File contains notes on the personalities and tribes of Abu Dhabi. The notes were produced by the Residency Agent, Sharjah, in response to a request from the Political Agent Bahrain.There are the original notes in Arabic (ff. 24-43) with the English translation (ff. 2-23).A report (ff. 44-58) from the Residency Agent Sharjah to Colonel Gordon Loch, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, which describes a journey to Braimi to collect data and statistics on the payment of zakat to Ibn Saud. This was compiled as a questionnaire (f. 49) with six questions and the accompanying answers.A note on the personalities of Abu Dhabi (ff. 59-61)A note (ff. 62-64) on the rulers of Abu Dhabi, composed of the Al Bu Falah subsection of the Bani Yas.1 file (68 folios)The papers in this file are arranged into a translation in English (ff 2-23) of a letter and a report in Arabic (ff 24-43) from the Residency Agent, Sharjah, to the Political Agent, Bahrain. Then follows a letter (ff 44-64) from the Residency Agent, Sharjah, to Percy Gordon Loch, Political Resident in the Persian GulfThere is a page of file notes (folio 67).Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside 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 present in parallel between ff.2-67; these numbers are written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
This file contains correspondence regarding alleged smuggling activities from Kuwait into Iraq. Primarily, the file contains internal correspondence between British officials but it also includes correspondence between British officials and Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, the ruler of Kuwait.As well as general discussions regarding British attempts to mediate between Iraq and Kuwait, the correspondence also discusses a number of specific incidents including an alleged incursion into Kuwaiti territory made by Iraqi Government armoured cars, the shooting of two Kuwaiti subjects by Iraqi police and shots being fired by Iraqi Customs officials at a Kuwaiti vessel near Warba Island.The file contains a write-up of an interview that took place in September 1934 between Shaikh Aḥmad and Ralph Ponsonby Watts, the acting Political Agent in Kuwait (ff 122-126) as well as a write-up of an informal conversation, that also took place in September 1934, between Percy Gordon Loch, the acting Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Tahsin Beg 'Ali, the Mutasarrif [Governor] of Basrah, and Dr Naji Beg Al Asil, the Director General of Foreign Affairs for the Government of Iraq (ff 127-132).The file also contains a note on Iraqi-Kuwaiti Smuggling written in July 1934 by Trenchard Craven William Fowle, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (ff 65-66) and a bi-lingual Arabic/English copy of suggestions proposed to Shaikh Ahmad by the Government of Iraq in September 1934 (f 145).1 volume (246 folios)The file is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Serial numbers in red crayon refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Condition: Formerly a bound correspondence volume, the majority of the file's folios are now loose and unbound.Foliation: The file's foliation is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The foliation sequence, which should be used for referencing, begins with the first item of correspondence, on number 1, and ends on the last folio with text, on number 235. The file contains the following foliation errors: f 115 is followed by f 115A; f 151 is followed by ff 151A-B; the following numbers are missing from the sequence: f 11, f 160.
The volume’s letters, memoranda and other papers relate to negotiations between the British Government and Saudi Arabia over the extent of the latter’s eastern borders, and the position of these borders in relation to the Arab coast shaikhdoms (under British protection) and Oman. The chief authors of the volume’s contents are Sir Andrew Ryan, British Minister at Jeddah, the Officiating Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle, and Bertram Thomas.The volume is chiefly comprised of reports, both historical and contemporary, compiled to provide context and a basis for negotiation with the Ruler of Saudi Arabia, ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd (widely known as Ibn Sa‘ūd), and his claims over areas to the east of a ‘Blue Line’ (originally defined in the Anglo-Turkish Convention of 1913) dividing the Arabian mainland from the coastal regions, including Qatar and Trucial Oman. The reports detail: Ibn Sa‘ūd’s ancestral claims to Al-Hasa, Qatar and the Oman Sultanate, written by Loch (folios 28-31); the tribal character of the disputed areas (in English and Arabic, folios 33-56), historical relations between the Wahabi [Wahhābī] tribes and the British Government (folios 60-90), including a map indicating the extent of Wahhābī power in 1865 (folio 89); a note on frontiers, written by Fowle (folios 96-99); notes on Ibn Sa‘ūd’s claims, written by Ryan (folios 117-21); notes on Ibn Sa‘ūd’s attitude at the ‘Oqair’ meeting with Sir Percy Cox in November 1922, prepared by the Kuwait Political Agent Harold Dickson (folios 123-29); extracts of a report by Thomas on the ‘Trans-Oman Air Route Reconnaissance of May-June 1927’ (folios 123-44); and records of Foreign Office meetings with the Deputy Saudi Arabian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Fuad Bey Hamza (folios 155-56, 158-59, 160-62, 163, 164).1 volume (220 folios)The contents of the volume are arranged in approximate chronological order. There is an original contents page on the verso of folio 1b and on folio 2, numbered according to the volume’s original pagination and foliation system, which uses uncircled pencil numbers. There is a set of office notes at the rear of the volume (ff 209-212) the arrangement of which mirrors the volume’s chronological ordering.Foliation: There is an incomplete pagination sequence, an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete foliation sequence, which should be used for referencing, is circled in pencil in the top-right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first page, on number 1, and ends on the inside back cover, on 217. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b, 90a.
The correspondence in the volume relates to three main areas of discussion:The Kuwait Oil Company's negotiations with the Shaikh of Kuwait, Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, for the granting of an oil concession in Kuwait. Included within the volume are copies of both the draft concession agreement, in Arabic and English, (folios 16-27) and copies of the political agreement between His Majesty's Government and the Kuwait Oil Company (folios 57-65, 71-80 and 83-84) as well as correspondence regarding particular clauses within both agreements. Also included are records of interviews between Harold Dickson, Political Agent Kuwait, and the Shaikh of Kuwait, 25-26 February 1934, discussing the Shaikh's thoughts on the draft concession presented to him (folios 28-35). The Kuwait Oil Company's negotiations were handled by Major Archibald Chisholm and Major Frank Holmes.The British Government's concerns over an oil concession for the Nejd-Kuwait Neutral Zone, and particularly the possibility of an American company receiving the concession from the Saudi Government. The correspondence is primarily between the Foreign Office, India Office and the British Legation at Jedda and seeks to determine what the position is between the Saudi Government and the two interested parties in the Neutral Zone concession: the Standard Oil Company of California and the Arabian Development Syndicate. Also included in the volume are records of two meetings held at the India Office between Sir Louis Kershaw, Deputy Under Secretary of State, and representatives of the Foreign Office, Admiralty, India Office and Petroleum Department to discuss the oil concession in the Neutral Zone, ways of attempting to ensure that British owned company secures the concession, and the difficulties of jurisdiction and protection of employees within the zone itself (folios 89-97 and 125-128).Correspondence between the Air Ministry, Air Officer Commanding , the Political Agent Kuwait and the Shaikh of Kuwait regarding the lease of three sites within Kuwait: two at Jahra and Subaihiya [Şubayḩīyah] for use as landing grounds and one at Shuwaikh for use as an air base. The correspondence includes details of how the three sites are to be used and the conditions which the Shaikh of Kuwait places on their lease.The volume also contains file notes (folios 220-225) which list each individual item of correspondence received and its date.1 volume (242 folios)The contents of this volume have been arranged in chronological order.At the back of the file are several folios of file notes (folios 220-225) which list each item of correspondence in the volume, with dates, and provides folio numbers (described as page numbers in the notes) in the margin to enable them to be used as an index.Foliation: The volume is foliated with pencil numbers, enclosed in a circle, located in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The foliation sequence runs from front to back covers. There is an earlier foliation sequence which uses uncircled numbers in the top right corner of each recto and runs intermittently from folios 2-30. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1A-1E, 16A, 27A, 56A, 57A, 128A, 186A. Folios 83 and 84 are fold-outs.Watermark: The watermark EllamS can be found on folios 60 to 65.
The volume contains minutes of meetings at Office of the Secretary of State for India in London; and correspondence and telegrams between the Political Agent in Bahrain, the Political Resident in Bushire, the Financial Adviser to the Government in Bahrain, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, and representatives of the Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited (BAPCO) on the draft Mining Lease contract between the Sheikh of Bahrain, Hamad Bin Issa Al-Khalifah, and BAPCO.The volume also includes: letter enclosing copy of the Power of Attorney given by BAPCO to Mr. F.A. Davies and other American citizens, to execute the Mining Lease in Bahrain on behalf of the Company (folios 146-152); 'Plan Showing Open Land Near Zallāk, Bahrain' (folio 136E) and a sketch in pencil representing 'Sakhir' (folio 246B and photocopy on folio 246C).There are documents in Arabic, including a translation of the draft Lease (folios 227A-S).There is an index and some notes at the end of the volume (folios 233-250).1 volume (287 folios)The documents in the volume are arranged in chronological order. There is an index at the end of the volume (folios 233-250). The index is arranged chronologically and refers to documents within the volume; it gives brief description of the correspondence with a reference number, which refers back to that correspondence in the volume.The foliation is in pencil, encircled, in the top right corner of recto. The numbering starts on the first page of writing (5th folio) of the volume and carries on until 135; then 136, 136A-E; 137-226; 227, 227A-S; 228-245; 246, 246A-C and then carries on until 250, which is the last number given on the last page of writing. Folio 136E is kept in an envelope on folio 136D; folios 227B-227S are kept in an envelope on folio 227A. Folios 246B-C are kept in an envelope on folio 246A. An additional foliation sequence, since crossed out, starts with 93 (on folio 97).
The file contains correspondence from the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) manager, requesting information from the Political Agent on the Bahrain land regulations.There are two notices in Arabic and English and a document on 'Land Registration' (folios 10-15).1 file (19 folios)The documents in the file are mainly arranged in chronological order. There are notes at the end of the file (ff. 16-18). The notes refer to documents within the file; they give a brief description of the correspondence with a reference number, which refers back to that correspondence in the file.The foliation is written in pencil in the top right corner. The numbering starts at the first page of writing with 1 and terminates at the last page of writing with 18.
The volume contains correspondence, telegrams and memoranda exchanged between the Political Agent and the Political Resident and with the Foreign Office, the Secretary of State for India, H.M's Minister in Jedda, the Sheikh of Qatar and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) on the subjects of the boundaries of Qatar and the Qatar Oil Concession.The volume includes:letter from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mecca, to H.M's Minister in Jedda on the Qatar boundaries (f. 51);sketch of Qatar Peninsula (f. 113);telegram from the Persian Resident to the Secretary of State for India about Ibn Saud's claims to Hasa, Qatar, Trucial Coast and the Sultanate of Oman, with chronological tables in attachment (ff. 134-143);diary of Qatar air reconnaissance tour by Flying Officer K.R. Coates, Intelligence Recording Officer of 203 (F.B.) Squadron in Basrah, in attachment hand drawn 'Track Chart of Flying Boat K. 3678 on 29 Jun 1934' ( ff. 153-162);'Memorandum respecting the Boundaries in Arabia: Anglo-Turkish Arrangements' with printed map, enclosed in Foreign Office covering letter dated 19 June 1934 (ff. 185-187);report and notes on the reconnaissance of Qatar (ff. 195-208);telegram from the Political Resident to the Secretary of State for India dated 17 July 1934, informing that an extension for eight months of the exploration agreement was granted by the Sheikh of Qatar to APOC, in consideration of a monthly payment of 2500 rupees per month (ff. 209-210). Ink sketch representing 'Very Rough Shape of Sakah Gardens' (f. 244).There is an index (folios 227-249).1 volume (254 folios)The papers in the volume are arranged chronologically. There is an index at the end of the volume, (folios 277-249). The index is arranged chronologically and refers to documents within the volume; it gives brief description of the correspondence with a reference number, which refers back to that correspondence in the volume.The foliation is in pencil on the top right corner, encircled. The numbering starts on the first page of writing from 1-185; then 186, 187A, 187B, 188; then 223, 224A, 224B; and it carries on until 254, which is the last number given, on the back cover. There is a second foliation, in pencil on the top right corner, starting on folio 1 (numbered 1); skipping or missing 57; then 112, 113, 113A; ending on folio 225 (numbered 227).
The file consists of a letter — dated 28 June 1934 — from Percy Gordon Loch, Political Agent at Bahrain, addressed to Ibrahim bin Muhammad al Muammar, Chargé d’Affaires for the Royal Legation of Saudi Arabia, Baghdad. It simply thanks the Chargé d’Affaires for his visit during Loch's recent stay in Baghdad, and apologises for not being able to return the favour. An Arabic translation of the letter is included.1 file (6 folios)The Arabic language version of the letter (on folio 4) precedes the English language version (on folio 5). The notes section at the back of the file is empty.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 4-6; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
The volume contains correspondence between the Political
Resident in Bushire, the Political Agent in Bahrain and the Secretary of State for
India, on the Qatar oil concession, on the Southern boundary of Qatar and on the role of
Ibn Saud in the negotiation.The volume includes:meeting notes, copies of telegrams and letters on
Qatar and Kuwait oil concessions;note from the Political Agent in Kuwait to the
Political Resident dated 23 Jan 1934 about the Qatar and Hasa Oil concessions and the
Kuwait Neutral Zone (ff. 60-63);memorandum on the political importance of 'the
maintenance of a British position on the Arab littoral of the Gulf' (ff. 71-76)
and the need to offer protection to the Sheikh of Qatar in return for an
'undertaking on his part to grant a concession to the Anglo Persian Oil Company
(Iraq Petroleum Company);correspondence between the British Air Ministry and
the India Office about air facilities in Qatar;note referring to a conversation that occurred at the
end of 1922 between Sir Percy, Ibn Saud and Major Holmes regarding the southern
boundaries of Qatar and the political relationship between Qatar and Saudi Arabia (f.
116C);memorandum from the meetings occurred on 11-12 Mar
1934 between the Sheikh Abdullah bin Qasim al-Thani and the Political Resident re oil
concession (ff. 131-140);copies of draft Qatar Oil Concession;a sketch of Qatar, ink on fabric (f. 212);memorandum on the frontiers of Saudi Arabia (ff.
196-199).There is an index at the end of the volume ( folios
211-216).1 volume (223 folios)The papers in this file are arranged in chronological order.
There is an index at the end of the volume, on folios 211-216. The index is arranged
chronologically and refers to documents within the volume; it gives brief description of
the correspondence with a reference number, which refers back to that correspondence in
the volume.The foliation is on top right-hand corner, starting on the
first page of writing and finishing on the back cover. The numbering is in pencil,
enclosed by a circle and starts with 1, then 115, 116A, 116B, 116C, then carries on
until 221, which is the last number given. There is a second pagination on the top right
corner, uncircled, starting on folio 22 (numbered 21) to folio 100 (numbered 99) and
then from folio 116a (numbered 113) until folio 210 (numbered 207).
The volume contains memoranda, confidential papers, personal letters and testimonies related to alleged smuggling of food and goods from Kuwait to Iraq. The correspondence includes two unsuccessful proposals for conferences to be held between Iraqi and Kuwaiti officials to discuss the limits of territorial waters and smuggling from Kuwait.The volume includes tables showing the total imports and exports into and from Kuwait, of sugar, tea, coffee, matches and tobacco which were the principal articles complained of as being smuggled between 1920-1933.Most of the volume relates to complaints made by the Shaikh of Kuwait to the Political Agent, Kuwait, regarding attacks by Iraq Customs Officials. The volume contains testimonies from Kuwaiti subjects, forwarded by the Shaikh, regarding armed cars belonging to the Iraqi customs crossing the Kuwait frontiers and attacking Kuwait nakhudas, locals and Bedouin tribes, as well as reports of Iraqi customs from Fao violating Kuwait’s territorial waters. The volume also contains minutes from meetings in London between British officials in response to the incidents.The main correspondents in the volume are the Political Agency, Kuwait, the Political Residency, Bushire, the British Embassy, Baghdad, the Iraqi Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Shaikh of Kuwait, and the Secretary of State for India, London.1 volume (318 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 inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 320; 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 60-64, and ff 148-315; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The volume contains letters, telegrams and memoranda relating to oil production in Bahrain, being undertaken by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO). The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 XI (C 53) Bahrain Oil’ (IOR/R/15/1/659). The principal correspondents in the volume are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle, the Political Agent in Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, BAPCO’s London representative, Hamilton Ballantyne, and various British Government officials, chiefly Gilbert Laithwaite of the India Office.The subjects covered by the volume are:Ongoing negotiations between the British Government and BAPCO over the terms of BAPCO’s mining lease for Bahrain, with particular emphasis in this volume on: amendments to wording related to the termination of the lease; discussion over the definition of the term “uncultivated land” with regard to BAPCO’s selection of land for the mining lease, with particular reference to land owned by the ruling family, and uncultivated land in the urban areas of Manama and Muharraq (folios 103-04, 114-15);The preparation of an Arabic translation of the mining lease (folios 83-98), initially prepared by the Political Agency in Bahrain, reviewed by the Assistant Librarian of the India Office in London (folios 147-49), with subsequent changes to the wording proposed (folios 211-15);Arrangement for power of attorney for the mining lease, with a copy of the power of attorney (folios 151-56);Protest by British officials in Bahrain, and by Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, Ruler of Bahrain (folio 109), over the unauthorised landing of a French aeroplane at Bahrain, carrying the French Chargé D’Affaires from Baghdad, with a copy of the visa rules for Bahrain (folio 112) and an Iraq Government air clearance certificate (folio 113);Production of oil in Bahrain, including difficulties encountered by BAPCO in marketing their Bahrain oil, leading to speculation that the Iraq Petroleum Company may become involved in Bahrain production, possibly at BAPCO’s cost (folios 69-72, 143), and reports of the despatch to Bahrain of the Standard Oil tanker
Rheemin December 1934, to collect 100,000 barrels (15,000 tons) of oil from Bahrain (folios 194, 204-07).1 volume (232 folios)The volume’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The office notes at the end of the volume (ff 121-25) mirror the chronological arrangement. Many items of correspondence in the volume have pencil annotations, which refer to related items of correspondence found within other Residency files. These annotations include the related confidential file number and file’s page number.Foliation: The volume is foliated from the title page to the last folio, using pencil numbers written in the top-right corner of each recto. Index numbers written in red and blue pencil are part of the volume’s original filing system, and correspond to the office notes index at the end of the volume (ff 221-25). The following foliation anomalies occur: 1, 1A, 1B and 1C; 113 and 113A; 136 and 136A; 187 and 187A.
This file contains letters and agreements relating to the initiation of oil operations in Kuwait. The papers discuss the legal and logistical details of the Kuwait Oil Company's initial operations. This includes copies of some of the official contracts signed by the Ruler of Kuwait in both English and Arabic.1 file (222 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 inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 224; 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 present in parallel between ff 213-219; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.