahrain Petroleum Company, and the American Mission at Bahrain; appropriate hot weather dress for the occasion;correspondence covering both visits, including: security arrangements; the organisation of gun salutes; gifts for the Viceroy;following the visits in May 1934: newspaper cuttings from the
Iraq Timesand
The Timesreporting on the visits to Bahrain (ff 101-102); correspondence regarding appropriate gifts to be given by the Viceroy to the Sheikhs of Bahrain and Sharjah; the Political Agent’s report on the Viceroy’s visit to Bahrain (ff 84-85), and the Residency Agent’s report on the visit to Sharjah (Arabic and English, ff 87-92); letters of thanks and appreciation from the Sheikhs;arrangements for stopovers by the Viceroy and Lady Willingdon at Bahrain and Sharjah in August 1934, which are to be private visits, including, at Bahrain, a visit to the house of Sheikh ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah for refreshments;following the visits in August 1934: reports of the respective visits by the Political Agent at Bahrain (ff 143-144) and the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Arabic and English, ff 145-148); arrangements for a gift of a pair of binoculars to the Sheikh of Sharjah;at the beginning of the file there is some correspondence relating to a visit to Bahrain in July 1933 by Lady Willingdon, who is passing through on an Imperial Airways flight (ff 2-7).1 file (167 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. File notes appear at the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-167; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The file comprises copies of letters, telegrams and other papers relating to the attempted visit to Bahrain and Kuwait by Winifred Howard-Clitty, a writer of children’s books, in the winter of 1933/34. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle; the Political Agent at Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch; the Political Agent at Kuwait, Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Richard Patrick Dickson.The file includes:correspondence relating to Howard-Clitty’s application to the authorities to visit the Persian Gulf; her particular interests in collecting material for her books (including Bedouin and pearl diving stories); her intentions to travel to Kuwait in order to meet a man named Muhammad Yatim and write a book with him; her intentions to travel to Bahrain to meet with Yūsuf bin Aḥmad Kanoo;correspondence relating the circumstances leading up to the 1933 trip, specifically Howard-Clitty’s previous trip to Bahrain in 1931, where she first became acquainted with Yatim and Kanoo, and copies of correspondence exchanged between Howard-Clitty and Kanoo during the intervening period (ff 5-12);concern amongst British officials at Howard-Clitty’s intentions: relating to Yatim’s poor reputation, the prospects of a European woman visiting and intending to stay at the homes of Yatim in Kuwait and Kanoo in Bahrain (which Kanoo himself is equally uncomfortable about); reported concern of the Sheikhs of Kuwait and Bahrain at the presence of a unaccompanied European woman in their territories;continued updates from British officials in Basra during the period December 1934 to February 1934, where Howard-Clitty resided while awaiting the opportunity to meet her contacts, up until 26 February 1934, when the Bahrain Political Agent reports that Howard-Clitty has left Basra, ‘hysterical and possibly consumptive’, and angry at British officials efforts to obstruction her travel arrangements (ff 45-46). A complete account of Howard-Clitty’s stay in the region is also provided by the Bahrain Political Agent (ff 54-57);reports of Howard-Clitty’s manuscripts having been stolen while en route to Baghdad, her attempts to rewrite her manuscripts from memory, and British officials’ fears that Howard-Clitty may write a book or series of articles that are critical of the British authorities in the Gulf (ff 59-60);recommendations from India Office and Foreign Office staff in London that, in future, all women wishing to travel to the Persian Gulf be made to apply to the Political Resident (f 50).1 file (70 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. File notes appear at the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 72; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 2-64 and ff 65-67 respectively; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the top centre of the recto side of each folio or in the same position as the main sequence.
The volumes comprise trade and commerce reports, primarily for Bahrain but also for Arabistan and Bushire covering the period 1918-1924.The reports included in the volumes are:Report on the Trade of the Bahrain Islands for the year ending 31 March 1918(ff 7-39)Report on the Trade of the Bahrain Islands for the year ending 31 March 1919(ff 51-78)Report on the Trade of the Bahrain Islands for the year ending 31 March 1920(ff 108-136)Trade Report of the Province of Arabistan for the year ending March 1920(ff 145-170)Trade Report of the Port of Bushire for the year 1919-1920(ff 172-190)Report on the Trade of the Bahrain Islands for the years ending 31 March 1921 and 31st March 1922(ff 211-224)Report on the Trade of the Bahrain Islands for the year ending 31 March 1923(ff 228-256)Report on the Trade of the Bahrain Islands for the year ending 31 March 1924(ff 310-338).The volumes also include amended versions of the reports where discrepancies were noted in them; and printed copies produced by the Government of India.The correspondence in the volume primarily comprises letters from the Political Agent at Bahrain sending out copies of the reports to interested parties, and acknowledgements of receipt in reply; some correspondence with the Eastern Bank Limited, Director of Customs at Bahrain, and Yusuf Ahmed bin Kanoo relates to requests from traders, exporters and other interested parties for trade statistics and information relating to trade and commerce in Bahrain.The first folio of volume one comprises correspondence between the Political Agency at Bahrain and the Political Residency in Bushire from 1948-1950 regarding a circular issued by the Foreign Office in 1948 which outlined a new format for trade reports.2 volumes (374 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front of volume one to the rear of volume two.Foliation: This volume is in two parts. The foliation sequence commences at the first folio of the first part with 1, and terminates at the last folio of the second part with 374 (the covers have not been foliated); these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The file comprises correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain (Clive Kirkpatrick Daly), the Mesopotamia Persia Corporation Limited (W Meikle), and Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo regarding the value of pearls exported from Bahrain April 1923-March 1924 for inclusion in the 1923-1924 Bahrain Trade Report.1 file (8 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 8; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The volume also contains an original printed foliation sequence between ff 2-6.
The volume comprises correspondence between the India Office (John P Gibson, Maurice Clauson, Roland T Peel, John C Walton); the Foreign Office (George Rendel, Lacy Bagallay); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard C Fowle); the Political Agent at Kuwait (Gerald S de Gaury); His Majesty’s Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, Sir Reader Bullard); Secretary of State for India (Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Anthony Eden); and Petroleum Concessions Limited (John Skliros, Stephen H Longrigg, Frank Holmes) regarding the Kuwait Neutral Zone and Petroleum Concessions Limited’s interest in attempting to secure an option or concession from the Shaikh of Kuwait and the Government of Saudi Arabia for their shares in the zone.The volume consists of general correspondence regarding Petroleum Concessions Limited’s interest in and work towards various concessions in the Persian Gulf and various possibilities for approaching the Saudi Arabian Government regarding their share of the Neutral Zone concession. Also discussed are attempts to ascertain the exact nature and extent of the Standard Oil Company of California’s preference rights for both the zone and the remainder of the territory of Saudi Arabia.Further discussion surrounds His Majesty’s Government’s concerns over the financial situation in Saudi Arabia and their desire where possible to provide assistance and support, along with the challenges of balancing this desire with their own policies and interests in the Persian Gulf.The main focus of the discussion in the volume centres on the possibility of a buy-out clause relating to the neutral zone concession existing in the Standard Oil Company of California (SOCAL)’s option agreement with the Saudi Arabian Government and the subsequent discovery that SOCAL’s preference rights were much more extensive. The exact nature of the preference rights are identified by the Foreign Office being supplied copies of the relevant concession articles by Mahmood Riyad Zada of the Royal Legation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in London.The correspondence concludes with PCL deciding to make an offer to the Saudi Arabian Government, via their representation in London, for a concession covering central and western Saudi Arabia and the Kuwait Neutral Zone to be worked by Petroleum Development (Western Arabia) Limited. Separate correspondence documents discussion between Hamilton Ballantyne of the Standard Oil Company of California and the India Office about SOCAL's potential interest in the neutral zone concession now that oil has been discovered in Hasa and Kuwait.Also included in the volume is the memorandum prepared in the Petroleum Department, June 1938, looking at areas where petroleum concessions were mostly likely to be, or had been already been obtained, on the Arabian Peninsula.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 224-230.1 volume (233 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 235; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 24-223; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The file contains correspondence between the Political
Resident in the Persian Gulf (William Rupert Hay); the Political Agent at Kuwait (Gordon
Noel Jackson, Maurice O’Connor Tandy); the India Office (later the Commonwealth
Relations Office, Eion Pelly Donaldson, Adrian Harbottle Reed, Ralph Ingham Hallows);
the Foreign Office (Lancelot Frank Lee Pyman); the Ministry of Fuel and Power (William
Dunmore Monsell-Davies); His Majesty’s Minister at Jedda (Alan Charles Trott); the
Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) and various oil companies in relation
to the auction process instituted by the Shaikh of Kuwait for his share in the
Kuwait-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone oil concession.The companies which expressed an interest in bidding for the
Kuwait neutral zone concession included Petroleum Concessions Limited, the Burmah Oil
Company, the Eastern Gulf Company, the Amerada Petroleum Company, the American
Independent Petroleum Corporation, the Superior Oil Company of California and the
Canadian Eagle Oil Company. However owing to the Shaikh's requirement that
financial backing and resources to undertake exploitation of an oil concession are
proven by each potential bidder only four companies were permitted to continue and
submit final bids on 1 June 1948 – Petroleum Concessions Limited, the Burmah Oil
Company, the Eastern Gulf Company and the American Independent Petroleum
Corporation.Other matters discussed in the file include:the question of the political agreement between His
Majesty’s Government and successful Oil Company and discussing whether such an
agreement could be made with an American Company and also what changes and special
requirements would have to be made owing to the concession only being for the Shaikh
of Kuwait’s share of the neutral zone.a visit paid by the Shaikh of Kuwait to Ibn Saud (‘Abd
al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd)and the question of whether or not
the neutral zone was discussed by them.debate around the possibility of a geographic division
of the neutral zone in order to make administration of the zone easier, and the
conclusion that negotiations for such a division could take years and would not
perhaps be in the best interests of the Oil Companies exploiting an oil concession
there.a hydrographic survey of the coast-line of the neutral
zone to locate a suitable landing site for heavy equipment.a new air service instituted by Iraq Airways in 1947
that would fly from Basra to Kuwait and Bahrain.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of
the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 272-299.1 file (300 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate
chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for
referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with
302; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right
corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present
in parallel between ff 2-99 and ff 113-300; these numbers are also written in pencil,
but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The volume contains correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Political Resident at Bushire, the India Office in London, the Shaikh of Qatar, ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī, and the Foreign Office in regard to the southern borders of Qatar, the Qatar oil concession and the relations of the Shaikhdom with ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Sa‘ūd), King of Saudi Arabia. There is also correspondence regarding an air reconnaissance of Qatar to be carried out via RAF flying boats, which took place on 9 May 1934, including reports of the reconnaissance (folios 147-154).Some of the documents in the volume are marked as secret or confidential.1 volume (207 folios)The documents in the volume are mostly arranged in chronological order. There are notes at the end of the volume, (folios 196-202). The file notes are arranged chronologically and refer to documents within the volume; they give brief description of the correspondence with reference numbers in red crayon, which refer back to that correspondence in the volume.The main foliation is written in pencil, circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto of each folio.The numbering begins on the title page, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 207.There is another foliation sequence, incomplete.
The volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, notes, and press cuttings relating to the construction of the Baghdad railway. Topics discussed include:the visit of engineers to survey German alignment;Baghdad Railway (1911) Command Paper 5635 (ff 10-48);the draft Anglo-Turkish Convention on railways in Asia Minor, 1911.The principal correspondents in the volume are: the Political Agent at Kuwait, Stuart George Knox; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Percy Zachariah Cox; the First Assistant Resident to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, J H Bill; the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad.1 volume (97 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 99; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 4-98; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The file contains letters sent by merchants, banks and companies to the Bahrain Political Agency asking the Agency to grant them export licences for the shipment of currency notes from one place to another, from one bank to another, or from one company to a bank. The main correspondents are the Arabian American Oil Company, the Eastern Bank Limited and the Imperial Bank of Iran.1 file (64 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Folios 57- 65 are file notes.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 66; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.