Coll 30/213 'U.S. Desire to Establish Consulate at Bahrein.'

Title:

Coll 30/213 'U.S. Desire to Establish Consulate at Bahrein.'

Date:

1943/1948

Description:

Abstract: The file concerns a request from the Government of the United States of America (US, USA) to the British Government in 1943 to be allowed to open a consulate at Bahrain, in view of the construction of additional oil refining facilities at Bahrain, and a consequent increase in the numbers of American personnel and shipping there (folio 241). However, the British Government rejected the approach (Foreign Office letter, folios 239-240), and saw 'difficulties and dangers' in allowing foreign consular representation at Bahrain (India Office minute, folios 195-196). Later papers, dated 1944-48, show the reaction of the British Government to attempts by the US Government to extend the influence of the US vice-consulate at Dhahran (and the vice-consulate at Basra) to the Gulf states. The papers show that there was a dichotomy between the attitude of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Foreign Office towards American influence in Bahrain (e.g. folio 59).The papers cover: correspondence from the India Office, the Foreign Office, the Government of India, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, and the Political Agent, Bahrain; the attitude of the Ruler of Bahrain; British agreement to the establishment of a US consulate at Dhahran, February-March 1944; the issue of the extension of the US Consul's exequatur to Bahrain, March - April 1944; clarification for the US Government of the issue of jurisdiction over foreigners in Bahrain; the issue of policing in Bahrain; reports of discussions between representatives of the British Government and the US representative Wallace Murray, 1944; British Government correspondence concerning the actual numbers of US citizens resident in Bahrain (e.g. folio 123); a US demand that an American citizen act as a Bahrain judge in all criminal cases in which the defendant was an American citizen (folio 119); correspondence concerning the activities of the US Vice-Consul, Dhahran, October-December 1944; the decision over whether to issue visas to the US Vice-Consul at Dhahran to visit Qatar and the Trucial Coast, December 1944; US relations with Muscat, March 1945; the visit of the US Vice-Consul at Basrah [Basra] to Kuwait, in July 1945 (report dated August 1945); the issue of competing British and US interests in the Middle East (e.g. folio 14); and Foreign Office stress on the need to reduce friction between British officials and American citizens, whether officials or private individuals, November 1947 (folio 12).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.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 243; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The file contains one foliation anomaly, f 158A.

Language:

English

Type:

Archival file

Type (Narrower):

Other Texts

Type (Broader):

Text

Subject:

Consular services
Jurisdiction
United States Consulate, Dharhan

Geographic region:

Bahrain

Rights:

غير معروف

Identifier:

81055/vdc_100000000648.0x00020f_ar
81055/vdc_100000000648.0x00020f_en
IOR/L/PS/12/3956
IOR/L/PS/12/3956

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