Abstract: 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).Physical description: 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.
Abstract: 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.Physical description: 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.
Abstract: 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).Physical description: 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.
Abstract: 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.Physical description: 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.
Abstract: 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).Physical description: 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.
Abstract: 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.Physical description: 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.
Abstract: 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.Physical description: 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.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence reporting on visits to ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Saud) undertaken by Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Vincent Biscoe and Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior in 1932 and 1946 respectively.The report of Prior's visit (ff 2-9), dated 5 February 1932, is sent to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Sir Philip Cunliff-Lister, and copied to the Political Agent at Bahrain. Details of his journey are included, as well as meetings with Yusuf Yasin [Yūsuf Yāsīn] and Ibn Saud, with discussions concerning the Kuwait blockade, emergency landing grounds in Hasa [al-Aḥsā’], and the latter's administration and financial difficulties. The report is followed by a letter, dated 16 February 1932, forwarding translations of letters exchanged between Biscoe and Yusuf Yasin on 28 January 1932 (ff 11-14).The report of Prior's visit (ff 15-19), dated 13 May 1946, is sent to Hugh Weightman, Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs Department, and copied to Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Crawshaw Galloway, Political Agent at Bahrain. Details of his journey are included, as well as meetings with Abdullah al Sulaiman [‘Abdullāh al-Sulaymān], Finance Minister; Harry St John Bridger Philby; Hafiz Wahba, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Britain; and Ibn Saud. Discussions concern Ibn Saud's health, various aspects of regional and international politics (including Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and the Indian independence movement, the Arab League and the Persian Gulf states, Iran, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics), Indian visas for Saudi Arabian subjects, and foreign advisors. The report also includes a number of reminiscences of, and comparisons with, a visit to Ibn Saud which was undertaken fifteen years previously.Physical description: 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 also present in parallel between ff 2-19; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: This file concerns the exchange of postal services between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and covers:1932-1933 (ff 2-30): the conveyance of post between Hasa [al-Aḥsā’] and Bahrain, as well as between Hasa and other foreign countries via Bahrain;1934 (ff 31-43): Saudi Posts, Telegraph and Telephone Department establishing a daily mail service between Bahrain and Hofuf [al-Hufūf] and Katif [al-Qaṭīf];1933-1934 (ff 44-51): use of Arabic language in the wording of the 'Bulletin de verification' (ff 44-51);1935 (ff 52-61): the exchange of mails between Bahrain and Hofuf and Katif and the discontinuance of the use of the term 'Agent of Hofuf at Bahrain' (ff 58-61);1940 (ff 62-69): the conveyance by air or surface of letters for the outside world by air or sea mail, which it is stated must be posted at Al Khobar [al-Khubar] with Saudi Arabian stamps (ff 62-69).The correspondents in the file include: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire; the Political Agent at Bahrain; the Superintendent of Post Offices, Lower Sind and Persian Gulf in Karachi; and the Postmaster at Bahrain.Physical description: 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 also present in parallel between ff 2-33; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence between British officials in Bushire, Bahrain, and Sharjah.Topics include:The visit of Lady Willingdon to Sharjah.A raid by Manasir tribe and murder of the Amir of Khan village.Diving on the Trucial Coast and measures to improve the living conditions of the divers. Includes translation of letters from Shaikh Sa'id bin Maktum, ruler of Dubai to the Residency Agent, Sharjah; and from Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain to Political Agent, Bahrain.The building of a fort by the Sheikh of Sharjah.A pilgrimage to Mecca by Sheikh Abdullah, Sheikh of Qatar (1940).Physical description: Foliation: This consists of pencil numbers, located in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio. The foliation sequence commences on the front cover and concludes on the last folio before the back cover.
Abstract: Most of the correspondence concerns succession at Dubai:Letter from Residency Agent Shargah [Sharjah] No. 13, 10 April 1894 informing Resident of death of Shaikh Rashid bin Maktoom [Rashid bin Maktum].Letter from Maktoom bin Hasher [Maktum bin Hashar] of 12 April 94 informing Resident of his having succeded his uncle.Report to Government No 39 12 May 1894 - correspondence about treatment by the new chief of the sons of Rashid bin Maktoom, the deceased chief.Death of Shiekh Maktoom bin Hashar and succession of Sheikh Buti bin Suheil [Butti bin Suhayl].a letter 27 July 1929 from the Political Resident Persian Gulf to Shaikh Said bin Maktum, Ruler of Dubai; Shaikh Shakhbut bin Sultan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi; Shaikh Rashid bin Humaid, Ruler of Ajman; Shaikh Sultan bin Salim, Ruler of Ras al Khaimah. The letter advises on succession process.There is a one page letter concerning the import duties made by the Shaikh of Dubai.Correspondents include the Residency Agent, Sharjah; Major Percy Zachariah Cox, Political Resident Persian Gulf; Sir Louis Dane, Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department, Simla; Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf. Sheikh Butti bin Suheil, Dubai.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation consists of uncircled pencil numbers located in the top right-hand corner of each folio. The sequence commences on the front cover and concludes on back cover.
Abstract: Correspondence regarding the area of Zaora between the towns of Ajman and Himriya. The Chief of Abu Dhabi sought to despatch provisions by sea for forces sent by him to Zaora for the protection of his tribesmen that he wished to settle there. Correspondence discusses that the Shaikh of Dubai and the Shaikh of Ajman were 'in defensive and offensive alliance with one another against the Chief of Abu Dhabi' and they sought to prevent Zaora having the presence of a tribe protected by the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi.Correspondents include: Residency Agent, Sharjah; Assistant Political Agent, Bahrain; First Assistant to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; Charles Arnold Kemball, Political Resident Persian Gulf, Secretary to the Government of India Foreign Department, Calcutta; Shaikh Za'id bin Khalifah, Chief of Abu Dhabi; Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Humeid, Chief of Ajman.Physical description: Foliation: The sequence consists of small uncircled numbers in the top right hand top corner of each folio. The sequence runs from the first folio to the last folio of text.