Distinctive Features:Enclosed with letter from Charles Dalrymple Belgrave to Political Agent, Bahrain, dated 11th April 1934 (folio 85).Tracing showing area between villages of Busaitin and Deir at Muharraq acquired by the Government of Bahrain outlined in red with dimensions reported.1 mapMaterials:Pencil and crayon on tracing clothDimensions:405 x 427 mm
This file contains an exchange of letters between Foreign Office and India Office officials regarding the extent of Persia's territorial waters after the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs claimed a ten-mile limit.1 file (12 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, 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 2-10; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.
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 correspondence between the India Office and the Shaikh of Qatar, the Air Ministry, the Foreign Office, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) and H.M.'s Ministry at Jedda in regard to the borders of Qatar, the oil concession and the relations of the Shaikhdoms with Ibn Said.It contains:notes of a meeting held at the India Office on 21 March 1934 with representatives of APOC and Royal Dutch Shell to discuss the Qatar oil concession (ff 22-29 and 86-92A);notes on the meeting occurred on 2-4 April 1934 between the Political Resident and the Shaikh Abdullah bin Qasim al Thani of Qatar (ff. 44-51A);envelope titled 'Sketch Map of Qatar peninsula with boundary line marked by Shaikh' (f. 51B);correspondence re the 'reconnaissance of Qatar' via flying boats by R.A.F. taking place on 8/9 May 1934 (ff. 141-222);extracts from R. E. Cheesman's
'In Unknown Arabia'(ff. 177-185);list of tasks to be carried out during the reconnaissance, including photographs to be taken (ff. 194-197).There is an index at the end of the volume (folios 236-244).1 volume (262 folios)The papers in the volume are arranged chronologically. There is an index at the end of the volume, on folios 236-244.The foliation starts on the first page of writing on top right-hand corner and finishes on the back cover. The numbering starts with 1, then 7, 8a, 8b, 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B, 11-14, 15A, 15B, 16, then 18, 19A, 19B, 20, 21A, 21B, 22, then 50, 51A, 51B, 52, then 79, 80A, 80B, 81-84, 85A, 85B, 86, then 92, 93A, 93B, then 159, 160A, 160B, 160C,161, then 228, 229A, 229B, 230, and then carries until 249 which is the last number given.
The volume contains letters, telegrams, maps and memoranda relating to oil prospecting undertaken in Bahrain by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO), and the development of an oil infrastructure. The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 VII (C 48) Bahrain Oil’ (IOR/R/15/1/655). The principal correspondents in the volume are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle, and the Political Agent in Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch.Subjects covered by the volume include:Construction of a submarine pipeline, ship anchorage and other facilities at Sitrah Island by BAPCO;Construction of wireless facilities for BAPCO’s operation, pending approval by Imperial & International Wireless Limited and Imperial Airways;Installation of buoys for the BAPCO anchorage (including details and location of buoys, folio 16), pending approval by the Government of India which holds responsibility for buoying in the Gulf; also concerns over the proximity of the anchorage to fish traps;British Government officials’ preference for Admiralty cooperation in surveying the area for a proposed anchorage, over the involvement of the U.S. Marine (folio 30);The despatch (folio 84) and arrival (folio 222) of an American vessel, the
El Segundo, to Bahrain, with a workforce for the construction of the pipeline and other facilities and the despatch of a German steamer, the
Wachtfells, with materials (folios 86-87);British officials’ concerns regarding the forty-five American workers on board the
El Segundo(folio 116): the effects of their presence in Bahrain, and the question of a need for visas (folios 135-36, 139-40);Wider concern over the numbers of foreign workers employed by BAPCO in Bahrain, with details of the nationalities and classes of workers employed by BAPCO in January 1934 (folio 138);Questions over whether oil refining will be carried out in Bahrain, which is strongly advocated by the Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, and his Government (folio 83);BAPCO acquisition of land in Bahrain, in relation to the prospecting and mining licenses, including land for shipping facilities at Sitrah, and plans for a permanent camp (folios 209-10);A dispute between the British Government and BAPCO over the interpretation of a clause in the concession agreement, relating to the waiving of duty paid on the import of equipment by the oil company. The dispute relates to whether such items as food goods and furniture can be classified as company equipment;Questions over the replacement of Ed Skinner, Chief Local Representative of BAPCO;Minutes of India Office meetings, in which the status of the Qatar concession, with reference to such issues as risks facing exploration, boundary issues, British and foreign representation, and the involvement of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company are discussed (folios 37-58, 93-110).1 volume (240 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 (folios 225-30) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: There is an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete sequence, which should be used for referencing, is circled in pencil, at the top of the recto of each folio. It begins on the title page, on number 1, and ends on the folio of writing, on number 230. Foliation anomalies: f 76 is followed by f 76A; f 210 is followed by f 210A. Index numbers written in red and blue pencil are part of the volume’s original filing system, and correspondent to the office notes index at the end of the file (ff 225-30).The following folios are fold-out maps ff 77-78; f 210; f 213.
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 correspondence and telegrams between the Political Agent in Bahrain, the Political Resident in Bushire and representatives of the Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited (BAPCO) on the storage tanks calibration for the purpose of calculating the royalties payable to the Sheikh of Bahrain and on the first shipments of oil from Bahrain to Japan and Singapore.The volume includes a copy of the draft lease contract with notes (folios 55-64), newspaper cuttings on oil in Bahrain and House of Commons' questions on Bahrain (folios 204-205). There are letters in Arabic with English translation, to and from the Sheikh.There is an index at the end of the volume (folios 248-258).1 volume (270 folios)The documents in the volume are arranged in chronological order. There is an index at the end of the volume (folios 248-258). 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 main foliation system starts on the 5th sheet with 1 and finishes with 259, wich is the last number given, on the 5th sheet from the back of the volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled and may be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Foliation anomalies: 56A and 56B; 57A and 57B; 58A and 58B; 60A and 60B; 61A and 61B; 61A and 61B; 63A and 63B.Foliation omissions: folio 233A second foliation sequence starts on folio 14 and continues through to folio 247; the numbering for this sequence starts at 13. These numbers are also written in pencil and may be located in the same position as the main sequence.
The file concerns the abduction from Dilam [Bandar-e Deylam] in Persia to Koweit [Kuwait] of two Persian customs guards by the crew of a Persian dhow. The nakhoda of the dhow feared punishment after his cargo was judged to be contraband by the Persian authorities, and so fled to Kuwait, with the customs guards on board and under arrest. When in Kuwait, the Shaikh of Kuwait [Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ] banished the nakhoda and his boat from Kuwait in perpetuity.The papers include a statement made by the nakhoda of the dhow (folio 14) and correspondence from various British officials, including the Foreign Office, as to what attitude the British should adopt, should a complaint be made about the incident by the Persian Government.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (13 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 15; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Reports from HM’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Tehran, Reginald Hervey Hoare, and the British Ambassador in Turkey, Percy Lyham Loraine, along with newspaper cuttings from
The Times,
The Near East and Indiaand
The Evening Standard, reporting on the Shah of Persia’s [Reza Shah Pahlavi] visit to Turkey, including to Angora [Ankara]. The reports focus on: the Shah’s movements and meetings; speculation regarding the discussions that took place between the Shah and Turkish officials, including the prospect of an agreement between Persia [Iran], Turkey, Iraq, and Afghanistan; press coverage of the visit. The file includes one item in French, a newspaper cutting from the Persian newspaper
Le Messager de Teheran(f 5A).The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (42 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 44; these numbers are written in pencil and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The file is a copy of a commercial lease between Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, Sheikh of Bahrein, and the Bahrein Petroleum Company, in which the Sheikh grants to the company the exclusive right for fifty-five years to drill for, extract, treat, refine, and deal with petroleum products and natural gas within the portion of Bahrain Island delineated on the accompanying map.1 file (10 folios)Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 10; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Correspondence from the Military Accounts Department, Western Command, Quetta to Lieutenant Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, Political Agent, Bahrain, requesting particulars of his service so that the Department could open a record of service card for him in accordance with Army Department regulations concerning certain military officers in civil employ.1 file (12 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Circled serial numbers (red for received correspondence; blue/black for issued correspondence) refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation system in use commences at 1A on the front cover and continues through to 11 on the back cover. The sequence is written in pencil, within brackets, and appears in the top centre of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff. 1A, 1B.
This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding date gardens in southern Iraq owned by the rulers of Mohammerah and Kuwait. The correspondence discusses changes in legislation proposed by the Government of Iraq regarding the collection of land rent and land produce duties, and the impact of these changes to the ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ.In particular, the correspondence concerns the Government of Iraq's decision to end the immunity from taxation (on the gardens) that had been granted to the former ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Mubārak Āl Ṣabāḥ and the Shaikh of Mohamerrah, Khaz‘al bin Jābir al-Ka‘bī by the British Government in return for their military support against the Ottoman Empire in World War 1. The correspondence also discusses in detail a court case in the Iraqi courts regarding the land owned by Shaikh Aḥmad and the Al Sabah family.The correspondence discusses attacks on Shaikh Aḥmad's fellaheen (agricultural workers) in Iraq by other fellaheen on the land and contains a translation of a letter outlining the details of these attacks sent from Shaikh Aḥmad to the British Political Agent in Kuwait, Harold Richard Patrick Dickson (folio 32).A complete list of the date garden properties in Iraq which were in possession of Shaikh Mubārak in 1914 (and included in the British Government's pledge of that year) is contained in the file on folios 161-171.The file also contains correspondence regarding whether or not Shaikh Aḥmad should attend the trial in Iraq in person, concerns about his growing frustration with the British Government's perceived inability to resolve the dispute and his belief that they were siding with the Iraqi government against him.1 volume (221 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Condition: A bound correspondence volume.Foliation: The file's foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The file contains the following foliation errors: 1, 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D; 17 and 17a; 100 and 100A..
This file contains papers relating to the initiation of oil prospecting and extraction in Kuwait. The papers cover the details of the agreements between the Ruler of Kuwait, the Kuwait Oil Company, the Foreign Office, and the India Office. Most papers detail particular aspects of the regulatory agreements made with the Ruler of Kuwait on the legal status, ownership, and technical operations of the Kuwait Oil Company.1 file (207 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 207; 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 50-120, and ff 154-202; 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.
Printed volume (in French) of statistics and texts illustrating trade between Persia [Iran] and foreign countries, for the period 1 Tir 1311 to 31 Khordad 1312 in the Iranian calendar (equivalent to 22 June 1932 to 21 June 1933 in the Gregorian calendar). The volume was published by the Persian Customs Administration in Tehran, 1934. Key chapters in the volume cover:Comparative tables and graphs, showing imports and exports between Persia and its principal trading partners, covering the Iranian calendar years 1302-1312 (ff 9-12).Commodity import and export totals, arranged alphabetically by commodity (ff 25-74).Imports and exports, expressed by quantity and value, and arranged by origin (imports) and destination (exports) (ff 79-93).Trade at key customs offices, expressed in quantity (weight) and value (ff 94-108).Shipping activity at ports in the Caspian Sea (ff 109-110), the Persian Gulf (ff 111-112) and on the Karoun river [Rūd-e Kārūn] (f 113).Details of maritime services operating in the Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf (ff 114-118).Details of routes used for cargo and passenger transport (ff 119-128).Air services in Persia (f 129).Movements of foreigner travellers into and out of the country (ff 132-138).Miscellaneous information: telegraphs, post, telephones, railways, roads (ff 139-144).Lists of granted export subsidies (ff 145-149).Texts of laws passed by the Persian Government, relating to trade, monopolies, weights and measures, prohibited goods, and currency control (ff 150-154).A list of customs offices, shown with their various branches and locations (ff 155-160).1 volume (159 folios)The volume’s contents are arranged into 30 chapters (numbered I-XXX). A contents page (f 4) lists the chapters, but does not refer to any page numbers. The chapter number and page of the chapter is indicated at the top of most pages, for example ‘XI 17’ indicates the seventeenth page of chapter XI.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 161; 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 contains confidential dispatch no.239 dated 25 July 1934 from Mr A.S. Calvert (chargé d’affaires, British Legation, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) to Sir John Simon (British Foreign Secretary, Foreign Office, London). Calvert also sent copies of his dispatch to the Viceroy of India and to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire. The Political Resident forwarded a copy of the dispatch to the Political Agent, Bahrain, for information, on 25 August 1934.In his dispatch, Calvert both discussed and enclosed an English translation of an article published in the Mecca newspaper Saut al Hejaz, issue no.117 dated 23 July 1943. The article claimed that an updated treaty of friendship had been concluded between Great Britain and Sheikh Hamad Ibn ‘Isa of Bahrain, with the help of the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. It was also claimed that the alleged new treaty supported the development of a national alliance of Arab sheikhdoms in the Persian Gulf, referring to them as Emirates.1 file (3 folios)File papers are arranged chronologically.Foliation: numbered 1 to 5 in pencil in the top right hand corner and encircled. The numbering starts at the front of the file, on the file cover (f 1) and ends on the inside cover at the back of the file (f 5).
Distinctive Features:Copied in Air Headquarters, Iraq at Hinaidi.A tracing of Arabic plan relating to the deed of purchase for the land designated for the Naval Base situated at Ras Al Jufair about 3 miles south of Manamah. The extent of the land shown in red, properties labelled with owners’ names and dimensions reported.1 mapMaterials:Pen and ink on tracing clothDimensions:266 x 240 mm
Distinctive Features:A tracing of a plan based on a provisional survey carried out on 22 July 1934 enclosed with a copy of a ‘Report on areas acquired in Bahrein’ by Major K.M. Papworth (folios 210-211).Shows the extent of the land designated for the Naval Base situated at Ras Al Jufair about 3 miles south of Manamah. Plots lettered for reference with explanation and characteristics provided in ‘Appendix C’ (folios 215-216). Dimensions reported.1 mapMaterials:Pen and ink on tracing clothDimensions:282 x 277 mm
The volume comprises tables of the capacities of the storage tanks of the Bahrein [Bahrain] Petroleum Company Limited. The tables were compiled by B and R Redwood, Petroleum Inspection Department in August 1934.1 volume (43 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.The subject 2794 (Persian Gulf: Oil) consists of seventeen volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/989-1005. The volumes are divided into eighteen parts as follows: parts 1 and 2 comprise one volume; part 3 comprises the second volume; part 3A comprises the third volume; part 3B comprises the fourth volume; part 4 comprises the fifth volume; parts 5 and 5A comprise the sixth volume; part 6 comprises the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth volumes; parts 7, 8 and 9 comprise the eleventh volume; part 10 comprises the twelfth volume; part 12 comprises the thirteenth volume; part 14 comprises the fourteenth volume, part 15 comprises the fifteenth volume; part 16 comprises the sixteenth volume; part 17 comprises the seventeenth volume. There are no parts 11 and 13.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 45; 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.
Distinctive Features:Copied in Air Headquarters, Iraq at Hinaidi.A tracing of Arabic plan relating to the deed of purchase for the land designated for the Naval Base situated at Ras Al Jufair about 3 miles south of Manamah. The extent of the land shown in red, properties labelled with owners’ names and dimensions reported.1 mapMaterials:Pen and ink on tracing clothDimensions:245 x 221 mm
The file consists of an India Office Historical Memorandum on Bahrein [Bahrain] by John Gilbert Laithwaite, dated 14 July 1924. The memorandum is primarily concerned with the history of Bahrein from the point of view of the political status of the islands, and in particular with the claims to sovereignty over them put forward by Persia [Iran] since 1783, and with the correspondence and discussions which have taken place in connection with such claims.1 file (24 folios)The memorandum is arranged into titled sections of text, and it includes an index page at the start, which outlines the main sections and the corresponding paragraph and page numbers.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 24; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
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 (draft on folios 161-168).There are also letters in Arabic to and from the Sheikh. There is a map showing 'Selection by The Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited under Concession dated December 2nd 1925' (folio 225A). Some of the documents in the volume are marked as confidential. There is an index at the end of the volume (folios 240-248).1 volume (261 folios)The documents in the volume are arranged in chronological order. There is an index at the end of the volume (folios 240-248). The index is arranged chronologically and refers to documents within the volume.The foliation is in pencil on the top right corner, encircled from folio 223-240. The numbering starts on the first page of writing and continues until 42; 42A; then 43-108; 109A and 109B; then 110-225; 225A and 225B and carries on until 233, which is the last number given on the last page of writing. Some folios are marked as confidential.
Distinctive Features:Copied in Air Headquarters, Iraq at Hinaidi.A tracing of Arabic plan relating to the deed of purchase for the land on the sea coast between villages of Busaitin and Dair. The extent of the plot shown in red with dimensions reported.1 mapMaterials:Pen and ink on tracing clothDimensions:305 x 250 mm
This file contains papers relating to the exploitation of oil in Kuwait and the Neutral Zone between Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. In particular, it contains correspondence relating to the competition between the Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the Eastern and General Syndicate for a concession in Kuwait. Some correspondence from the ruler of Kuwait is also included in the file. Other correspondence discusses negotiations with the ruler of Kuwait alongside talks with Fuad Bey Hamza, Shaikh Hafiz Wahba, and the India Office.1 file (233 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside 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. Additional irregular foliation sequences are present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
This secret memorandum, printed by the Foreign Office, contains a record of a meeting held at the Foreign Office on 5 October 1933 to discuss relations between Great Britain and the Sheikh of Koweit [Kuwait], Aḥmad bin Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, particularly in regards to Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Aziz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān Āl Sa‘ūd]. The following were present at the meeting: Mr George William Rendel (Chair), Eastern Department of the Foreign Office; Mr K R Johnston, Foreign Office; Sir Andrew Ryan, His Majesty's Minister at Jeddah; Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; and Mr John Gilbert Laithwaite, India Office.The memorandum also includes three appendices:'Appendix A. Note by Sir Andrew Ryan. Ibn Saud's attitude towards Kowait', dated 16 August 1933 (folios 3v-4r);'Appendix B. Provisional Note. Obligations of His Majesty's Government towards the Sheikh of Koweit', 11 October 1933, by Sir John Gilbert Laithwaite (folios 4-6), which includes sections entitled 'A. Nature of the undertakings given', 'B. Constitution of the undertakings given to the Sheikh', and 'Conclusion', with references to various correspondence in the right hand margin;'Appendix C. Supplementary Note. Question of Liability for the Protection of Koweit against Aggression from Outside. 1928-1929', by Sir John Gilbert Laithwaite, dated 6 February, 1934 (folio 6).There are also a number of enclosures which include correspondence between folios 6 and 10.1 file (10 folios)Foliation: The foliation sequence 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.Pagination: The volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
The file contains correspondence from the Political Department of the India Office, E G Humphreys, Joint Manager of the Guaranty Trust Company, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, the Political Agent, Bahrain, and Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain. The correspondence relates to the Guaranty Trust Fund's interest in reaching an agreement with the Bahrain Government for the import of domestic refrigerators.There are internal office notes on folio 9.1 file (8 folios)The file is arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at inside back cover with 10; 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 2-8; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Distinctive Features:Tracing showing land at Quadabiya acquired by the Bahrain Government for the purposes of a British naval installation outlined in red with dimensions reported. Private properties labelled with owners’ names given.1 mapMaterials:Pencil and crayon on tracing clothDimensions:525 x 350 mm
The volume contains correspondence and telegrams between the Political Agent at Bahrain, the Political Resident at Bushire, the Financial Adviser to the Government in Bahrain, Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, and representatives of the Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited on the acquisition of land on Sitra Island under the prospecting license for the purpose of ships anchorage, on telecommunication and on administrative matters.The volume includes:'Abstract of accounts of oil measured during 1933, and statement of royalty due to the Shaikh of Bahrain for 1933' (f. 125);'Oil Statement for 1933', including: status of Bahrain wells, list of employees, description of Camp buildings (ff. 126-133 and ff. 183-190);documents on the Agreement between Air Ministry Imperial and International Communications Limited (I.& I.C. LTD.) to create a Bahrain wireless Station (ff. 206-208).The volume also contains newspaper cuttings on oil in the Gulf and a printed map: 'General Map of BAHREIN [sic] ISLAND, Persian Gulf', produced by the Geological Department of the Bahrain Petroleum Company Ltd (folio 191B).There is an index at the end of the volume (folios 229-241).1 volume (253 folios)The documents in the volume are arranged in chronological order. There is an index at the end of the volume (folios 229-241). 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 main foliation sequence is in pencil, encircled and can be found in the top right corner of each folio. The numbering starts on the first page of writing, with 1A and 1B; then 2-90; 91A and 91B; 92-135; 136A and 136B; 137-190; 191A and 191B; 192-194; 195A and 195B and then it carries on until 241, which is the last number given on the last page of writing. A second foliation system runs between folios 2-241, these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled (with the exception of numbers 202-208 which are) and may be found in the top right corner of each folio: 1A and 1B; 91A and 91B; 136A and 136B; 191A and 191B; 195A and 195B.
The file contains an intelligence report and analysis of events and affairs in Iraq during the year 1933, produced by British Air Headquarters at Hinaidi, Iraq. The report is written by Wing Commander John L Vachell of Air Staff Intelligence.The report is divided into five main sections relating to a different subject. Each of these is further divided into sub-sections with a different focus, as follows:Section I - Political and Social: Home Politics; Social and Economic;Section II - Internal Security: Northern Iraq; Central and Southern Iraq;Section III - Industries and Resources: General Survey; Oil; Civil Aviation; The Desert Route;Section IV - Army and Air Forces: Iraq Army; Royal Iraq Air Force;Section V - Foreign Relations: Turkey; Persia; Saudi Arabia; Palestine; Syria.1 file (24 folios)Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 28; 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 volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, and notes relating to slavery in the Gulf. The file contains the 'Note on certain enquiries made by the Committee [League of Nations Advisory Committee of Experts] relative to certain states in the Persian Gulf.'Included in the volume (ff 94-135) is the League of Nations report 'Slavery: Report of the Advisory Committee of Experts - Fourth Session of the Committee' as well as the 'Fifth (extraordinary) session of the Committee (ff 166-231).'The principal correspondents in the volume are: the Secretary of State for India; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the India Office.1 volume (261 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 261; 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; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence between ff 150-255, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
The file contains correspondence between John Gilbert Laithwaite of the India Office, Harold Spencer Kerby of the Air Ministry, and Trenchard Craven William Fowle as the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. It documents the decision not to proceed with using Das Island as an emergency landing ground.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (5 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 7; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
This file contains papers that discuss the beginning and expansion of oil operations in Kuwait. These range from legal arrangements with the Ruler of Kuwait, to how best to secure the oil concession for British rather than American interests. The file's main correspondents include the Foreign Office, the India Office, and the Political Agent in Kuwait.1 file (199 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 201; 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 123-140, and ff 172-196; 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.
This file contains a letter from Gilbert Laithwaite of the India Office to George William Rendel, Head of the Eastern Department at the Foreign Office.The letter outlines the history of the creation of Koweiti [Kuwaiti] and Bahreini [Bahraini] nationality and the British Government's role in this process.1 file (7 folios)Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 7; 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 2-5; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
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 a small number of letters and telegrams as a result of enquiries made by the Political Agent, Bahrain, about Imperial Airways passengers Captain Henry Guisan, Swiss, born 1899, and his companion Mr El Makki or Mekki, French, born 1892. They had been refused permission to land at Bahrain on 6 June 1934, because they had no transit visas for Bahrain on their passports. In addition to a record of a conversation with Mr Mekki at Muharraq Aerodrome the following day, there are letters from the Mesopotamia Persia Corporation Ltd, Bahrain (local agents for Imperial Airways Ltd); the Superintendent of Police, Karachi, reporting his interview with the aircraft’s crew and two letters from the British Legation, Berne, to the Foreign Office, London reporting on Captain Guisan’s background. It was deduced that the most likely object of their trip was to find markets for Swiss war equipment.1 file (24 folios)File papers are arranged more or less chronologically starting at the front of the file. Some items of correspondence are followed by enclosures of an earlier date. A list of file contents and file notes are at the back of the file (folio 23).Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 23; 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 incomplete foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-23; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
The volume contains correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain, the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf and the Legation of the United States of America at Baghdad, concerning enquiries and statistics for the Bahrain Trade Report.1 file (9 folios)The papers in the file are arranged chronologically. There are file notes at the end, on folios 8-9. The notes are arranged chronologically and refer to documents within the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 11; 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 2-5; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
This memorandum was prepared by John Gilbert Laithwaite in May 1934 and comments on the history of the concession of red oxide on Abu Musa [Abū Mūsá]. The concession was granted in April 1898 by Sheikh Salim bin Sultan [Sālim bin Sulṭān Āl Qāsimī] while acting as Regent. On his return the ruling Sheikh, Sagar bin Khalid [Ṣaqr bin Khālid Āl Qasimī], saw nothing objectionable it. The concession was made to Hassan Samaiyah, his son Abdullah and Isa bin Adul Latif [‘Īsá bin ‘Abd al-Laṭīf], son of the Residency Agent at Sharjah. The concessionaires were described as British subjects and the interest in the concession of Herr Wonckhaus [Robert Wonckhaus] and Frank Clarke Strick is detailed. The memorandum also describes the claim of the Persian Government to Abu Musa and notes that the concession granted for five years to Frank Clarke Strick in January 1923 expired at the beginning of 1928 but there is nothing to show that any application was made for a renewal.6 foliosThe memorandum is arranged in ten paragraphs.The main foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second parallel foliation sequence is also present between ff 2-6; these numbers are typed, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Correspondence concerning a Persian claim to a ten mile limit to their territorial waters. The papers cover the discussion of what action should be taken in response. The correspondence comes from officials at the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf, the Foreign Office, the British Legation in Tehran, the Admiralty, and the India Office.1 file (10 folios)The file is arranged in chronological order, from the front to the rear.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 14, these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Plan showing a drawing for the petrol and oil store at Murbat proposed by the Air Headquarters, Iraq. The proposed size of the building should be of a minimum size of 30 ft by 13ft internally. The plan is part of a letter sent from the Chief Engineer, British Forces in Iraq, to the Muscat Political Agent.1 planMaterials: contact print with manuscript addition in coloured ink and pencil.Dimensions: 540 x 296mm, on sheet 550 x 330mm.
The file contains a letter from Claud Cranbrook Lewis De Grenier, acting Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, to the Political Agent, Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch. The letter is dated 9 August 1934 and reports the number of saluting guns fired by the State Police upon the arrival at Bahrain of Shaikh Muhammad bin Easa al-Khalifah [Shaikh Muḥammad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah] and Shaikh Abdullah bin Easa al-Khalifah [Shaikh ‘Abdullah bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah].Folios 4-5 are internal office notes.1 file (4 folios)Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 6; 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 contains letters, telegrams and memoranda relating to oil prospecting undertaken in Bahrain by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO), and the development of BAPCO’s infrastructure. The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 IX (C 50) Bahrain Oil’ (IOR/R/15/1/657). 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, the Chief Local Representative for BAPCO, Ed Skinner, and BAPCO’s London representative, Hamilton Ballantyne.Subjects covered by the volume include:The ongoing construction of oil export facilities off Sitrah Island, including a submarine line, buoying, wireless radio link, and oil storage tanks;Application by BAPCO for the use of long-distance wireless radio within Bahrain’s coastal waters, rejected by the British and Bahrain Governments, recommending instead the use of Imperial & Communication Limited’s own, similar facilities (folios 21-22, 26);The calibration of oil storage tanks, and measurement of oil for royalties, including the appointment of an external inspector by the Government of Bahrain (folios 101-03, 110-11), and a set of US pound to UK ton conversion tables (folios 170-72);Reports of five barrels of crude oil having been shipped to Yokohama Japan (folio 8), and intelligence about where and why the barrels had been sent (folios 105-06, 134);Negotiations between British Government officials and BAPCO over amendments to the proposed mining lease, including a copy of the amended lease (folios 49-63), and a memorandum from the British Governmental Mining Department on the draft mining lease (folios 157-65);Reports on BAPCO’s workforce, and the nationality of the Company’s employees, with a report that the Company has increased its proportion of British and Bahraini subjects (folios 113-14), and a copy of the quarterly Roster of Employees report, dated 15 April 1934 (folios 116-32), including details of all employees names, nationalities, roles, and length of residency in Bahrain;Application by BAPCO for the appointment of a mooring master and pilot at the Company’s facilities off Sitrah Island (folio 75), initially rejected by the Government of Bahrain, but later accepted after acknowledgement of the specialist skills required of a mooring master for tankers (folios 179-80);The departure on 7 June 1934 of the Standard Oil Company tanker
El Segundo, form Bahrain to Singapore, carrying 3,300 tons of oil (folio 144).The volume also contains pages of an article entitled “Bahrain Oil Field”, dated 17 May 1934 taken from the British journal
Oil News(folios 198-99).1 volume (221 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 (folios 203-06) mirror the chronological arrangement.Foliation: The main foliotion sequence begins on the front cover and ends on the back cover, using circled pencil numbers in the top-centre corner of each recto. A second foliation sequence runs between ff 2B and 202, but skips ff 116-132; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1, 1A and 1B; 2, 2A and 2B; 53 and 53A; 54 and 54A; 55 and 55A; 59 and 59A; 60 and 60A; 132 and 132A. Numbers written in red and blue pencil are part of the volume’s original filing system, and correspondent to the office notes index at the end of the file (ff 203-06).
The file contains correspondence related to a forced landing by aircraft
Helenaof Imperial Airways at Jask on 16 May 1934. The flight in question was carrying the Viceroy of India, Freeman Freeman-Thomas, and his wife Marie Adelaide (Lord and Lady Willingdon): see folio 4 for a detailed account of the flight. It also contains prior correspondence – from April 1934 – regarding a request from Imperial Airways for emergency landing rights at Jask.The main correspondents are as follows: Francis George Lawder Bertram representing the Air Ministry, George William Rendel representing the Foreign Office, and John Gilbert Laithwaite representing the India Office.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (25 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 27; 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 two pieces of correspondence. The first is from Dhamanmal Isardas, merchant and commission agent in Bahrain, to the Political Agent at Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch), dated 3 January 1934. Isardas writes that he has received instructions from his Bombay office that they propose to charter a vessel other than those belonging to the British India Steam Navigation Company and Japanese lines for importing commodities into Bahrain, and writes for permission for the entry and discharge of cargo at Bahrain on vessels for which his company will act as agents (f 2). The second item is a memorandum written by the Political Agent at Bahrain, dated 4 January 1934, stating that Dhamanmal Isardas should apply in writing to the Director of Customs and Port Officer at Bahrain, for permission to act as agents for vessels (f 3).1 file (3 folios)The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. There are no file notes at the end of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 5; 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 ceremonial visits made by the Viceroy of India to Bahrain, Kuwait and Sharjah in the summer of 1934, where he landed by aeroplane, on route from Karachi to England by Imperial Airways Ltd, for a period of home leave. The file contains reports by the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf which describe the ceremonies that took place. Also included in the file are English translations of the speeches made by the Shaikhs of Bahrain and Sharjah to mark the Viceroy’s visit to their sheikhdoms, as well as a letter of greeting addressed to the Viceroy by the Sultan of Muscat and Oman.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (30 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 30; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Distinctive Features:A tracing of a plan based on a provisional survey carried out on 22 July 1934 enclosed to a copy of a ‘Report on areas acquired in Bahrein’ by Major K.M. Papworth (folios 210-211).Shows the extent of the plot situated about 1 ½ miles south of Manamah on the east coast of Bahrein in the close proximity to the existing RAF Rest House. Dimensions reported.Land characteristics including information info on marking, surface, wells, obstructions, communication and present occupation described in 'Appendix B’ (folios 213-214).1 mapMaterials:Pen and ink on tracing clothDimensions:455 x 301 mm
The papers relate to a proposal from Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, on advice from the State Engineer, to ban the import from Japan of badly insulated wiring material, which had caused shocks and fires. The proposal was accepted by the Political Agent, Bahrain (Lieutenant Colonel Percy Gordon Loch); notified to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; and resulted in a bilingual notice in English and Arabic banning the import of Japanese wiring material into Bahrain after 1 April 1934. The file consists of these four documents and a page of notes.1 file (7 folios)The papers are arranged chronologically from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the system in use is the sequence enclosed in a circle in the top right corner of each folio. The individual documents in the file are also numbered 1-4 (not circled).
The file contains correspondence between Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, Claud Cranbrook Lewis De Grenier, Director of Customs and Port Officer in Bahrain, and Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, Political Agent, Bahrain. The correspondence concerns the use of Sitrah harbour by the Mesopotamia Persia Corporation steamer, SS
Neunfels, without prior permission from the Government of Bahrain.Folio 6 is internal office notes.1 file (5 folios)The file is arranged in chronological order.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 7; 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 2-3; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
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.
This printed India Office report was written by John Gilbert Laithwaite and published in November 1934. It aims 'to examine, with particular reference to the proposal which has been put forward to establish a station at Khor Quwai [Khawr Quway] in the Musandim Peninsula, the history of the Declaration of 1862 by which France and Great Britain undertook to respect the independence of Muscat, and its effect, and that other existing treaty provisions, on the right of H.M. Government (subject to the consent of the Sultan of Muscat) to establish a naval station in Muscat territory.'The documents include a short note on the status of the Musandam Peninsula. It lists key treaty engagements between the Sultan of Muscat and His Majesty's Government with relevant extracts including:British Treaty of Commerce of 1839 with Muscat, Article 2;Treaty of Commerce between France and Muscat, 1844, Article 3;Anglo-French Declaration of 10th March 1862;British Treaty of Commerce of 1891 with Muscat, Article 4;Exclusive Agreement of the Sultan of Muscat with H.M. Government, 1891.Further sections are:Muscat and France, 1770-1934;British Connection with Muscat, 1770 to 1934;The Anglo-French Declaration of 1862: its importance in Muscat Policy, and the interpretations which have been placed on it.6 foliosFoliation: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Pagination: The booklet also contains an original typed pagination sequence.
The file consists of situation reports from His Majesty's Minister at Jedda [Jeddah] (Sir Andrew Ryan) on the progress of hostilities between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, between March and July 1934. The reports are in the form of copies of telegrams (including one from the Political Agent, Kuwait) to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, forwarded with covering letters to the Political Agent, Bahrain. The reports also include translations of Saudi official communiqués on the conflict.1 file (44 folios)The correspondence is filed in chronological order from the front to the back of the file, except where enclosures of an earlier date are filed after their relevant covering letter, and terminates in a set of file notes at ff 43-45.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. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
The file contains a historical memorandum written in response to claims advanced by Ibn Saud to ancestral rights on the eastern boundary of the Saudi Kingdom, and to suggestions put forward by him that at some period in the past arrangements were entered into with his ancestors, the Wahabi Amirs, by representatives of the British Government, which afforded some recognition of those claims. The memorandum was written by John Gilbert Laithwaite, India Office, and is a revised edition of a document published on 1 September 1934.1 file (32 folios)The file contains a table of content at the front (f 2), and is then divided into six sections (ff 3-27), followed by four appendices at the end (ff 28-31), of which one is a map (f 30).Foliation - the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 32; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
The volume contains letters, telegrams and memoranda relating to oil prospecting undertaken in Bahrain by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO), and the development of BAPCO’s infrastructure. The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 VIII (C 49) Bahrain Oil’ (IOR/R/15/1/656). 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, the Chief Local Representative for BAPCO, Ed Skinner, and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, Charles Dalrymple-Belgrave.Subjects covered by the volume include:The ongoing construction of oil export facilities off Sitrah Island, including a pump station, submarine pipeline, and anchorage with buoys;A request by BAPCO for their vessel
El Segundoto use wireless radio communications with BAPCO employees onshore, as well as for long-distance communications with the Company’s head offices in San Francisco. Loch’s consultations with Imperial & International Communications Limited (I&ICL) in Bahrain, and with the Admiralty, result in the former request being agreed, but the latter request being denied, the reason given that I&ICL’s new wireless radio station in Bahrain should be used instead (folios 29-30, 95-105, 176-79, 188-90);Questions of the measurement of oil in order to determine the royalties payable, with a description of how oil in storage tanks should be measured (folios 165-68), where responsibility for measurements should lie, how royalty should be paid (folios 72-76), and a statement of oil saved, used and stored for the period up until 31 December 1933 (folios 118-19);Discussion of who should hold the permanent post of Chief Local Representative for BAPCO, with Belgrave’s name mooted (folio 68), and British officials’ final decision to appoint Ed Skinner, in spite of the fact that the original concession stipulated that a British subject should at all times occupy the position (folio 109), amid continued resistance from the Bahrain ruling family to an American representative (folios 200-02);BAPCO’s refusal to commit to oil refining in Bahrain “in the face of continually uncertain and changeable world-wide market conditions” (folios 242-45), and doubts over the extent of Bahrain’s oil field (folio 115);Government of Bahrain approval for the construction of facilities at Sitrah Island, and for the construction of a permanent BAPCO camp on the mainland, in spite of the fact of a mining lease having not yet commenced (folios 60-61, 64-65);A report on BAPCO activity covering the period until 31 December 1933, including details on the status of wells, list of employees by classification and nationality, and a description of camp buildings (folios 128-33);Settlement in an ongoing dispute between the Government of Bahrain and BAPCO over the categories of goods imported by BAPCO on which duty should be paid, with a list of dutiable and non-dutiable goods (folios 183-84);Details of oil equipment imported on the German Hansa line vessel SS
Wachtfels(folios 79-80, 113-14);The Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah’s insistence that some positions of responsibility be given to native Bahrainis, and complaints over the employment of some foreigners who are ‘notoriously bad characters’ (folios 234-35).1 volume (262 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 (folios 247-52) mirror the chronological arrangement.Many items of correspondence in the volume are annotated in pencil with page numbers. These page numbers refer to other items within the volume, marked with numbers marked in red and blue pencil.Foliation: There is an incomplete foliation sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The complete sequence, which should be used for cataloguing, is circled in pencil, at the top of the recto of each folio. It begins on the first folio after the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 258. Foliation anomalies: f 2 is followed by ff 2A-C. Index numbers written in red and blue pencil are part of the volume’s original filing system, and correspondent to the office notes index at the end of the file (ff 247-52).
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).
This file contains papers relating to the initiation of oil prospecting and drilling operations in Kuwait. The majority of the papers discuss Anglo-Persian Oil Company and the Eastern and General Syndicate's involvement in the beginning of oil operations, as well as their respective relationships to the British Government and the Ruler of Kuwait. Some papers discuss the expansion of oil prospecting operations across the Arabian peninsula, particularly in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The correspondence also contains ancillary discussions about borders and border disputes across the eastern Arabian Peninsula.1 file (275 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 277; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Additional foliation sequences are present in parallel between ff 4-272; these numbers are also written in pencil, but, where circled, are crossed through.
This file contains a letter from Claud Cranbrook Lewis deGrenier (on behalf of the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain) to the Political Agency in Bahrain in which he inquires whether visa fees for entry to Bahrain that are collected outside of the country should be remitted to the Government of Bahrain (folio 2).Also enclosed are a response sent to deGrenier from Meredith Worth, Officiating Political Agent in Bahrain (folio 3) and a letter on the matter to Worth from Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (folio 4).1 file (7 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 7; 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 2-4; 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, 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 correspondence in the file relates to a request made by 203 RAF Squadron at Basra, to carry out night-time flying practice, involving two flying boats for a period of ten days, at Bahrain. The Political Agent, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Loch, replied by stating that the ruler, Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, had no objection to the request.1 file (5 folios)The contents of the file are arranged in chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the rear. There is a page of office notes (folio 5) at the end of the file, which mirrors the chronological order.Foliation: The file is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1a, 1b.
The file consists of telegrams and secret circular dispatches from James Henry Thomas, Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, relating to proposals for an Eastern Locarno Treaty, or Eastern Pact of Mutual Guarantee.The file includes three telegrams to the Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs, the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Governor General of New Zealand, the South African Minister of External Affairs, and the Irish Minister for External Affairs, Irish Free State, dated 12 July 1934, 13 July 1934, and 13 September 1934.The file also includes secret circular dispatches B numbers 201, 202, 176, 156 and 105, enclosing communications, dispatches and a report relating to the Eastern Pact of Mutual Guarantee proposals (the enclosures are not included in this file).1 file (24 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate reverse chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 24; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
The volume contains correspondence between the Political Agent at Kuwait (Harold Richard Dickson); Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); Officials in the India and Foreign Offices (including Sir Louis Kershaw, John Gilbert Laithwaite, George Rendel); the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ); the Air Ministry (Wilfred Ashton McLaughry); the Air Office Commanding, Iraq (Alexander Duncan Cunningham); and representatives of the Kuwait Oil Company (Frank Holmes, Archibald Chisholm), Arabian Development Syndicate, Anglo-Persian Oil Company, and Iraq Petroleum Company.The correspondence relates primarily to the Kuwait Oil Company's negotiation's with His Majesty's Government and the Shaikh of Kuwait for the Kuwait (also given as Koweit) Oil Concession, focusing on discussions around clauses in both the Commercial and Political Agreements and the Shaikh's concerns over how certain clauses may be perceived both within his own country and in neighbouring ones.Also discussed are developments in Saudi Arabia with regards to their share of the Nejd-Kuwait Neutral Zone Oil Concession, which was being competed for by the Standard Oil Company of California and the Arabian Development Syndicate, and the British Government's opinions on the situation and their intended approach with regards to the Kuwait share of the concession. The information relating to the Saudi Government's approach to the concession is relayed through letters and reports from Sir Andrew Ryan, HM Minister at Jedda, and contain details of his discussions with representatives of both the Saudi Government and the oil companies.The correspondence also includes a discussion relating to land at Shuwaikh, identified by the British Government for possible use as an air base, and includes negotiations over the cost of renting the site or the possibility of reserving it for future use. Also included are details of reconnaissance undertaken by the Air Officer Commanding for alternative sites, which was unsuccesful, and correspondence regarding the use of Kuwait Harbour for flying boats and the need to identify suitable locations in the Harbour for moorings.1 volume (249 folios)The contents of this volume have been arranged mostly in chronological order.Folios 236-241 contain file notes detailing each letter contained within the volume, and giving the page numbers each letter commences on enabling the notes to be used as an index.Some of the letters refer to earlier correspondence in previous volumes, and provide a page and volume reference in order for the earlier correspondence to be identified.Foliation: The volume has been foliated in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio with a pencil number enclosed in a circle. The foliation sequence commences on the first folio after the front cover, with 1A and concludes on the back cover with number 246. Foliation anomalies: 1A-E.
The correspondence in the volume is primarily concerned with the ongoing negotiations between the Kuwait Oil Company (led by Frank Holmes and Archibald Chisholm) and the Shaikh of Kuwait, Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, which were suspended in June 1934 following disagreements between the parties over certain financial remunerations and the question of the appointment of a Chief Local Representative in Kuwait, before being resumed in September 1934 and concluded in December 1934 with the signing of the concession agreement. Copies of the final draft concession agreement can be found at folios 82-97 and 247-283. Other correspondents in these negotiations are the Political Agent at Kuwait (Harold Dickson, with Ralph Ponsonby Watts acting) and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven Fowle, with Percy Gordon Loch acting).Also included in the file is correspondence relating to a company called Traders Limited who submitted a draft oil concession agreement to the Shaikh of Kuwait in September 1934, potentially breaching the agreement made by the Shaikh with the Kuwait Oil Company not to consider any other oil concession application during the period June to September 1934.The question of the oil concession for the Kuwait-Nejd neutral zone is also discussed, with corespondence between the Foreign Office, HM Minister in Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan), the Secretaries of State for India and Foreign Affairs, representatives of the Arabian Development Syndicate, and the Deputy Saudi Minister for Foreign Affairs (Fuad Bey Hamza). The correspondence focuses on attempts to understand how the Saudi Arabian Government is handling their share of the concession, and how this might affect Kuwait.The volume also includes confidential records of meetings held at the Foreign Office with Fuad Bey Hamza (Foreign Minister for Saudi Arabia) in which the possibility of dividing the neutral zone are discussed. The Political Agent, Harold Dickson is consulted about these proposals and provides background information on the establishment of the neutral zone, the potential detrimental effects that disbanding it could have on the nomadic tribes living in the zone, and observations on the possible oil locations which would be most likely end up in the Saudi Arabian half under any division of the zone and the detrimental effect that might have on Kuwait.Other correspondence in the file includes discussions between the Secretary of State for India, Gilbert Laithwaite (India Office), Wilfred Ashton McClaughry (Air Ministry) and Charles Stuart Burnett (Air Vice-Marshall in Iraq) regarding the possible future need for a site at Shuwaikh as an airbase, and an agreement with the Shaikh of Kuwait for mooring buoys to be placed in Shuwaikh Harbour.1 volume (346 folios)The contents of the volume have been arranged chronologically according to the date the correspondence was received at the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf. Folios 316-326 contain file notes which list each letter or communication in the file giving the date, along with any relevant notes and in the margins are pencil numbers which refer to the folio that the relevant item can be found on and can therefore be used as an index.Foliation: The volume has been foliated in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio using a pencil number enclosed in a circle. The sequence commences on the title page and concludes on the last folio.A second incomplete sequence is present between folios 115-316, these numbers are also written in pencil but are not circled and can be found in the same position as the main sequence. Circled index numbers, in red or blue ink, are also present throughout the volume.Foliation errors: 1, 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D; 85 and 85A; 145 and 145A; 156A; 176 and 176A; 182 and 182A; 190A; 240 and 240A; 247 and 257B; 267 and 267A; 283 and 283A; 285 and 285AFoliation omission: 24The following folios will need to be unfolded to be read: 249-267; 269-283; 319-320
This file contains correspondence between British officials concerning a complaint made by the Government of Iran of that Britain was 'intriguing' with Persian subjects in Baluchistan, the arrest of a British Indian subject by the Iranian Police and rumours of arms smuggling into Persian Baluchistan.1 file (10 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 12; 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; 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 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.
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.
This file contains correspondence among British officials in London and the Persian Gulf Residency relating to the possibility of obtaining an oil concession in the Asir region of southern Arabia.1 file (7 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 9; 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; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
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.
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.
The volume contains correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Political Resident at Bushire, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) representatives and the India Office in London, regarding the political situation in Qatar, the southern boundary of Qatar and the Oil Concession.The volume also contains 'Note on conversation on 15 December 1933 with Mr G.W. Rendel, Foreign Office, on future policy in regard to Qatar.' (folios 68-78), draft 'Qatar Concession', 11 December 1933 (folios 102-110) and 'Mr. Williamson's Political Note on Qatar', with genealogical tree of the Al Thani family, 15 January 1934 (folios 125-135).There are two maps within the volume: a blueprint on folio 148, 'Geological Sketch Map of Qatar Peninsula', produced during a geological survey of Qatar, showing villages, deserted buildings, water wells, roads and routes and a 'Sketch Map of Qatar Peninsula' (folio 285).1 volume (310 folios)The documents in the volume are mostly arranged in chronological order. There are notes at the end of the volume, (folios 298-302). The file notes are arranged chronologically and refer to documents within the file; they give brief description of the correspondence with reference numbers in red crayon, which refer back to that correspondence in the volume.The foliation is written in pencil and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The numbering begins on the title page with 1;1A; 1B and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 308. There is another foliation sequence, which is incomplete.
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.
This file contains correspondence regarding the Saudi-Yemen War of 1934 covering its outbreak, key developments and its cessation with the Taif Treaty. The majority of this correspondence consists of updates on the war that were sent from the British Legation in Jeddah to Britain's various Political Agencies in the Gulf including the Political Agency in Muscat.In addition to correspondence, the file contains the following:Translated extracts of articles about the war from the Saudi newspapers
Umm al-Qura(folio 18) and
Sawt al-Hijaz(folios 23-24)'Annotated Summary of the Saudi-Yemen Peace Treaty concluded at Taif on the 6th Safar (equivalent to the 20th May 1934, but no European date is given)' (folios 47-52)'Treaty of Islamic Friendship and Brotherhood, between the Saudi Arab Kingdom and the Kingdom of Yemen [The Taif Treaty]' (folios 56-68)'Arbitration Covenant between the Saudi Arab Kingdom and the Kingdom of Yemen' (folios 69-76).1 file (85 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 87; 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; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Distinctive Features:Blueprint sketch map enclosed with a letter No. PA-1, dated 7 February 1934 (folio 209), showing the reserved area for a permanent Bahrain Petroleum Company camp with the position of the triangulation station marked.1 mapDimensions:272 x 211 mm
The file contains telegrams regarding the wedding of the Duke of Kent on 29 November 1934.The correspondence is between the British Consul, Bushire, and the Political Agency, Bahrain.1 file (4 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Folios 4 and 5 are file notes.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 6; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Distinctive Features:Copied in Air Headquarters, Iraq at Hinaidi.A tracing of Arabic plan relating to the deed of purchase for the plot situated about 1 ½ miles south of Manamah on the east coast of Bahrein in the close proximity to the existing RAF Rest House. The extent of the plot shown in red with dimensions reported.1 mapMaterials:Pen and ink on tracing clothDimensions:350 x 240 mm
This volume primarily concerns British policy regarding the south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia.It includes interdepartmental discussion regarding the approach that the British Government should take in reaching a settlement with King Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] over the demarcation of the boundaries.Much of the correspondence discusses the legal and international position of what is referred to as the 'blue line' (the frontier which marked the Ottoman Government's renunciation of its claims to Bahrain and Qatar, as laid down in the non-ratified Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913 and redefined and adopted in the Anglo-Ottoman convention of the following year), a line which is not accepted by Ibn Saud as being binding upon his government.The volume features the following principal correspondents: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); the Political Agent, Kuwait (Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Richard Patrick Dickson); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch); the Chief Commissioner, Aden (Bernard Rawdon Reilly, referred to in the correspondence as Resident); the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir John Simon); the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs; officials of the India Office, the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, the War Office, and the Air Ministry.Matters discussed in the correspondence include the following:Whether the British should press Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] for a general settlement of all outstanding major questions.The extent of territory that the British should be prepared to include in any concession made to Ibn Saud.The British response to what are referred to as Ibn Saud's 'ancestral claims' to territories east of the blue line.Sir Andrew Ryan's meetings with Ibn Saud in Taif, in July 1934.Meetings held at the Foreign Office between Sir Andrew Ryan, George Rendel (Head of the Foreign Office's Eastern Department), Fuad Bey Hamza (Deputy Minister for Saudi Foreign Affairs), and Hafiz Wahba (Saudi Arabian Minister in London), in September 1934.The boundaries of a proposed 'desert zone', suggested by Rendel, where Ibn Saud would hold personal rather than territorial rights.Saudi-Qatari relations.Whether tribal boundaries should be considered as a possible solution to the boundary question.Also included are the following:Two copies of an India Office memorandum entitled 'Historical Memorandum on the Relations of the Wahabi Amirs and Ibn Saud with Eastern Arabia and the British Government, 1800-1934', dated 26 September 1934.Copies of the minutes of meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, dated 8 November 1934 and 12 September 1934.A copy of a report by Bertram Thomas regarding a Trans-Oman air route reconnaissance, which was undertaken in May-June 1927.The Arabic material consists of one item of correspondence (an English translation is included).The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence (folio 4).1 volume (392 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 394; 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 notifications – issued by the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India – of two forced landings in the North-West Frontier Province by Royal Air Force (RAF) planes on 9 August and 12 September 1934. A detailed account of the former incident can be found on folios 3-5 in a report written by Arthur John Hopkinson, Chief Secretary to the Government of the North-West Frontier Province. The report outlines the sequence of events which led to the return of the airmen, Sinclair and Watson, to British territory.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (9 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 11; 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 concerns negotiations over the signing of the commercial agreement between the Shaikh of Kuwait, Shaikh Ahmad al-Jabir as-Sabah [Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ] and the Kuwait Oil Company. The agreement provided the company with exclusive rights to exploit oil, gas, and petroleum products within the state of Kuwait (also referred to in the papers as Koweit). The company was equally owned by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) and the Gulf Oil Corporation of the United States. The agreement was the counterpart to the political agreement between the British Government and the Kuwait Oil Company, the negotiations for which are described in file IOR/L/PS/12/3808: Coll 30/89 'Oil: Koweit Oil Agreement between the Koweit Oil Company and His Majestys Government.'.The file covers: the need to expedite the signing of oil concession agreements in Qatar and Kuwait, in view of a further substantial discovery of oil in Bahrain (folio 472); minutes of India Office officials, commenting on the negotiations; drafts of the Kuwait commercial agreement (including a bilingual English and Arabic version, folios 191-204), with discussion and comment; the need for the commercial agreement not to come into force until the government (political) agreement had been concluded (folio 417); comparisons between the Kuwait and Qatar agreements (e.g. folio 407); the need for the Shaikh of Kuwait to be informed of the existence of the agreement between the British Government and the Kuwait Oil Company before the commercial agreement was signed (e.g. folio 354); the views of the Foreign Office on how to ensure that the concession was awarded to the Kuwait Oil Company, and awareness of the need to be able to defend the British position to the Government of the United States (folios 325-330); discussion in general of American interests in the concession; minutes of meetings held at the India Office between British Government officials and representatives of the Kuwait Oil Company; Kuwait intelligence summaries; correspondence (some of it in both English and Arabic), and records of meetings between the Political Agent, Kuwait and the Shaikh of Kuwait; frequent discussion of the question of the appointment of a Chief Local Representative to act on behalf of the Shaikh; British suspicions of the role of Major Frank Holmes in the negotiations; discussion of the financial terms of the Kuwait concession (folios 58-62); and a letter on the subject of the concession to Messrs Traders Limited (folios 7-10).The main correspondents are the Foreign Office; representatives of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, and the Kuwait Oil Company; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; and the Political Agent, Kuwait (Major Harold Richard Patrick Dickson, and, acting for Dickson, Major Ralph Ponsonby Watts).The Arabic language content of the file consists of approximately twenty-five folios.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 volume (477 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 479; 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 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 file contains correspondence from the Foreign Office, HM Minister, Tehran, and officials of the Persian Government concerning the import of naval stores into the Royal Indian Marine (RIM) [Royal Indian Navy] depot at Henjam.The Government of Persia refused to allow import of the stores free of duty, and refused to recognise the existence of the naval depot, as they could find no legal basis for its existence. The papers show that British officials were reluctant to press for the stores to be allowed in duty-free in case the Persians renewed their demand made in 1932 for the complete evacuation of the Henjam base.The file contains approximately five folios of diplomatic correspondence in French between officials of the British and Persian Governments.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.1 file (33 folios)The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 33; these numbers are printed, 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.
The file contains two internal advice notes made by officials in the Political Department of the India Office, London in 1934, relating to the exercise of British extradition powers in the Arab States of the Persian Gulf, for fugitive criminals of a foreign state. The first note mentions the Extradition Act 1870, the India Extradition Act 1903, the Fugitive Offenders Act 1881 and the various Orders in Council relating to the Arab States of the Persian Gulf. The question arose in connection with the famous case of the British-born American financier Samuel Insull (born 1859, died 1938). Following the collapse of his business empire during the Great Depression, Samuel Insull travelled to Europe. In 1934 he was arrested in Istanbul and sent back to the United States of America under an extradition treaty with Turkey, in order to stand trial for fraud and other offences.1 file (6 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 6; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
A report concerning the demarcation of Qatar's southern boundary written by India Office representative, J G Laithwaite. The report (folios 1-4) is divided up into the following short sections:The Boundary on the South-East;The Boundary on the South-West;The Position Prior to the Anglo-Turkish Convention of 1913;The Anglo-Turkish Convention of 1913;Line Indicated in 1922 by Sir Percy Cox to Ibn Saud and Major Holmes as the Eastern Limit of any Oil Concession in Respect of Hasa [Al Hasa];I.P.C Map of February-March 1933;Conclusions as to the Southern Boundary of Qatar;Position of Area lying between Base of Qatar Peninsula and Blue Line of Anglo-Turkish Convention of 1913;Importance of Maintaining the Blue Line;Disadvantages of Maintenance of the Blue Line while Fixing Southern Boundary of Qatar at the Base of the Qatar Peninsula;Nature and Political Conditions of the Indeterminate Area;The Barr-Al-Qarah District;Conclusions.An appendix entitled Boundaries of Qatar follows the report on folios 4-5. The appendix is divided up as follows:I) Extracts from Lorimer's Gazetteer.II) Anglo-Turkish Convention of 1913 (Unratified).III) Mr. Philby's Journey of 1932.IV) Note of Discussion with Sir Percy Cox on 20th February 1934 on Question of Boundaries of Qatar.1 volume (5 folios)The main body of the report is followed by an appendix.Condition: One stapled booklet.Foliation: The file's foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. This is the sequence which has been used by this catalogue to reference items within the volume.Pagination: An original typed pagination sequence is also present in the file.
The memorandum traces the first development of the Wahabi [Wahhabi] sect, 1745-1800; the first expansion of the Wahabis in eastern Arabia to the fall of Baraimi and the Turkish occupation of Hasa, 1800-71; the period from the Turkish conquest of Hasa to the capture of Riyadh by Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥman bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Sa‘ūd)], 1870-1901; the period from the capture of Riyadh by Ibn Saud to the outbreak of World War One, 1901-14; and the period from the outbreak of World War One to the opening of the Blue Line discussions, 1914-34; and also contains a conclusion and appendices.1 volume (37 folios)There is an index at the front of the volume.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 36 on the back cover. These numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle, and can be found in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff. 2, 2A, 2B, 2C. The following folio needs to be folded out: f. 31. An original printed pagination sequence is also present in the volume.
The file comprises copies of four separate communications from the British Legation at Jedda, enclosing translated summaries and copies of the Treaty of Taif, agreed between the Saudi ruler ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Sa‘ūd), and the Yemeni ruler Yaḥyā Muḥammad Ḥamīd al-Dīn, to end the 1934 territorial dispute between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.The first letter (folios 3-5), from Sir Andrew Ryan, Minister at the British Legation in Jedda, dated 27 June 1934, encloses an annotated summary of the Treaty (folios 6-11), concluded between the Saudi and Yemeni rulers on 6 Safar 1353 (equivalent to 20 May 1934). In his letter, Ryan makes comments on various aspects of the treaty, its wording, and Saudi-Yemeni relations.The second letter (folios 13-14), from Albert Spencer Calvert at the British Legation in Jedda to Sir John Simon, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, dated 30 July 1934, encloses a translated copy of the Treaty of Taif (15-27), a copy of an arbitration covenant between the Saudi Arab Kingdom and Kingdom of Yemen (folios 28-30), and copies of annexed, translated letters (folios 31-35).The third letter, sent by Chancery at the British Legation in Jedda to the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf, dated 11 September 1934 (folio 37), includes the text of an article to be inserted into the Treaty of Taif, which was missing from the earlier text. A copy of a further letter (folio 39), addressed to the Foreign Office from the British Legation at Jedda, explains the accidental omission.1 file (40 folios)The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end.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 1-41; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
Distinctive Features:A tracing of a plan based on a provisional survey carried out on 22 July 1934 enclosed to a copy of a ‘Report on areas acquired in Bahrein’ by Major K.M. Papworth (folios 210-211).Shows the extent of the land designated for the Naval Base situated at Ras Al Jufair about 3 miles south of Manamah. Dimensions reported.Characteristics including information on marking, surface and present occupation described in ‘Appendix D’ (folio 217).1 mapMaterials:Pen and ink on tracing cloth
Dimensions:280 x 286 mm
The volume contains correspondence and notes of meetings between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Political Resident at Bushire, the India Office in London and ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī, Shaikh of Qatar, the Foreign Office, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) and H.M.'s Ministry at Jedda in regard to the southern borders of Qatar, the Qatar oil concession and the relations of the Shaikhdom with the King of Saudi Arabia, ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Sa‘ūd). There are documents in Arabic, mainly letters to and from the Sheikh of Qatar. Some of the documents in the volume are marked as confidential.1 volume (319 folios)The documents in the volume are arranged in chronological order. There are notes at the end of the volume (folios 305-311). The notes refer to documents within the volume; they give a brief description of the correspondence with a reference number in blue or red crayon or ink, which refers back to that correspondence in the volume.The main foliation is in pencil in circled numbers, in the top right of the recto of each folio. The numbering starts starts on the first folio of writing with 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D; and runs through to 312, which is the last number given on the last folio of the volume. There is a blank page at the beginning and three at the end of the volume.There is also another sequence, which is incomplete, written in pencil, in the top right corner, starting with 39 on folio 37 and ending with 299 on folio 312.
A memorandum by John Gilbert Laithwaite, India Office, describing the history of Bahrein [Bahrain] with a focus on the political status of the islands at various periods; the claims to sovereignty over them put forward by Persia at various dates since 1783; and the correspondence and discussions which have taken place in connection with such claims.The memorandum begins with a brief description of the geography of Bahrain and continues with a series of summaries of historical events between the years 1783 and 1934. The summaries provide accounts of, inter alia, British punitive expeditions in 1868 and 1869, details of Exclusive Agreements signed by the Government of Bahrain and the British Government in 1880 and 1892, and the Anglo-Turkish Convention of 1913. A conclusion provides a summary of assertions of sovereignty over Bahrain, a review of the basis of Persian claims, and the attitude of the British Government between 1820 and 1934.1 file (25 folios)This file consists of a single document, comprising an index (f 1), thirteen sections (ff 2-20), and a conclusion at the end (ff 20-24).Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 25; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
The file concerns the anticipated arrival in Bahrain from Baghdad, on an Imperial Airways aircraft, of the Vice President of the American Express Company, Mr [Frank B] Harding. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard William Craven Fowle; the Political Agent in Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch; and the Assistant Political Agent in Bahrain, Meredith Worth.The file’s telegrams and file notes detail the reluctance of British officials to permit Harding to land in Bahrain, a British national who they mistakenly assumed to be American, fearing that he may be investigating the possibility of opening a branch of his bank on the islands.1 file (26 folios)The contents of the file are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front to the latest at the end.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 2-24; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
This file consists of a single letter in French (with a cover note in English) sent from the Consul General of France in Bushire to the British Political Resident and Consul General in Bushire. The letter confirms the closure of the French Consulate in Bushire effective from 31 August 1934.1 file (3 folios)Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 5; 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; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Distinctive Features:A tracing of a plan based on a provisional survey carried out on 22 July 1934 enclosed to a copy of a ‘Report on areas acquired in Bahrein’ by Major K.M. Papworth (folios 210-211).Shows the extent of the property on the sea coast between villages of Busaitin and Dair with dimensions reported. Land characteristics including information on marking, surface, wells, obstructions and communication described in ‘Appendix A’ (folio 212).1 mapMaterials:Pen and ink on tracing clothDimensions:346 x 302 mm
The file contains correspondence regarding the personal enquiry of Sir Andrew Ryan, Foreign Office, to John Gilbert Laithwaite, India Office, about the history of British representation in Jedda [Jeddah].The correspondence consists of: a letter to Laithwaite from Ryan, referring to Ryan’s previous enquiry about whether the India Office could provide any information on the history of the connection between the British government and/or the East India Company with the Red Sea area, and more particularly the Hijaz [Al-Ḥijāz or Hejaz], and enclosing a note about British representation in Jedda [Jeddah] up to 1830; a letter in reply from Laithwaite to Ryan, stating that Laithwaite is sending Ryan’s letter and a copy of his note to William Thomas Ottewill, Superintendent of Records, India Office; a further letter from Laithwaite to Ryan stating that Laithwaite is enclosing a note from Ottewill to Ryan, regarding the results of Ottewill’s search of the India Office records for relevant information; and the note from Ottewill to Ryan itself.1 file (9 folios)The papers are arranged in reverse chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 9; 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 1-9; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.