This file consists of correspondence relating to actions taken against the Shaikh of Fujairah. The main correspondents are the Political Resident Persian Gulf; Senior Naval Officer Persian Gulf; Political Agent Muscat; Residency Agent Sharjah; Foreign Secretary to the Government of India; Shaikh Hamad bin Abdullah, ruler of Fujairah; Shaikh Said bin Hamad, Chief of Kalba.A number of topics are covered.The kidnap of a Baluch girl who was sold to the Shaikh of Fujairah. The Political Resident threatened to shell the Shaikh's fort and burn his dhow if a fine was not paid. Furthermore, as the Shaikh did not respond to the protocol of coming on board his fort was bombarded for one and a half hours which produced the desired effect.Disputes between al Fujairah (al-Qawasim tribe) and Kalba (al Sharqiyyin tribe) over raiding and disputes.There are over forty letters in Arabic with translations; maps drawn by Bertram Thomas of tribal territories around al Fujairah and also a map of the ports of Oman.1 volume (259 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation. The foliation sequence consists of numbers circled in pencil located in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio and runs from the front cover to last folio. Foliation omissions: Folios 174, 189, 203 have been omitted.
Correspondence dealing with the unrest at Dubai due to the attempts on the life of Shaikh Sa'id bin Maktum by his cousins Shaikhs Rashid and Buti and their efforts to usurp him. The file includes a genealogical map of the family of Shaikh Sa'id bin Maktoum. Letters discuss how the British government can support the Shaikh without abandoning a declared policy of non-interference in internal matters. Correspondents include the Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf; British Naval Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station; Foreign Secretary to the Government of India; Political Agent, Bahrain.The second topic of the file is Trucial Coast policy in broader terms, and how the presence of the recently established air route affected this. A memorandum discusses how with the advent of oil, other nations such as the United States of America and Japan were taking an interest in the Gulf. Furthermore, correspondence notes the increase in Ibn Saud's prestige requiring the need to ensure the safety of the air route. Correspondents include Air Vice-Marshall C.S. Burnett, Commanding Officer, British Forces in Iraq; Trenchard Craven Fowle, Political Resident Persian Gulf.1 volume (169 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: The sequence consists of (80, 90-95, 98-102, 131-137, 139-140, 143-147, 151-159).
This file contains correspondence relating to jurisdiction in the Trucial Shaikhdoms. The main correspondents are the India Office, Foreign Office, Political Resident Persian Gulf; Political Agent, Bahrain.The correspondence discusses the creation of new Orders-in-Council for the Trucial Coast and whether this is needed before Petroleum Concessions progresses its oil discoveries. The file contains the Draft Trucial Coast Order in Council. Letters discuss whether war-time contingencies require new legal measures to deal with hostile persons. Also discussed are measures to contain the possibility of post-war attempts at penetration by foreigners including the American oil company and how to reply to a letter from the American Embassy. The file also includes letters from Shaikh Sultan bin Salim, ruler of Ras al Khaimah and Shaikh Shakbut bin Sultan bin Zayid, ruler of Abu Dhabi. There is a printed report of the External Affairs Department Trucial States Order-in-Council 1946.1 volume (217 folios)Foliation: Foliation starts on front cover of file, in pencil in uncircled (later circled) numbers in top right corner of the recto of each folio, and continues to the end of the file. A former pagination sequence starts on the verso of folio 128 with 132. Foliation anomaly: 1A and 1B.
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.
The file contains correspondence discussing the ownership and status of the Hawar Islands and the competing claims of Bahrain and Qatar.It includes the following:a translation and original letter from Abullah bin Qasim Al Thani to Hugh Weightman, Political Agent, Bahrain (ff 6-9);a petition in support of Ruler of Bahrain's claim to Hawar Islands (f 74);photographs of Hawar Island: Bilad as-Shamalia; Hawar Fort; and Hawar Pier (f 33).Correspondents include William Rupert Hay, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; Abdullah bin Qasim Al Thani, Ruler of Qatar, Hugh Weightman, Political Agent, Bahrain.1 file (267 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the back of the file. There are file notes (ff 259-264) at the back 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 267; 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 56-188 and ff 189-229 respectively; 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, 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 correspondence and papers relating to visits to the Persian Gulf by foreign dignitaries. Correspondents in the file include the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, and the Political Agents at Bahrain and Kuwait.The file includes:correspondence relating to the visit to Bahrain in December 1937 of Amir Sa‘ūd bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd from Saudi Arabia, including: discussion amongst British Government officials who take a positive view of the proposed visit; a letter from the Political Agent in Bahrain (Captain Tom Hickinbotham) to the Ruler of Bahrain (Sheikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah), dated 7 October 1937, insisting that he be present during any political discussions (ff 24-25); reports in late December 1937 of the visit, written by the Political Agent Hugh Weightman (ff 43-48) and an unknown author (ff 50-53). Both reports include details of: the visiting dignitaries, receptions and dinners; the large quantities of gold sovereigns brought up by the Saudi party in the Bahrain bazaars, to be used to purchase Maria Theresa dollars in Saudi Arabia; rumours amongst the Bahrain bazaars of the purposes of the trip;correspondence relating to the Sheikh of Kuwait’s (Sheikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) proposed visit to Bahrain, his intention being to meet the Ruler of Bahrain, Sheikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, and offer mediation over the Bahrain-Qatar (Zubarah) dispute (ff 26-30);a proposed trip in 1936 by the Iraqi statesman Nuri Pasha to Bombay, stopping off at Kuwait, Bahrain and Muscat, and the consequent postponement of this trip due to unforeseen circumstances (ff 2-10). Correspondence relating to Nuri Pasha’s later trip to Riyadh via Bahrain in April 1940 is also included in the file (ff 57-63);the return of the Egyptian Chargé d'Affaires, Abdul Hamid Munir, to Egypt from Riyadh via Bahrain in 1944 (ff 72-76);wartime and post-war various visits by United States dignitaries and legations, including: a US legation at Bahrain in 1942 (ff 65-66); Colonel Hoskins, Personal Envoy to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1943 (68, 70-71); and US senators in 1943 and 1944-45 (ff 69 77-79);1 file (90 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 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 also present in parallel between ff 2-81; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
This file concerns the construction of the first hospital at Doha, Qatar, in the mid-1940s. Correspondents in this file include: Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Crawshaw Galloway, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bahrain; Cornelius James Pelly, Political Agent at Bahrain; E P Donaldson, India Office, London; Dr W N Storm and Dr Paul Wilberforce Harrison of the American Mission at Bahrain.Details include funding by the American Mission and the possibility of funding from the Government of India based on the scale of that provided for medical facilities at Dubai; the necessity of medical facilities to service the oil industry and for a Political Officer to reside at Doha under Article 8 of the Anglo-Qatar treaty of 1916; relations between the American Mission and Qatar and the British administration; and the possibility of posting an European doctor to Qatar. Notable documents include a letter, dated 6 Dhu al-Qidah 1366 (20 September 1947), from ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī to the Political Agent at Bahrain regarding the construction of the hospital and a report by Storm and Harrison about their trip to the hospital at Doha in October 1947.1 file (22 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 foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 24; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The file contains correspondence relating to the presentation of gifts by the Political Agent at Bahrain to Saleh al Mana, representative of the Shaikh of Qatar. The gifts are an appreciation of the hospitality provided by Saleh al Mana during the Political Agent’s visits to Qatar. Correspondents in the file include the Political Agent at Bahrain (Cornelius James Pelly, and Gordon Noel Jackson between August and November 1947), Saleh al Mana [Ṣāliḥ Āl Māni‘], and the Manager of Petroleum Concessions (Qatar) Limited, Basil Henry le Riolet Lermitte, who frequently acted as an intermediary between the Political Agent and Saleh al Mana.Correspondence relates to:the delivery of a radio set to Saleh al Mana in 1947 (ff 2-21), and further correspondence resulting from the radio not working and requiring replacement. Saleh al Mana’s attempt, in October 1947, to arrange the purchase of his own radio set through Lermitte, in contravention of restrictions on Petroleum Concessions Limited buying products from Bahrain for non-Company Qataris, is brought to the attention of the Political Agent by Lermitte (f 14);in September 1948, two letters from the Political Agent to Saleh al Mana, the first returning a set of pearls given to the Political Resident Sir William Rupert Hay’s daughter by the Shaikh of Qatar, owing to the fact that the Political Resident was not permitted to accept gifts; the second presenting Saleh al Mana with an automatic pistol (ff 22-26);between October 1948 and September 1949, correspondence relating to the incorrect ammunition that was supplied with the pistol given to Saleh al Mana, and the Political Agent’s arrangements for the correct ammunition to be purchased, imported and sent on to Saleh al Mana (ff 27-41).1 file (45 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 inside back cover with 47; 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 2-46; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Correspondence in this file discusses the etiquette of gun salutes and exchange of calls in the Gulf. Topics include:the raising of the number of gun salutes for the Ruler of Kuwait and the Ruler of Bahrain from seven guns to eleven guns;a letter in Arabic (with English translation) from Shaikh Hamad bin Isa al Khalifah [Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah], Ruler of Bahrain, to Percy Gordon Loch, Political Agent, Bahrain, expressing thanks to King George V for the granting of a seven guns as a personal salute;the programme and protocol for the visit of the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station, to Bahrain and Sharjah.1 file (274 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the back of the file. There are file notes ff 251-273.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 also present in parallel between ff 2-243; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
The file contains correspondence regarding the formal recognition of Shaikh Hamad as Ruler of Bahrain by the Government of India and the presentation to him of a
kharitaby the Political Resident, Bushire on behalf of Freeman Freeman-Thomas Willingdon,Viceroy and Governor-General of India.The English version of the Kharita is found on folio 29 and an Arabic version on folio 30.1 file (46 folios)The papers in the file are arranged chronologically 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 46; 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 2-45; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
The file primarily contains correspondence between the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ), the Political Agent at Kuwait (Harold Dickson and Gerald Simpson DeGaury), the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle and Percy Gordon Loch), the India Office (John Charles Walton, Gilbert Laithwaite and Maurice Clausen) and the Kuwait Oil Company (abbreviated as KOC).Correspondence discusses the commencement of oil drilling operations in Kuwait following the signing of the Kuwait Oil Concession, in particular the appointment of Harold Dickson as Chief Local Officer, the need for a Customs and Passport Post, and the decision to move drilling operations from Bahra to the South of Kuwait due to the former having insufficient quantities of oil for production.Also discussed in the file is clause three of the political agreement between KOC and His Majesty's Government which relates to the appointment of non British or Kuwaiti personnel in Kuwait. Matters discussed include the process of applying for special permission for such individuals and applications for two specialist American personnel to be employed there. Further correspondence relates to the KOC's wish to send a team of sixteen American geophysical surveyors to Kuwait for six months to undertake Seismic, Magnetic and Gravimetric surveys.The file also contains correspondence between HM's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan), Foreign Office (Sir John Simon, George Rendel), India Office (Gilbert Laithwaite) and the Arabian Development Syndicate (Rex Jansen, Mr Ydlibi) on the question of the Kuwait-Nejd neutral zone and the two companies vying for the Saudi Arabian share of it, the Standard Oil Company of California and the Arabian Development Syndicate.Other correspondence of note in the file includes:A request by Paul Heath Boots, head of the geophysical survey for the KOC, to undertake terrestrial magnetic observations in Kuwait, Bahrain and surrounding countries as the last observations in these areas were made in 1909-1910. The correspondence includes detailed descriptions of the observations to be taken, the instruments to be used and how they hope to re-observe the magnitude and direction of the earth's magnetic field in order to determine in what way and direction the magnetic field had varied since the last observations were completed (Folios 166-167, 202-203);A letter from Traders Ltd to the Shaikh of Kuwait informing him that they are not willing to accept his decision to sign with the KOC and that they were referring the matter to their legal adviser;A request from the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (later the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company) for special authorisation to land their planes at Kuwait and undertake aerial surveys there;A request by the KOC to use part of the land at the Shuwaikh site, which had previously been earmarked by the RAF as a potential future airbase site, and the British Government's decision that the site was no longer required by them;The lighting of the oil derrick at Bahra for night-time work and the need to inform Imperial Airways and the Port Director at Basra as the derrick was under the air route and near the sea;Arrangements for accommodation of European women in Bahrain and Kuwait and reminders that no European women were permitted in Qatar or the Trucial coast;Assurances from the Shaikh of Kuwait to His Majesty's Government in regards to the granting of future oil concessions, following his dealings with Traders Ltd;A discussion of the use of private wireless stations by the KOC, whether these contravened international conventions and whether they would impact future post office services in Kuwait. Further correspondence relates to the need to register the wireless stations and obtain Indian telegraph service call signs for them;A request by the KOC to place temporary buoys in the Ras Khadama [Ra’s Kāz̧imah] channel and costs involved for the Port Director at Basra to arrange for the work to be done.The correspondence from the Shaikh of Kuwait is in Arabic, with English translations, and the correspondence from the Anglo-Persian Oil Company includes letterheads in Persian and English.1 file (240 folios)There is an index to the volume at folio 2 which arranges the contents by topic discussed.Folios 219-229 are notes recording each item of correspondence within the volume, and include page numbers in pencil in the margins which enable the notes to be used as a further index.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences on the title page with 1 and terminated on the last folio with 232. The numbers used for this sequence are located in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio and are indicated by a pencil number enclosed in a circle. Folio 180 has been omitted from the sequence.Foliation anomalies: 1A, 1B, 18A, 115A, 174AThe following folios need to be folded out to be read: 4, 6A former referencing system, using red crayon numbers enclosed in a circle can also be found throughout the file.