Correspondence and other papers relating to visits made by Europeans and Americans to Saudi Arabia, and specifically to Riyadh:A visit made in 1937 by Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Richard Patrick Dickson, former Political Agent at Kuwait, reportedly in his capacity as a representative of the Kuwait Oil Company. The papers include English translations of press reports of the visit as reported in various Arab newspapers, including the Baghdad newspaper
Al-Kifah, the Cairo newspaper
Al-Mukattam[
Al-Muqattam] and the
Wakalat-ul-Sharq Al-Arabia(ff 3-16).Dickson’s request to the Political Resident to visit the Ruler of Saudi Arabia Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] in December 1938, and the Ruler of Kuwait’s [Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ] strong objection to the visit (ff 18-28).Lord Alington’s [Captain Napier George Henry Sturt] visit to Ibn Saud in April 1939, including notes on his visit, and demi-official letters exchanged between the Political Agent at Kuwait (Major Charles Crawshaw Galloway) and the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle) commenting on Alington’s description of Ibn Saud (ff 27-37).Correspondence dated 1942 between the Political Agent at Kuwait and the United States military relating to unauthorised entry into Saudi Arabia by foreigners (ff 41-42).A note written by the Political Agent at Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield), dated 5 April 1943, on wartime conditions in Saudi Arabia, based on reports received by Dr Harold Storm and Gerrit Dirk Van Peursem, both of the American Mission at Bahrain, following their medical tour of Saudi Arabia (f 44).Correspondence dated August 1943 relating to a visit to Ibn Saud by Lieutenant-Colonel Harold B Hoskins, personal envoy of US President Roosevelt (ff 45-54).1 file (58 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 foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 60; 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 A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.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 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.
This file contains correspondence related to the development of education in Bahrain. In particular, the correspondence discusses a proposal by C.R.L Adrian-Vallance to establish a college of higher education in Bahrain for students from all of the Arab states of the Gulf.Adrian-Vallance proposed this idea as a means to combat Pan-Arab/anti-British sentiment and foster a sense of Gulf identity distinct from a broader Arab identity. A letter (from Adrian-Vallance to Charles Belgrave, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's adviser) that outlines his plan for the college is contained on ff. 7 - 15.The file also includes a detailed report on government education in Bahrain with proposals for reform (written by Adrian-Vallance in 1939) contained on ff. 52b - 126, a report on technical education in Bahrain (written by Geoffrey E. Hutchings in 1940) contained on ff. 160 - 192 and a report written by Adrian-Vallance in May 1940 that gives an update on the progress made in education in Bahrain since his appointment as Director of Education in the country in November 1939.The file also contains correspondence regarding Adrian-Vallance's appointment as Director of Education in Bahrain, including a copy of his contract with Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.1 volume (245 folios)File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.Index numbers corresponding with the index at the back run through the volume; these numbers are written using red crayon and are circled.A bound correspondence volume. The main foliation sequence starts at the titlepage and terminates at the 4th sheet from the back of the volume; these numbers are written in pencil and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.An incomplete second foliation sequence (53-119) runs between ff 53-225 with a gap between ff 86-87; these numbers are also written in pencil and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.Foliation errors: 1A, 1B and 1C; 52a and 52b.
This file contains correspondence between the the British Political Agents at Bahrain and Kuwait; the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; the British Political Officer on the Trucial Coast at Sharjah; Rooney, Residency Surgeon, Bushire; Air Officer Commanding, al-Ḥabbānīyah, Iraq; Khān Sāḥib Sayyid ‘Abd al-Razzāq, Residency Agent Sharjah; Station Superintendent of British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) at Sharjah; G H Middleton, Foreign Office, London.This file covers the appointments and affairs of various people to the role of Political Officer, Trucial Coast, between 1939 and 1950. They include: Captain John Baron Howes, Captain Roy Douglas Metcalfe, Cornelius James Pelly, Captain Maurice O'Connor Tandy, Reginald Michael Hadow, Captain Richard Evan Bird, Captain Raymond Clive Murphy, Captain Hugh Dunstan Rance, Gordon Noel Jackson, Captain J E Hudson, Patrick D Stobart and A J Wilton. The file also covers periods when the position was vacant, including April 1942 to March 1943 and August 1943 to October 1943.Included within these papers is correspondence concerning the establishment of the position of Political Officer, Trucial Coast; the appointment of officers and arrangements for their travel, accommodation (f. 86), acquiring a car (ff. 8-9, 23) leave (ff. 33-36, f 85) and replacements; correspondence concerning their reporting arrangements (f. 10) and duties, including reports on various journeys (ff 48-59, 69-72, 83-84) and a meeting with Ibrāhīm bin ‘Uthmān, Shaikh of Buraimi, and his men (ff. 24-33); a report concerning the necessity of the position vis-à-vis the increased number of RAF officers at Shajrah (ff. 76-77); and arrangements for accommodating Bertram Thomas, who is representing Shell, visiting the Rulers of Trucial Coast.1 file (156 folios)Foliation: There are two different sequences of foliation. The correct sequence is written in pencil and the numbers circled. This runs from the front cover to the final page of text. The secondary foliation sequence commences at the first page of written text until the final page of text. Foliation errors: 2A.
This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain; the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; Major C C L Ryan, Secretary to the Political Resident at Bushire; and S G Murteza, Assistant Engineer, Persian Gulf Independent Sub-Division, Bushire.Folios 1-12 concern the poor quality of work undertaken at the Bahrain Political Agency in May 1935 by Mr Muhammad Ishaq, Overseer, Public Works Department;Folios 13-16 concern the consideration of Pardhan Singh and Abdul Wahab, Persian Gulf Sub-Division Overseers, for the post of Assistant Engineer at Bushire;Folios 17-22 concern the abolition of the Persian Gulf Independent Sub-Division of the Public Works Department during the period of the Second World War and the release of S G Murteza for military service.1 file (25 folios)Foliation: The foliation sequence runs from the first page following the front cover to the last page before the back cover; it appears in pencil in the top right corner of the recto side of the folio and is uncircled.
This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain; the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; R H Peck, Squadron Leader, No.84 (Bombing) Squadron, Royal Air Force; Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah; and Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Bahrain Government.The correspondence concerns general military matters affecting Bahrain and the wider Persian Gulf. These include:Stationing of troops in the Persian Gulf;Influence of the Indian communities in Muscat and Bahrain on Indian infantry stationed there;Arrangements for Royal Air Force visits to Bahrain, including No.84 (Bombing) Squadron's 1924 visit to Bahrain;A possible air route from Hasa to Riyad as detailed in 'Notes on the Route Hasa-Riyadh with special reference to the movements of aircraft', which contains a sketch map of a possible route (ff. 29-35);The question of withdrawal of military detachments in the Persian Gulf and strengthening the Levy Corps at Bahrain (1925-26);Military intelligence on Nadj tribes (ff. 73-83);Withdrawal of 3rd Battalion 16th Punjab Regiment from Manamah following a period of unrest in 1926 and their replacement by an armed State Police Force;A rough defence scheme ('Alarm Orders') in the event of raids being made on Manama prepared by the Bahrain Commandant of Police;The deployment of Captain R L O'Connor in 1930 to compile Military Intelligence in the Persian Gulf.1 file (112 folios)This file is arranged approximately in chronological order.Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled and can be found in the top right of the recto side of each folio. A second incomplete foliation sequence written in blue crayon runs between ff. 2-22.
This file contains two letters listed in the file notes at the rear of the file. The first, on folio 4, dated 30 March 1933, is from Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, Political Agent at Bahrain, to Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven Fowle, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, concerning persecution of Shiahs in Hasa [al-Aḥsā’] and complaints by Shaikh Ali bin Hasan al Musa [‘Alī bin Ḥasan al-Mūsá], the Shiah Qadhi [Qadi] of Sinabis [Sanābis, Bahrain], and Yusif bin Rustam [Yūsuf bin Rustam], a resident of Sanābis, regarding the alleged appropriation of their fish traps at Qatif [al-Qaṭīf]. The second, on folio 5, dated 5 March 1950, from the British Embassy at Jeddah, to the Cornelius James Pelly, Political Agent at Bahrain, concerns reports of a Bahraini having been flogged to death at al Khobar [al-Khubar] for the offence of playing the lute.There are two additional folios in the file which are not referenced in the file’s notes. Folio 2 is a letter, dated 28 November 1914, from Major Percy Zachariah Cox, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Busreh [Basra], to Captain Terence Humphrey Keyes, Political Agent at Bahrain, recommending Shaikh Abdulla [‘Abdullāh Āl Khalīfah or Āl Thānī?] for a CIE [Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire] honour on 1 January 1915. Folio 3 is a note by the Political Agent at Bahrain, dated 26 June 1915, regarding taxes on date gardens in al-Qaṭīf owned by Abdur Rahman Zayani [‘Abd al-Raḥmān al-Zayānī], Yousuf bin Abdur Rahman Fakhroo [Yūsuf bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān Fakhrū] and Jasem bin Jodar [Jāsim bin Jūdar].1 file (5 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Circled serial numbers (red for received correspondence; blue for issued correspondence) refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.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. An additional foliation sequence is also present between ff 3-6; these numbers are also written in pencil and can be found in the same position, but they are not circled.
This file concerns the proposal and development of an Extradition Treaty for the mutual surrender of criminals between Bahrain and Nejd [Najd], later Saudi Arabia, following a visit by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf to ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd [Ibn Saud] in February 1932. The file includes correspondence between the Secretary to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Vincent Biscoe and Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven Fowle, Political Residents in the Persian Gulf; Captain Charles Geoffrey Prior and Lieutent-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, Political Agents at Bahrain; Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Bahrain Government.The file includes a copy of a
Treaty of Extradition between 'Iraq and Hejaz[al-Ḥijāz],
Najd and Dependencies(ff 5-7), signed at Mecca on 21 Dhū al-Qa‘dah 1340 [8 April 1931] by Nuri As Sa'id [Nūrī al-Sa‘’id], Prime Minister of Iraq, and Faisal 'Abdul 'Aziz [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd], and a draft Extradition Treaty between Bahrain and Najd by Belgrave (ff 11-14), which excludes the return of escaped slaves and a stipulates that applications for extradition should be forwarded through the Political Agent, Bahrain. A further draft copy of the treaty with Arabic translation is enclosed with a letter from Belgrave, dated 7 Rabī‘ I 1351 [10 July 1932]. There is further correspondence regarding the clause on excluding escaped slaves and making applications for extradition through the Political Agent (ff 21-29), as well as copies of correspondence between the Political Resident and the Colonial Office and India Office, London, regarding the proposed Extradition Treaty (ff 30-42). On 25 November 1932, it is decided by the Secretary of State for India that the matter should be left in abeyance.At the end of the file is a compliments slip, dated 29 August 1942, enclosing printed copies of:Agreement for Friendship and Neighbourly Relations between the Government of the United Kingdom (acting on behalf of His Highness the Sheikh[Shaikh]
of Kowait[Kuwait]
) and the Government of Saudi Arabia, Jedda, 20 April 1942 (ff 44-47);Trade Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom (acting on behalf of His Highness the Sheikh of Koweit) and the Government of Saudi Arabia, Jedda, 20 April 1942 (ff 48-49);Agreement for the Extradition of Offenders between the Government of the United Kingdom (acting on behalf of the Government of Koweit) and the Government of Saudi Arabia, Jedda, 20 April 1942 (ff 50-51).1 file (51 folios)The papers are arranged in 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 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 between ff 2-51; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
This file is entitled 'Activities of Saudi Arabians in Doha'; however, it concerns the activities of Saudi Arabians in Bahrain. The file includes correspondence between Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; Captain George Ashmead Cole, Political Agent at Bahrain; and Charles Dalyrmple Belgrave, Adviser to the Bahrain Government.Correspondence between 1934 and 1935 concerns a Saudi proclamation (
i‘lān) posted on a wall in the Manama Pearl Bazaar without the permission of the Government of Bahrain (ff 2-3); action regarding a Nejd [Najd] travel document issued to Mohomed Ali [Muḥammad ‘Alī bin ‘Īd] and signed by Shaikh Mohomed al-Tawil [Muḥammad al-Ṭawīl], a Saudi official accompanying the Saudi Arabia Delegation in Bahrain (ff 4-8); and a case involving a Saudi subject charged with importing a rifle into Bahrain and selling it at Muharraq, plus a subsequent letter from Hamad Sulaiman [Ḥamad bin Sulaymān], a member of the Saudi Arabian Delegation in Bahrain, to Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah regarding the matter (ff 9-13). The remainder of the file (ff 14-25) consists of copies of correspondence between the Political Resident and the India Office with regards to the issue of the flying of the Saudi Arabian flag by the Trade Agent of ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd [Ibn Saud] on Fridays at Kuwait, and how this issue pertains to the other Shaikhdoms of the Persian Gulf, including Bahrain.Notable Arabic documents include the aforementioned proclamation, dated 23 Sha‘bān 1353 [1 December 1934], concerning plans by the Government of Saudi Arabia to offer to carry fifty pilgrims in motor cars from Hasa (al-Aḥsā’) to Mecca and Medina (f 3), with a partial translation appearing on folio 25; and the aforementioned travel document (
tadhkirat huwīyat al-musāfir) issued by the Government of Saudi Arabia and including the stamps of the passport offices of Qatif [al-Qaṭīf] and Bahrain (f 5).1 file (27 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. File notes appear at the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 1-24; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.
This file concerns possible anti-Saudi activities in the Persian Gulf. It contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, the Political Agent at Bahrain, and Charles Dalrymple Belgrave. In addition, there are copies of correspondence with Sir Andrew Ryan, Albert Spencer Calvert and Sir Reader Bullard of the British Legation at Jedda.The correspondence of 1933 (ff 2-20) concerns suspicions that Khalid Ibn Hithlain [Khālid bin Muḥammad bin Ḥithlayn] of the Ajman tribe proposes to enter Nejd [Najd] with 'evil intent' from Kuwait or Bahrain. Included are details of a meeting between the Political Agent and Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah who doubts that Khālid would consider Bahrain as a location for buying supplies or as a staging ground for an attack, but instead suspects that he might be acting in collusion with an enemy of ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd [Ibn Saud], for example, his brother, Muḥammad bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān Āl Sa‘ūd (ff 3-6). In addition, there are copies of personal letters on the same subject between Fuad Hamza, [Fu’ād Ḥamzah], Ryan, Calvert and Amir Faisal [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd] (ff 14-20).A copy of a letter, dated 12 April 1939, from the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to Sir Reader Bullard, concerns a meeting between Sir Lancelot Oliphant and Faysal regarding the potential threat to Saudi Arabia from Nazi Germany, the likelihood of the incorporation of Koweit [Kuwait] into Iraq, and British rule of the Persian Gulf (ff 21-23).File notes at the rear of the file (ff 24-26) include brief genealogical and biographical details concerning Khalid, as well as the Ajman tribe.1 file (25 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. File notes appear at the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover, 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.
This file concerns the circulation of currency between Saudi Arabia, the Persian Gulf and India. The file contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; the Political Agent at Bahrain; Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Advisor to the Government of Bahrain; C W F Skrimshire and M Gunn, the Eastern Bank Limited, Bahrain; Yousuf bin Ahmed Kanoo [Yūsuf bin Aḥmad Kānū]; the Residency Agent, Sharjah. There is also correspondence from the India Office and the Government of India, which has been forwarded to the Political Agent by the Political Resident.The correspondence for 1935-36 (ff 3-21) concerns the import of large quantities of Indian rupees into Saudi Arabia via the port of Jedda and Persian Gulf ports, due to the Saudi government’s preference of paying officials and tribal subsidies in rupees instead of dollars. The essence of this situation is explained in a report by Loch, entitled 'Note on the Rupee-Maria Theresa Dollar position in Najd, Hasa and Bahrain', sent to the Political Resident on 3 March 1936. The correspondence for 1939-40 (ff 22-49) concerns further abnormal exports of rupees from Bahrain to Kuwait and Hassa (al-Aḥsā’) due to a lack of confidence in the stability of the Saudi Arabian riyal as a result of the Second World War; also discussed is the possibility of an embargo being placed on the export of rupees from India to Saudi Arabia and the impact that that would have on the Trucial Coast states and Qatar. The final section of correspondence for the year 1944 (ff 50-55) concerns a request from ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Saud) for the British government to send senior military and financial experts, preferably Sunni Muslims, to Saudi Arabia to aid the establishment of an army and reorganise the financial structure of the state.1 file (60 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. File notes appear at the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-61; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
This file concerns new arms regulations concerning the prohibition of the import, sale, carrying and possession of arms in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which were issued by Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] in October 1935. The correspondence in the file is between Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, Political Agent at Bahrain, and Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven Fowle, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire. In addition, there are copies of correspondence with John Charles Walton, India Office, London; Sir Andrew Ryan, His Majesty's Ambassador, Jedda; George William Rendel, Foreign Office, London; and Albert Spencer Calvert, British Legation, Jedda.The correspondence includes a translation of the regulations consisting of twenty-four articles published on 3 Shabān 1354 [31 October 1935] in the Saudi newspaper Umm al Qura [Umm al-Qurá] (folios 8-15); highlights of articles that immediately affect foreigners (folios 17-18); the effect of the regulations on Bahraini shaikhs going to the mainland for hawking (folio 18); the effect of the regulations on Muscat, Bahrain, the Trucial Coast and Kuwait (folios 19-21, as well as Qatar (folio 22); and Ryan's views concerning how the policy will affect internal politics in Saudi Arabia (folios 28-31).1 file (34 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. File notes appear at the rear of the file.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover 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. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.