Abstract: The file contains correspondence about Arab sovereignty and occupation of the Gulf islands of Tanb (also spelt Tamb, Tunb), Nabiyu Tunb, Abu Musa (also spelt Bu Musa) and Sir Bu Na’air (also spelt Sir Bunair) in the light of a renewed territorial claim by Iran (formerly Persia) in 1948. The main correspondents are Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Rupert Hay, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bahrain; Cornelius James Pelly, Political Agent Bahrain; Patrick Desmond Stobart, Political Officer Trucial Coast, Sharjah and officials at the Foreign Office, London.The file includes two similar reports dated January 1949. One report is of a visit to the islands of Abu Musa and Tanb, both under the rule of the Shaikh of Ras al Khaimah [Ra’s al-Khaymah], by the Political Officer Trucial Coast. The other report is of a visit to the islands of Abu Musa and Sir Bu Na’air, by G.F.M. Best, Commander, Royal Navy aboard H.M.S.
Loch Quoich, describing their population, economy and any evidence of smuggling or Persian occupation. There is also an English translation of an extract from an article published in the Tehran newspaper ‘Tirhan-I-Musavvar’, reporting a public disturbance between Arabs and Persians in Bahrain and also Arab aggression against the Persian islands of Tanb and Abu Musa in October 1949. The file ends with a few British naval reports, together with an English translation of a letter of thanks from Shaikh Saqr bin Muhammad the Ruler of Ras al Khaimah, about the removal of a Persian flag from the island of Nabiyu Tunb, by the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf, in September and October 1949.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) starts on the outside front cover (f 1) and ends on the inside back cover (f 39). The 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 2-38. These numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.
Abstract: This item consists of copies of correspondence, minutes, and consultations, cited in, or enclosed with, political letters from the Government of Bombay. It is the first in a series of two items about the island of Kishm [Qeshm] (the other is IOR/F/4/762/20694). The principal correspondents are the Government of Bombay and Henry Willock, HM Chargé d'Affaires to Persia.The item discusses:The occupation of the island of Kishm by British troops, with a list of the troops present on the island (f 74)The claims of Persia and Muscat to sovereignty over the islandThe fears of Persia over the occupation of Kishm and Andrew Jukes’s mission to Governor of Fars [Prince-Governor of Fārs, Ḥusayn ‘Alī Mirzā Farmānfarmā]A proposed expedition against the Joasmees [al-Qawāsim]The conduct of William Bruce, Resident at Bushire [Būshehr]Relations between Persia and Bahrein [Bahrain], and between Muscat and Bahrein.The item includes a contents page, and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Bombay Political No. 855, Draft 106, P.C. 200, [Season] 24/5’ and ‘Examiner’s Office 1823’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 5, and terminates at 97, 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 volume 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. It is the second in a series of two items about the island of Kishm [Qeshm] (the other is IOR/F/4/762/20693). The principal correspondents are the Government of Bombay; James Baillie Fraser, artist and writer; and Henry Willock, HM Chargé d'Affaires to Persia.The item concerns:The death of Andrew Jukes, Political Agent at Kishm and Envoy to the Court of Tehran on 10 November 1821James Baillie Fraser’s assumption of Jukes’ role in negotiations with the Government of PersiaThe rival claims to Kishm by Muscat and PersiaPersia’s wish to dismiss William Bruce as the Resident at Bushire [Būshehr]Persia’s objections to the stationing of British troops on KishmThe decision to withdraw from Kishm and a discussion of timings of the withdrawalThe plan to reinforce Kishm because of the concentration of Persian troops on the coastWillock’s difficulties at Tehran due to Persian demands for moneyThe decision to bring forward the evacuation of Kishm, and countermand the reinforcements as a result of Bruce’s unauthorised negotiations with Persia (see also IOR/F/4/894/23288 and 23289).The item includes a contents page, and the title page of the item contains the following references: ‘Bombay Political No. 85[5], Draft 106, P.C. 200, [Season] 24/5’ and ‘Examiner’s Office 1823’.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 98, and terminates at f 218, 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 volume also contains an original pagination sequence.
Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence and other papers relating to the erection (and subsequent abandonment) of flagstaffs at the head of the Persian Gulf, on the Maklab [Maqlab] Isthmus at Musandam (Musandam spelt with numerous variations throughout the file), Telegraph Island [Jazīrat al Maqlab], and Sheep Island [Jazīrat Umm al Ghanam].The correspondence includes:a report of the Viceroy of India’s tour of the Persian Gulf in 1903, dated 21 January 1904 and signed by several individuals (including George Nathaniel Curzon and Horatio Herbert Kitchener) containing proposals for the erection of naval bases, coaling stations, and telegraph facilities in the Gulf (ff 213-215);proposals and arrangements for the erection of flagstaffs by HMS
Sphinxin November 1904, made by Major William George Grey, Political Agent at Muscat, Lieutenant William Henry Irvine Shakespear, Assistant Resident and Acting British Consul at Bunder Abbas [Bandar-e ʻAbbās], Captain Thomas Webster Kemp, Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf and Commander of HMS
Sphinx, including reports submitted by Shakespear and Kemp describing the erection of the flagstaffs, including accounts of the discussions held with the inhabitants of the areas around which the flagstaffs were erected, and a map indicating the location of the flagstaffs (ff 112-114, 119-121);questions of whether to fly the Union Jack or Blue Ensign on the flagstaffs;Government concerns that the flagstaffs were situated in territory claimed by the Sultan of Maskat [Muscat];Admiralty objection to the flagstaffs, on the grounds that it would be the Navy’s responsibility to protect them;the decision of the Committee of Imperial Defence (CID) to maintain the flagstaff at Telegraph Island, but abandon the flagstaffs at the Maklab Isthmus and Sheep Island;further reconsideration of the proposal to fly a British flag on Telegraph Island, in the wake of investigations by John Gordon Lorimer which assert the Sultan of Muscat’s sovereignty over Musandam;deferral of the decision on the flagstaff at Telegraph Island until the outcome of the Hague Tribunal on vessels at Muscat flying the French flag; the removal, in October 1905, of the flagstaffs on the Maklab Isthmus and Sheep Island;final instruction from the Foreign Office to the Government of India, in May 1908, that the remaining flagstaff on Telegraph Island should be no longer maintained.The file also includes a report of the survey of Khor Kawi [Khawr al Quway‘] by HMS
Sphinx, dated 31 December 1903, with a map showing water depths in Khor Kawi (ff 190-192), and a letter from the Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station, Vice Admiral George L Atkinson-Willes, to the Government of India, dated 5 September 1905, recommending that Khor Kawi be used as a new British naval base, rather than Elphinstone Inlet or Telegraph Island (ff 34-35).The volume includes a divider which gives the year that the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in it arranged by year. This divider is placed at the front of the volume (f 3).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 225; 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: The volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, and notes relating to Kuwaiti relations with Bahrain from 1906 to 1920.The discussion in the volume relates to:a note of a conversation between the Resident and Shaikh Mubarak [Shaikh Mubārak bin Ṣabāḥ Āl Ṣabāḥ] of Kuwait concerning Nasir bin Mobarak bin al Khalifa the 'outlaw relative' of Shaikh Isa of Bahrain [Shaikh ‘Īsá bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah];reported expulsion of Jews from Bahrain;Bahraini political exiles;Shaikh Mubarak's visit to Bahrain, 1911;A note by Acting Civil Commissioner in Mesopotamia, Arnold Talbot Wilson, entitled 'Note on History of Zubara and Claims of Shaikh of Bahrein to Zubara', which includes (folio 44) a small sketch map illustrating the remarks in this note.Included in the volume (folios 33-34) is a copy in Arabic and English translation of the letter of Nasir bin Mobarak bin al-Khalifa, Chief of the Al Abdullah branch of the Al Khalifa family of Bahrain to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. Also included is a map (folio 44) prepared by the Acting Civil Commissioner for Mesopotamia, Arnold Talbot Wilson, to illustrate his 'Note on History of Zubara and Claims of Shaikh of Bahrein to Zubara'.The principal correspondents in the volume include: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Percy Zachariah Cox and later, Francis Beville Prideaux; the Political Agent, Kuwait, Stuart George Knox; the Acting Civil Commissioner in Mesopotamia, Arnold Talbot Wilson; the Political Agent, Bahrain, David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer.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 53; 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 2-52, and ff 3-39; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The volume comprises hand written letters, notes, typed correspondence and printed reports relating to the proposed adoption of a distinctive Kuwait flag and certificates of nationality for marine craft belonging to Shaikh Mobarak [Shaikh Mubārak bin Ṣabāḥ Āl Ṣabāḥ] or his subjects. Further discussion surrounds the inscription of 'Koweit' in Roman script as well as Arabic script and the concerns of Shaikh Mobarak over this in the context of strained relations between Persia and Turkey. Shaikh Mobarak requested that Britain guarantee him protection against the Ottomans. The result was the continued use of the Turkish flag with Kuwait inscribed in Arabic letters, to illustrate the Shaikh's 'quasi-independence'. Correspondence discusses the concern of the Ruler of Kuwait over the ability of the British to protect him from the Ottoman Government and the special agreement between the British Government and the Shaikh of Koweit [Kuwait] which imposed certain restrictions on the Shaikh whilst implying a British guarantee of protection of Kuwait's territorial integrity. The correspondence discusses the relative merits of adopting the British flag and the inscription of the Muslim declaration of faith on the flag flown by the Shaikh in front of his palace. Correspondence in 1924 discusses the procedure of flying the flag of Kuwait on HM Ships when receiving a visit from the Shaikh of Kuwait.The principal correspondents in the volume include: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Percy Zachariah Cox; the Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department, Sir Louis Dane; the Political Agent at Kuwait, Stuart George Knox, and later James Carmichael More; the Second Assistant to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; Viceroy; the Secretary of State for India, John Morley; the HM Ambassador to Constantinople, Nicholas O'Conor; the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Edward Grey; the Naval Commander in Chief, East Indies Station.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 57; 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 3-42; 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.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the dispute between Abu Dhabi and Dubai over Khor Ghanadhah. The correspondence is between the British Agency at Sharjah, the Political Agency at Bahrain, the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bahrain, Shaikh Sa‘īd bin Maktūm Āl Maktūm, the ruler of Dubai, Shaikh Shakhbūṭ bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, and representatives of Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Ltd.The correspondence comprises of the claims (and counter claims) of the two rulers to the territory of Khor Ghanadhah set out in detail, at the request of the British. Reference is made to various incidents of conflict that took place in the disputed area, with numerous witness statements included. Near the back of the file (folios 70-71) are the summarised claims of each ruler with comments and points allocated to each by the Political Officer, Trucial Coast.Included in the file is correspondence from Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Limited reporting their intentions to carry out geological surveying in the area and expressing their desire for clarity on boundary issues.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 88; 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 2-78; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the affairs of Ra's al-Khaymah. The correspondence is mostly between the British Agency at Sharjah, the Political Agency at Bahrain, the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bahrain, the Shaikh of Ra's al-Khaymah (Sulṭān bin Sālim Āl Qasimī, later Saqr bin Muḥammad Āl Qasimī) and his brother (Muḥammad bin Sālim Āl Qasimī), and the Foreign Office.The papers cover numerous matters, including:the limits of the Shaikh's territory;the restoration of the British government's support to Ra's al-Khaymah (it had been withdrawn following Shaikh Sultan's lack of cooperation over a concession agreement with Petroleum Concessions Limited in 1938);Shaikh Sultan's claim over Tamb Island and the British government's desire for his flag to be permanently flown there;the 1946 conflict and subsequent stand-off between Shaikh Sultan and his brother, Muḥammad bin Sālim, which eventually resulted in the coup carried out by Muḥammad's son, Saqr, in early 1948;the recognition by the British of Saqr bin Muḥammad Āl Qasimī as the Shaikh of Ra's al-Khaymah;a complaint by Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Sulaiman, Shaikh of Bakha, of aggression by the people of Sha'am.Folio 121 is a genealogical chart of the Jowasim [Qawāsim] lineage.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 142; 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 2-141; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the definition of tribal territories and boundaries in the Trucial Coast (United Arab Emirates). The correspondence is principally between the Residency Agent and Political Officer in Sharjah, the Political Agency in Bahrain, the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire (Bahrain from 1946), the Foreign Office, and a number of rulers and representatives of the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms.Matters covered by the file include:the dispute over the border between Abu Dhabi and Dubai;the influence of Saudi Arabia, including the collection of taxes in the Trucial Coast by Saudi agents;claims of sovereignty over the islands and mainland territories of the Trucial Coast by its rulers;the presence of Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO) workers in Abu Dhabi territory;the camel routes between Buraimi, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar, including a sketch map (folio 153).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 165; 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 3-163; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence regarding the unauthorised entry of Persian [Iranian] territory by an Royal Air Force (RAF) plane. The main correspondents are as follows; the Agent to the Governor-General, Resident; the Chief Commissioner, Baluchistan; HM Ambassador to Iran and the Government of India, External Affairs Department. The aircraft is reported to have flown from Jiwani to Dashtiari by the RAF Commanding Officer at Jiwani. From here a Persian citizen and friend of the pilot, Mir Yusaf Khan Saddazai, was collected and transported back to Jiwani for a personal visit before returning with him a few days later. Also discussed is a Soviet press report suggesting that the trip had facilitated the delivery of arms to Baluchistan, a claim which is denied by the Government of India, External Affairs Department.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 20; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This item consists of two translated copies of a letter from the Imam of Muskat [Muscat], Saeed Seyed bin Sultan [Sayyid Sa‘īd bin Sulṭān Āl Bū Sa‘īd, also spelled Syeed Saeed Bin Sooltan in this item] to Viscount Palmerston, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, dated 1 May 1841, with enclosures.The letter relates to the Imam’s concerns over activities of the French. He states that on his arrival at Zanzibar, he deputed a man to Noosbeh [Nosy Be] and to the Sucklabahs [Sakalava people] ‘to watch the proceedings of the French’. The enclosures consist of copies of the following: a letter from the French Consul who had come to Zanzibar to Khumis bin Oosman; two letters from Smekhoo [Tsiomeko, also spelled Smeekoo in this item], Queen of the Sukalavas, to the Imam of Muscat, and a copy of a treaty between Smeekoo, her Ambassador, and the Imam of Muscat, placing all the Sukalavas as subjects under the authority of the Imam of Muscat. The letters were enclosed in a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 49 of 1841, c 17 June 1841.Physical description: There is no abstract of contents.
Abstract: 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.Physical description: 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.