Abstract: This item consists of copies of correspondence, minutes, and consultations cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay. These political letters appear in IOR/F/4/2376/126162. The correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; and Hajee Jassem [Ḥājjī Jāsim], British Agent at Bahrein [Bahrain]. It is the eleventh in a series of fifteen items on the Persian Gulf.The item concerns a report current at Bahrein that Ameer Fysul [Amīr Fayṣal bin Turkī bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Sa‘ūd] is collecting forces at Lahsah [Al Hasa], preparing for an expedition against Oman, and intending to rebuild Adeed [Khawr al ‘Udayd].The item contains a contents page and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Draft no 745 of 1850’, and ‘Coll[ection] No 5’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 137, and terminates at f 142 as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: This item consists of copies of correspondence, minutes, and consultations cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay. These political letters appear in IOR/F/4/2376/126162. The correspondents are: the Government of Bombay; Major Samuel Hennell, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; Moollah Houssein [Mullā Ḥusayn], British Agent at Shargah [Sharjah]; and Sheik Mahomed bin Khuleefa of Bahrein [Shaikh Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah of Bahrain]. It is the seventh in a series of fifteen items on the Persian Gulf.The item concerns:The capture of Adeed [Khawr al ‘Udayd] in 1837 by Sheik Khuleefa been Shackboot of Aboothabee [Shaikh Khalīfah bin Shakhbūṭ Āl Nahyān of Abu Dhabi] from the Ul Gubeesat tribe [al-Qubaysāt] who had seceded from his authorityThe intention of Ameer Fysul [Amīr Fayṣal bin Turkī bin ‘Abdullāh Āl Sa‘ūd] to rebuild the fort and town of Adeed and resettle the Ul Gubeesat tribe to undermine the authority of Sheik Saeed bin Tahnoon of Aboothabee [Shaikh Sa‘īd bin Ṭaḥnūn Āl Nahyān]The reasons why the Ul Gubeesat tribe wished to leave Aboothabee.The item contains a contents page and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Draft no 745 of 1850’, and ‘Coll[ection] No 5’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with f 90, and terminates at f 108 as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the item also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: The volume contains full translations of some letters, and the translated substance of other letters addressed to the Resident in the Persian Gulf, the originals of which were in Arabic or Persian ['native letters inward'], for the year 1837.The correspondence falls mainly into two categories:(1) Letters from British Native Agents based at Bahrein [Bahrain], Lingah [Bandar-e-Lengeh], Muscat, Shargah [Sharjah], and Shiraz.(2) Letters from local rulers in the Persian Gulf. Those who figure most prominently include: Sultan bin Suggur [Sulṭān bin Saqr], Chief of Ras el Khymah [Ra's al-Khaymah]; Sheikh Abdollah bin Ahmed [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah], Chief of Bahrein; Sheikh Kulufa bin Shakboot [Khalīfah bin Shakhbūt], Chief of Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi]; Sheikh Abdur Rahaman bin Suggur [‘Abd al-Rahman bin Saqr], Chief of Kishm [Qeshm]; Sheikh Maktoom [Maktūm bin Buṭṭī], Chief of Debay [Dubai]; Sheikh Nassir [Nāṣir], Governor of Bushire, and the Imam of Muscat [Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Sa‘īd].The correspondence concerns maritime peace and acts of piracy; trade; movements of East India Company naval vessels and other ships; the dispatch of correspondence; and local affairs, including the military operations in Nedg [Najd] of Shaikh Khalid [Khalid bin Saud] against Sheikh Fysul [Fayṣul, the Wahhabi Chief], with the assistance of Mahomed Ally Pasha [Muḥammad ‘Alī Pāshā], Ruler of Egypt, and the expedition of Sheikh Kulufa bin Shakboot against Adeed [Khor al-Udaid].Specific topics include:an approach by Sultan bin Suggur, Chief of Ras el Khymah, to renew the existing maritime truce [the Maritime Truce of 1835] (folios 27-28);news of the capture of Mombassa [Mombasa] by the Imam of Muscat (folio 29);news of the defeat of Sheikh Fysul in Nedg by Shaikh Khalid (folio 30);correspondence concerning the export of horses from Persia to Bombay, (folios 33-34);correspondence concerning Egyptian forces in Nedgd [Najd] (folios 34-36);reports submitted by the Agents at Bahrein and Shargah on the trade of those areas (folios 130-132).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 133, the last folio of the main run of text, but note that some text written in pencil also appears on the last folio before the back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle and appear in the top right corner of the recto page of each folio. Foliation anomalies: ff 1, 1A, ff 93, 93A. This is the system used to determine the sequence of pages.Pagination: the volume also contains a pagination sequence, numbered 1-261, written in ink and latterly pencil (folios 2-132). The numbers appear in the top right corners of the rectos and top left corners of the versos.Condition: the volume has suffered some damage to the edges of pages, involving slight loss of text. However, the damage does not anywhere impair the sense of the text.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence to and from the Resident of the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell) during 1851. The first part of the file (ff 2-29) relates to miscellaneous issues of a largely domestic nature arising at the Residency. The second part of the file (ff 31-76) contains copies of correspondence exchanged between the Commanding Officers of the Honourable Company's [East India Company] ships in the Gulf and the Residency, concerning the disputes occuring at the time between the Wahhabi and Qatari tribes and the Sheikh of Bahrain, and correspondence relating to coastal towns of Guttur [Qatar].Physical description: Foliation: There is an incomplete pagination sequence and a complete foliation sequence. The foliation sequence is written in pencil, in the top-right corner of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and runs through to 84, ending on the inside of the back cover of the file. Foliation errors: f 27 missing.Condition: Some of the papers in the file have deteriorated significantly at the edges and show signs of significant insect damage, both of which affect the legibility of some parts of their text.
Abstract: Distinctive Features:Depths shown by soundings.Detailed chart of Khawr al ‘Udayd in Qatar.Physical description: Materials:Pen and ink on paperDimensions:610 x 430 mm
Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence and discussions regarding the economic and political situation in relation to oil in the Middle East during and immediately after the Second World War. At the centre of the discussions are talks which took place in Washington DC between US and UK government officials looking at the global importance of oil, which focused particularly on oil in the Middle East.The talks concluded with the production of a memorandum of understanding which was published 8 August 1944 as the Agreement on Petroleum between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, otherwise known as the Anglo-American Oil Agreement (1945).Also included in the volume is correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Secretary to the Government of India, External Affairs Department (Olaf Kirkpatrick Caroe), the India Office, and His Majesty’s Minister at Jeddah (Stanley Jordan) regarding two proposed pipelines. The first being the ‘trans-arabian pipeline’ which it was proposed would link the Middle East to the Mediterranean. The proposal was initially postponed owing to heavy criticism of it in the United States press but was later taken up by the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO). The second proposal from the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) and the California Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC, later renamed ARAMCO) was for a pipeline to take crude oil from Dhahran [Aẓ-Ẓahrān], Saudi Arabia to the BAPCO refinery at Bahrain.Also included is correspondence between the Chief Local Representative for BAPCO (Milton H Lipp, Ward P Anderson) and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave) regarding possible sites for the pipeline and the reservation of required land. Further discussion centred on the question of the eastern frontier of Saudi Arabia, which was in dispute, and whether His Majesty’s Government should look to tackle the matter at that time with the Saudi Arab Government or wait until the progress of the oil companies required its resolution. Jabal Naksh and Khor-al-Odaid [Khawr al ‘Udayd], which were claimed by Qatar and Abu Dhabi respectively, and whose claims were supported by His Majesty’s Government but contested by Saudi Arabia were discussed as being key areas in the frontier dispute.Another matter discussed in the volume was a visit paid by the Mission of the Petroleum Reserves Corporation to the Middle East. The Mission’s purpose was to review resources of petroleum in the Middle East and its itinerary included visits to Kuwait, Dhahran, and Bahrain. The mission was headed by Everette Lee Degoyler and also included the eminent geologists and petroleum experts Dr George Martin Lees, William Embry Wrather, and John Herhold Murrell.Other matters touched on in the volume include a request by ARAMCO to undertake a hydrographic survey of the coast line of the Kuwait Neutral Zone; the possibility of resuming oil field production in Qatar and Kuwait provided the necessary equipment could be obtained from the USA; articles published in American journals and newspapers regarding the global oil situation and oil in the Middle East; and a visit paid by Major Frank Holmes to Kuwait in 1944.Also included in the volume are a number of notes and memorandums relating to oil in the Middle East:notes produced at an oil conference in Cairo in 1944 which described oil production in Bahrain and Kuwait, they contained a number of inaccuracies and were re-written by the Political Agents for Bahrain and Kuwait with assistance from the Chief Local Representatives of the Bahrain Petroleum Company and the Kuwait Oil Company;The future of oil in its relation to the Middle East; memorandum produced by Arthur Charles Hearn, Admiralty, 11 October 1940 (ff 9-21);Note on present oil position in Persian Gulfby Commodore John Montagu Howson, Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf (ff 103-104 );Memorandum on the oil concessions in the Arab Sheikhdoms of the Persian Gulf,by the External Department, India Office, 13 Mar 1944 (ff 126-134);A survey of the oil resources in the Middle East(With map and graph), Research Department, Foreign Office, 28 Feb 1945 (ff 239-250);Iraq Oil(ff 257-267).A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 272-283.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 287; 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 7-270; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file consists of letters sent outwards from the British Residency in the Persian Gulf by the Officiating Resident, Samuel Hennell; and Thomas Mackenzie, Acting Assistant in Charge. The most common addressee is John Pollard Willoughby, Secretary to the Political Department of the Government of Bombay; with those addressed to John Pepper, Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf, a distant second. Letters addressed to various officials/officers of the East India Company, and the British Government make up the remainder.In general, the correspondence concerns the movement of British war ships, mail, and officers throughout the Persian Gulf; as well as matters of a routine administrative nature. The renewal and enforcement of the maritime truce during the pearl fishing season are also covered.More specific subjects featured include the following:An experiment to measure the consumption rate of two types of wood aboard the
Hugh Lindsay.The defeat of Ameer Fysul [Amīr Fayṣul], the Wahabi Chief, by Shaikh Khaled ben Saood [Khalid bin Saud] with the assistance of Mahomed Ally Pasha [Muḥammad ‘Alī Pāshā], Ruler of Egypt.A report that the Amaeer and Hawajir [Banī Hājir] tribes have taken advantage of the disturbed state of Nedjd [Najd] to undertake plunder and piracy.The conflict between Shaikh Khulleefa ben Shackboot of Aboothabee [Khalīfah bin Shakhbūṭ, Chief of Abu Dhabi] and his 'revolted dependant' Khadim ben Nehman [Khādim bin Nehman Na‘mān] of Adeed.The Resident's annual tour of the Arabian Coast.The uncertainty surrounding the position of Shaikh Nassir [Shaykh Nāṣir] as Governor of Bushire.The capture of Mombasa by the Imam of MuscatObservations made by the Resident on the extent of the authority of Sulṭān bin Saqr over the Arabian Coast.A suggestion from the Resident for the resumption of communications between the Bushire Residency, and the Shiraz Government on matters of a minor nature.A suggestion from Shaikh Sulṭān bin Saqr, Chief of Ra's al-Khaymah, that the current maritime truce be renewed as a permanent peace.The file also contains an itemised list of the repairs required by the Bushire Residency with projected costs, a translation of the maritime truce renewed from 7 April to 29 November 1837, and a list of articles that were found in a godown of one of the caravanseraces at Bushire.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the cover and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The file contains the following foliation corrections: 58A, and 58B.Pagination: The file also contains an original pagination sequence between ff 2-59; these numbers are written in ink, and can be found in the top outermost corners of each page.
Abstract: The file consists of letters drafted from the British Residency in the Persian Gulf:Draft letter to Abdullah bin Ahmed, acknowledging that properties of Adeed's merchants were plundered by the Bani Yas, not considering this as a good enough reason for British intervention, but promising to write to Shaikh Khulleefa ben Shackboot of Aboothabee [Khalīfah bin Shakhbūṭ, Chief of Abu Dhabi], asking him to return the goods (folios 2v-3);Draft letters to Shaikh Khulleefa ben Shackboot of Aboothabee, requesting the recovery of the goods plundered from the merchants of Adeed (folio 4 and 6v);Draft letters to Shaikh Sultan bin Suggur [Sulṭān bin Saqr, Chief of Ra's al-Khaymah] regarding his piracy acts (folios 5 and 5v-6).As a result of the volume having been weeded in the past, there are truncated letters throughout the volume, some of which are identifiable by their having been crossed out in blue pencil.Physical description: Pagination: There is an incomplete pagination sequence, which is written in ink, in the top right corners of the rectos and in the top left corners of the versos. Foliation: The foliation sequence is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the last folio before the back cover, on number 6.
Abstract: The volume contains letters written mainly in 1850 and a few letters written in December 1849. Most letters are from Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Hennell, British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire to Arthur Malet, Chief Secretary to Government, Political Department, Bombay. The British Political Resident’s letters provide the Governor in Council of the Bombay Presidency with an up to date account of affairs in the Persian Gulf and usually enclose copies of other, relevant official correspondence, including:English translations of numerous Arabic letters regularly received by the British Political Resident from Moollah Houssein and Hajee Jassem, the British Residency native agents at Shargah [Sharjah] and Bahrein [Bahrain] respectively, reporting events and intelligence gathered in their territories;English translations of five Arabic letters from the Chiefs of Bahrein [Bahrain] and Sohar [Ṣuḥār] in Oman, to the British Political Resident, in response to the latter’s demands or proposals (folios 23-24, 61-63, 81, 93-94);Transcripts of four letters received by the British Political Resident from Commodore Porter, Commander of the Indian Naval Squadron in the Persian Gulf aboard the ship Clive and Lieutenant Alexander Foulerton, commanding the ship Mahi, reporting on their patrols and intercepts at sea in the Persian Gulf (folios 13, 15-16, 35-38).The letters written by the British Political Resident, the British Residency native agents and the Indian naval officers contain reports mainly about the following: acts of piracy and other hostilities committed by rival Bedowin [Bedouin] tribes, relations between the Trucial Coast chiefs and the success of Indian naval peace-keeping boat patrols along the Arabian coast of the Persian Gulf, in accordance with treaty obligations. The Indian naval boats were expected to prevent attacks by sea upon the Arabian Ports of the Persian Gulf and to suppress all acts of maritime aggression against the crews, cargoes and slaves of trading vessels. The specific events in 1850 that are reported and discussed in this volume of letter correspondence include:The siege of the town of Sohar by Syed Soweynee, the Governor of Muscat, following the resumption of power by Syed Humood ben Azan, the deposed Chief of Sohar (folios 17, 22-29, 31-33, 35-36);The piracy of Soheil ben Ateish (folios 15-16, 20-21, 44-45, 87-98);Renewal of aggressions at sea between the inhabitants of Debaye [Dubai] and Aboothabee [Abu Dhabi] who steal each other’s slaves and boats, and the demands of the British Political Resident that rival chiefs Sheik Mukhtoom of Debaye [Āl Maktūm, Shaikh Buṭṭī bin Suhayl, Chief of Dubai] and Sheik Saeed ben Tahnoon of Aboothabee [Shaikh Said bin Tahnun Āl Nahyān, Chief of Abu Dhabi] should intervene to ensure that reparations are made (folios 15-16, 18-19);Plans of Sheik Mukhtoom, Chief of Debaye and Sheik Sultan ben Suggur, Chief of Shargah [Āl Qāsimī, Shaikh Sulṭān bin Saqr, Chief of Sharjah] to rebuild Adeed [Khor al-Udaid] and the steps taken by Sheik Saeed ben Tahnoon, Chief of Aboothabee to prevent it (folios 11-12);Plans of Ameer Fysul [Amir Faisal bin Turki], Chief of the Wahabee to organise a military expedition to rebuild Adeed, the reaction of Sheik Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Chief of Bahrein [Āl Khalīfah, Shaikh Muḥammed bin Khalīfah, Chief of Bahrain] and the opposition of Sheik Saeed ben Tahnoon, Chief of Aboothabee to the Ameer’s plans (folios 15-16, 18-19, 30, 57-60);Aggressions against the territories of the Imam of Muscat, in particular the siege and conquest of the Fortress of Shinas by the forces of Syed Humood ben Azan, Chief of Sohar and Sheik Sultan ben Suggur, Chief of Shargah (folios 39-43);The demands of the British Political Resident that Sheik Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Chief of Bahrein should strictly control the licensing of Bahrein boats in order to prevent acts of piracy and also, that he should make reparation for a Karrack [Khārk, Jazīreh-ye] boat, cargo and crew captured by a party of the Huwajir Tribe of Bedouins, using a boat they had obtained in Bahrein (folios 46-58, 61-65, 68-69, 77-82);The fears of Sheik Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Chief of Bahrein that fugitive members of the Uttobee Tribe of Arabs resident on Kenn Island [Kish Island] were planning to attack Bahrein and also the mediation of his brother, Sheik Ally [Āl Khalīfah, Shaikh ‘Alī bin Khalīfah] over the demand by the British Political Resident that the ruler of Bahrein should make a public apology for his insulting remarks about the British Government (folios 55-60, 70-76);The mediation of the British Political Resident over a proposed arrangement whereby Sheik Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Chief of Bahrein would pay an annual allowance to his cousins, the two impoverished sons of the late ex-Chief of Bahrein, Sheik Abdoollah ben Ahmed [Āl Khalīfah, Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad], on condition that they would dwell quietly on Kenn Island and give up all further schemes and claims against Bahrein (folios 85-86, 93-96);Negotiations by Sheik Mahomed ben Khuleefa, Chief of Bahrein with the Shereef of Mecca [Sharif of Mecca], for Turkish protection of his territories, a policy the British Political Resident fears other maritime Arab Chiefs might adopt (folios 83-84).Title page (folio 2): the following words in the title, ‘Department’, ‘Residency’ and ‘on’ are no longer complete. Damage along the right hand edge of the title page has obliterated part of these words. File cover title (folio 1): the abbreviated title ‘Book 166 Part 3 1850’ is written on the front cover of the volume.Physical description: Foliation: the letters in the volume are numbered 3-13, 14, 14A, 15-99, from front to back. The front cover of the volume is numbered 1 and the title page is numbered 2. The numbering is written in pencil in the top right hand side corner, on the recto of every folio.The 37 letters in the volume were originally numbered in ink and in most cases, on both the recto and verso of every folio, in the top right or left hand corner respectively, as follows: 3-20, 25-39, 41-55, 60, 62-85, 90, 94-115, 129-152, 156-169, 181-192, 197-200, 210-213, 222-231, 236-242, 254-258. Some of the gaps in the number sequence are due to the fact that blank folios and folios containing address details were not numbered.
Abstract: This file primarily concerns British policy regarding the eastern and south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia, specifically those bordering Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and Muscat (i.e. the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman).Much of the correspondence relates to British concerns that the boundaries should be demarcated prior to the commencement of any oil prospecting in the area. The file's principal correspondents are the following: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, succeeded by Sir Reader William Bullard); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch); the Political Agent, Muscat (Major Ralph Ponsonby Watts); the Secretary of State for the Colonies; the Secretary of State for India; the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; officials of the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, the India Office, and the Admiralty.Matters discussed in the correspondence include the following:Whether the British should press King Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] for a settlement of the outstanding questions relating to the aforementioned boundaries.Sir Andrew Ryan's meeting with Ibn Saud and the Deputy Minister for Saudi Foreign Affairs, Fuad Bey Hamza, in Riyadh, in November 1935.The disputed territories of Jebel Naksh [Khashm an Nakhsh, Qatar] and Khor-al-Odeid [Khawr al ‘Udayd].Whether or not a territorial agreement between Ibn Saud and Qatar was concluded prior to the Anglo-Qatar Treaty of 1916.The intentions of Petroleum Concessions Limited regarding the development of its oil concession in Qatar.The line proposed by the British for the boundary between Saudi Arabia and the Aden Protectorate.The Kuwait blockade.Leading personalities in Oman.Details of Harry St John Bridger Philby's expedition to Shabwa [Shabwah, Yemen].Four meetings held between Sir Reader Bullard, George Rendel (Head of the Foreign Office's Eastern Department), and Ibn Saud, in Jedda, 20-22 March 1937.Also included are the following:Copies of the minutes of meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East.Copies of correspondence dating from 1906, exchanged between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Major Percy Zachariah Cox), the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department, and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi [Shaikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan], regarding the latter's claim to Khor-al-Odeid.Several maps and sketch maps depicting the proposed boundaries discussed in the correspondence.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 (folio 2).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 421; 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.
Abstract: This volume primarily concerns British policy regarding the eastern and south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia, specifically those bordering Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Muscat (i.e. the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman). Much of the correspondence relates to British concerns that oil companies operating in the region may begin prospecting in disputed territory.References are made to various existing and proposed lines, including the 'blue line' (laid down in the non-ratified Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913 and redefined and adopted in the Anglo-Ottoman convention of the following year). Reference is also made to a 'final offer' proposed by the British to the Saudi Government in November 1935, since which time no conclusion has been reached.Matters discussed in the correspondence include:The reported activity of the California Arabian Standard Oil Company (Casoc) near Qasr-es-Salwa [Salwá, Saudi Arabia] (located east of the blue line), and whether this activity necessitates a renewed effort by the British to reach a settlement with Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] regarding the Qatar-Saudi boundary.Ibn Saud's claim to Jebel Nakhsh [Khashm an Nakhsh, Qatar], which lies in territory included in the Qatar oil concession.Whether the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi should be persuaded to cede Khor-el-Odeid [Khawr al ‘Udayd] to Ibn Saud.The impact of Britain's Palestine policy on Anglo-Saudi relations.The Foreign Office's suggestion that the Khor-el-Odeid question should be submitted to arbitration.In addition to correspondence dating from 1937-39, the volume contains copies of correspondence dating from April 1904 (including translations of two letters from the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi), which discusses Abu Dhabi's claim to Khor-el-Odeid.Correspondents include the following: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Captain Tom Hickinbotham); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Reader William Bullard); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, Viscount Halifax); the Secretary of State for India and Burma (Lawrence John Lumley Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland); the Viceroy of India (Victor Alexander John Hope, Lord Linlithgow); the Minister for Saudi Foreign Affairs [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd]; officials of the Foreign Office, the India Office, and the Government of India's External Affairs Department.Also included are the following: 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 1937 and 8 February 1938; a sketch map depicting the various possible boundary lines of south-eastern Saudi Arabia.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 2).Physical description: Foliation: this file consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the front cover of volume one (ff 1-188) and terminates at the inside back cover of volume two (ff 189-395); 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 2-394; these numbers are printed, and are not circled.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: This volume concerns British policy regarding the south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia, specifically its border with Qatar.The correspondence and memoranda near the beginning of the volume discuss from a British perspective the origins and recent history of the boundary dispute, which is described as having been in abeyance since 1938; much of the later correspondence is concerned with whether the British should make renewed attempts to reach an agreement with Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] .References are made to various existing and proposed boundary lines, the most recent of the latter is the 'Riyadh line' (the name given to the boundary proposed by the British to the Saudi Government in November 1935, referred to elsewhere as the 'final offer').Notable correspondents include the following: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior, succeeded by William Rupert Hay); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Reginald George Alban, Edward Birkbeck Wakefield, and Cornelius James Pelly); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Stanley R Jordan, succeeded by Laurence Barton Grafftey-Smith); officials of the Foreign Office, the India Office, the Government of India's External Affairs Department, and the Ministry of Fuel and Power (Petroleum Division); representatives of the United States' State Department, Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited, Petroleum Concessions Limited, and the Iraq Petroleum Company respectively.Related matters of discussion include:Ibn Saud's claims regarding the south-eastern frontiers of Saudi Arabia, particularly those relating to Jebel Nakhsh [Khashm an Nakhsh, Qatar] and Khor-el-Odeid [Khawr al ‘Udayd, Qatar].Reports in 1941 of a rumour that the Shaikh of Qatar [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī] and Ibn Saud have reached an agreement regarding the Saudi-Qatar boundary.The likelihood of oil prospecting either near or within the disputed territory, and its implications for the territorial dispute.British concerns in 1947 regarding the possibility of the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco) initiating drilling operations in the seabed near to the disputed territory.The precise location of proposed drillings by Petroleum Concessions Limited in the Qatar Peninsula.A reported complaint in 1947 from the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi [Shaikh Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan] that Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited has laid buoys in his territorial waters.Whether the British should permit or impede a proposed survey in Qatar by Petroleum Concessions Limited, which is thought likely to provoke protests from Ibn Saud.Also included are three maps depicting the eastern and south eastern parts of the Arabian Peninsula.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 2).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 195; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, 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.Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.