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 A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.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 file contains letters, telegrams and other papers relating to unidentified aircraft either seen or heard over the Arab coast during the Second World War, and the emergency landing of a B-17 Flying Fortress at Abu Dhabi in May 1944. Correspondence is sent and received by a host of British officials including political and consular agents and RAF officers.A telex sent by the Political Resident to the Government of India on 25 November 1940 reported that Italian radio broadcasts had claimed success in a bombing raid over Bahrain, accounting for recent reports of unidentified aircraft in the area (folio 6). A large part of the correspondence in the file concerns payments made by the crew of the B-17 Flying Fortress to local Arabs, who offered them water and assistance. The crew members gave an array of banknotes to one man, which staff at the Political Agency in Bahrain attempted to convert into rupees at the Eastern Bank (folio 38). Further correspondence relates to a complaint made by the clerk at the Agency in Sharjah, over abuse directed at him by staff from the RAF base in the town (folios 46-47).1 file (52 folios)The file is arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest items at the front of the file to the latest at the end. The office notes at the end of the file (folios 51-53) mirror the chronological arrangement. Circled index numbers, written in red crayon and ink, can be found throughout the volume, and refer to the office notes.Foliation: The main foliation sequence starts on the front cover and ends on the inside back cover, and uses circled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of each recto. A second foliation sequence is also present between ff. 2-49; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
The file contains correspondence between the Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited (BAPCO) representatives and managers and the Political Agent at Bahrain on BAPCO's deposit account with the Agency regarding payments for visas, passport renewals and certificates.1 file (326 folios)The documents in the file are arranged in chronological order. There are reference numbers in red crayon and blue in the file.The foliation is written in pencil, underlined, and can be found in the top or bottom right corners of the recto side of each folio. The numbering commences at the front cover with 1 and 1A; 2-14; 15 and 15A; 16-132; 133 and 133A; 134-137; 138 and 138A; 139-167; 168 and 168A; and then it carries on until 323, which is the last number given on the back cover.
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 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 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.
The file comprises correspondence, memoranda, maps, and other papers relating to questions over the position of Saudi Arabia’s south-eastern frontier adjoining Qatar and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, notably Abu Dhabi. Negotiations over the frontier had long been deferred by British Government officials, as a result of the Ruler of Saudi Arabia ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd’s [Ibn Saud] firm stance in negotiations before the Second World War. However, the need for a resolution became increasingly apparent as a result of ongoing oil exploration in Saudi Arabia by the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco), and exploration in Qatar and Abu Dhabi by Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL). The principal correspondents in the file include: representatives of the India Office, Foreign Office, Ministry of Fuel and Power; the British Legation at Jedda; the Political Agent at Bahrain; and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.The file includes:correspondence, dating from 1944 and 1945, between British Government officials in the Persian Gulf, India Office and Foreign Office, discussing the previous difficulties encountered in negotiating Saudi Arabia’s south-eastern frontiers with Ibn Saud, and the agreement that further negotiations be left until after the event of Ibn Saud’s death (ff 2-29);correspondence from late 1945 through 1947, between Government officials on the possible establishment of a neutral zone between Aramco’s concession area in Saudi Arabia, and PCL’s concession area in Qatar. Also, there is some discussion of Aramco’s proposals to begin seabed exploration off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia (ff 36-59);PCL’s request for permission to conduct seismic surveys at the southernmost limit of their concession area in Qatar (ff 76-95);reports of Aramco survey parties making incursions into PCL’s concession areas in Qatar and Abu Dhabi (ff 104-127);Government criticism of PCL’s delay in exploiting its concession areas in Qatar and Abu Dhabi (f 133);preparations in August 1949 for the reopening of frontier negotiations with the Saudi Government in Jedda. Papers include: a copy of a confidential memorandum with map, dated 2 February 1948, on the south-eastern frontier of Saudi Arabia, prepared by J E Cable of the Eastern Department of the Foreign Office (ff 164-169; copy also at ff 87-91); three further confidential memoranda with maps, prepared by the Eastern Department in 1940, outlining past and present negotiations on the position of the south-eastern frontiers of Saudi Arabia (ff 170-180, ff 181-185, ff 186-188); proposals to send representatives from Qatar and Abu Dhabi to the Jedda negotiations (ff 190-203).1 file (212 folios)The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The file notes at the end of the file (ff 204-212) mirror the chronological arrangement.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. This file has the following foliation anomaly: 111A. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 4-203; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
This file concerns the circulation of currency between Saudi Arabia, the Persian Gulf and India. The file contains correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; the Political Agent at Bahrain; Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Advisor to the Government of Bahrain; C W F Skrimshire and M Gunn, the Eastern Bank Limited, Bahrain; Yousuf bin Ahmed Kanoo [Yūsuf bin Aḥmad Kānū]; the Residency Agent, Sharjah. There is also correspondence from the India Office and the Government of India, which has been forwarded to the Political Agent by the Political Resident.The correspondence for 1935-36 (ff 3-21) concerns the import of large quantities of Indian rupees into Saudi Arabia via the port of Jedda and Persian Gulf ports, due to the Saudi government’s preference of paying officials and tribal subsidies in rupees instead of dollars. The essence of this situation is explained in a report by Loch, entitled 'Note on the Rupee-Maria Theresa Dollar position in Najd, Hasa and Bahrain', sent to the Political Resident on 3 March 1936. The correspondence for 1939-40 (ff 22-49) concerns further abnormal exports of rupees from Bahrain to Kuwait and Hassa (al-Aḥsā’) due to a lack of confidence in the stability of the Saudi Arabian riyal as a result of the Second World War; also discussed is the possibility of an embargo being placed on the export of rupees from India to Saudi Arabia and the impact that that would have on the Trucial Coast states and Qatar. The final section of correspondence for the year 1944 (ff 50-55) concerns a request from ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Saud) for the British government to send senior military and financial experts, preferably Sunni Muslims, to Saudi Arabia to aid the establishment of an army and reorganise the financial structure of the state.1 file (60 folios)The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. File notes appear at the rear of the file.Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-61; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
This file concerns plans in 1944-45 and 1949 to open bank branches on the mainland of Saudi Arabia. The file contains correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; Ernest Vincent Packer, Petroleum Concessions Limited, Bahrain; the Assistant Secretary to the Government of India; D Ham, Manager of the Eastern Bank Limited, Bahrain; and the Chancery, British Embassy, Jedda. There are also copies of correspondence between the India Office, the Government of India and the Political Residency at Bushire, as well as between the Foreign Office and His Majesty's Government at Jedda. In addition, there is correspondence between Ham and N S Golder, General Manager of the Eastern Bank Limited, London, gathered through interception.The correspondence from 1944-45 concerns the possibility of opening a branch of the Eastern Bank Limited on the mainland of Saudi Arabia at Dhahran [al-Ẓahrān] or Al Khobar [al-Khubar], and possibly at Ras Tanura [Ra’s Tanūrah]. Folios 31-37 include a letter and diary with details of Ham's trip to the mainland of Saudi Arabia in July 1944, his meetings with officials from the California-Arabian Standard Oil Company (later Aramco) and Saudi officials, as well as a dispute regarding his Jewish Head Clerk. In addition, the correspondence includes details of other banks making attempts to open branches on the mainland, including the Chase National Bank, the Imperial Bank of Iran, and the National City Bank of New York. There are details of conditions imposed on the National City Bank of New York for opening in Saudi Arabia (f 48) and of a visit by their representative, G Martel Hall (ff 57, 60, 65 and 67).The correspondence from 1945 (ff 71-72) concerns the possibility of the British Bank of Iran and the Middle East opening a branch at al-Khubar.1 file (74 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 between ff 3-72; 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 volume also contains a pagination sequence between ff 73-75.
This files concerns relations between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Amir of Dhahran [al-Ẓahrān] on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. The correspondents in the file include Khalid Sidairi [Khālid al-Suayrī], Amir of al-Ẓahrān; the Political Agent at Bahrain; and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire.The correspondence of May 1945 (ff 2-5) concerns the appointment of Khālid al-Suayrī by Abdul-Aziz [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Saud)] to administer the Amirate [Emirate] of Dhahran [Imārat Muqāṭi‘at al-Ẓahrān]. The correspondence of April 1946 (f 6) concerns a visit of the Bahrain State Engineer to Hassa [al-Aḥsā’] 20-25 March 1946 at the request of the Amir of Hassa (perhaps also of the Amir of Dhahran?) to advise both on the electrification of the town of Hofuf [al-Hufūf], and on the question of whether equipment and infrastructure had been supplied by the United States of America or Britain.1 file (6 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.