Abstract: Correspondence and other papers concerning oil exploration and applications for oil concessions in Mesopotamia [Iraq] and in the frontier region between Mesopotamia and Persia [Iran] during and in the years following the First World War, when Mesopotamia was under British military occupation and administration. The papers cover: an application for an oil concession on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, made to the British Government by the Motor Petrol Association Limited, 1918; an application made to the Government by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) for an extension of their Persia oil concession to cover the ‘Persian Gulf littoral’, 1918; the development of an oilfield at Naft Khana [Nafţ Khānah] in Mesopotamia, with company expenditure paid from British military funds; discussion of the position of the Turco-Persian frontier in relation to the Naft Khana oilfields; the transfer of territory from Persia to Mesopotamia, and the formation of a new company by APOC to apply for concession rights in this territory; discussion between the British civil administration in Mesopotamia, HM Petroleum Executive, APOC, the India Office and Foreign Office, on future oil policy in Mesopotamia; the US Ambassador in London’s concern that representatives of the Standard Oil Company of New York were being forbidden to undertake geological surveying work in Mesopotamia, 1919.The file’s principal correspondents are: the Civil Commissioner in Mesopotamia, Arnold Talbot Wilson; the India Office; the Foreign Office; HM Petroleum Executive.The volume 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 inside back cover with 236; 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 A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.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: Correspondence and papers concerning trade in those parts of Mesopotamia [Iraq] under British military administration during the First World War. Subjects covered include: the resumption of trade between Britain and traders at Basra; claims by British firms for the losses of goods looted or destroyed at Baghdad and Basra by Turkish troops during the initial British invasion of Mesopotamia in 1914; the British Government’s response to claims made by British firms in Mesopotamia over losses incurred during the War; correspondence concerning the seizure and consequent liquidation of enemy (i.e. German and Austrian) commercial interests in the Persian Gulf, with specific reference to the German firm Robert Wönckhaus & Company; statements of balances of enemy commercial concerns seized by British forces for September 1916 (ff 116-117) and December 1916 (ff 79-80); the payment of funds from the assets of Robert Wönckhaus & Company, to employees of the firm interned as prisoners of war at Ahmednagar, India; representations made by the French ambassador to London on behalf of a French firm that had 180,000 Francs held in the Ottoman Bank, Baghdad.The file’s principal correspondents include: the Chief Political Officer of Indian Expeditionary Force D, Percy Zachariah Cox; the Foreign Office; the India Office; the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India.Several items of correspondence in the volume are written in French.The file includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references 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 inside back cover 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.
Abstract: Papers relating to trade between Baghdad and Basra in Mesopotamia [Iraq] and Great Britain, in the wake of Britain’s military invasion and occupation of Mesopotamia during the First World War. Subjects covered include: the resumption of trade between Britain and Baghdad; enquiries made to the British Government by British firms asking if they may resume trade to and from Mesopotamia; enquiries relating to goods seized and condemned by the Prize Court; the resumption of trading at Baghdad by a number of firms ‘approved’ by the British Government’s Board of Trade; enquiries by commercial firms relating to goods looted or destroyed during the military invasion of Mesopotamia. The file’s principal correspondents are: the Foreign Office; the India Office; the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India; Henry Fountain of the Commercial Department of the Board of Trade.The file includes a single item of correspondence in French: a copy of a telegram from the Persian Consul General in Baghdad (f 144).The file includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references 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 inside back cover with 189; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: Correspondence and papers concerning the export of wool from Baghdad in Mesopotamia [Iraq] during Britain’s military occupation of the country in the First World War. Subjects covered include: enquiries from commercial firms seeking to export wool from Mesopotamia; shipping arrangements for the export of wool from Baghdad to various destinations, including Britain and Marseilles in France; arrangements for the shipment of consignments of wool to the United States of America, and the War Office’s opposition to such plans, insisting that all available wool should be reserved for Britain’s military requirements. The file’s principal correspondents are: the India Office; the Foreign Office; the Director of Raw Materials, War Office; the Indian Munitions Board, Government of India; Selim Homsy & Company; Gulbenkian Brothers.The file includes a single item in French: a copy of a memorandum received by the Foreign Office from the French Ambassador to London (f 230).The file includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references 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 inside back cover with 245; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: Correspondence and papers concerning the export of wool from Baghdad and Basra in Mesopotamia [Iraq] during Britain’s military occupation of the country after the First World War. The contents of the file are a direct chronological continuation of File 3104/1915 Pt 4 ‘Mesopotamia: Trade with Baghdad & Export of wool’ (IOR/L/PS/10/567). Contents of the file include: arrangements for the export of 3,000 bales of wool from Basra to Marseilles; restrictions on the export of wool from Mesopotamia; changes in trading restrictions, including the Army Council’s insistence that all wool from Mesopotamia be imported into Britain, for distribution to its allies (specifically, France and the United States of America); a copy of a report produced by the East Indian Wool Trade Committee, dated July 1918 (ff 77-85); applications by commercial firms seeking to export wool from Mesopotamia; the Army Council’s considerations on lifting restrictions on the export of wool in February 1919. The file contains a number of items in French.The file’s principal correspondents are: the India Office; the Foreign Office; the War Office, including the Director of Raw Materials at the War Office.The file includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references 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 inside back cover with 166; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: Correspondence and papers concerning the resumption of trade at Baghdad in Mesopotamia [Iraq] after Britain’s military invasion during the First World War. Subjects covered include: in August 1917, discussion amongst British Government officials as to whether an official announcement concerning the resumption of trade at Baghdad should be made; applications from commercial firms in Britain to resume business and exchange financial payments with traders in Baghdad; the compilation of a list of ‘approved’ firms that should be allowed to resume trade, and a ‘black list’ of firms (supplied by the Chief Political Officer at Baghdad, Percy Zachariah Cox) that should be barred from trade; an appeal by a trader based in Amsterdam, against a ruling barring him from resuming trade at Baghdad and Basra; difficulties in river transit between Baghdad and Basra. The file’s principal correspondents are: the Foreign Office; the India Office; The Commercial Department of the Board of Trade; the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India.The file contains a single item of correspondence written in French (f 100).The file includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 224; 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, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: Correspondence and papers concerning foreign trade in Baghdad and Basra in Mesopotamia [Iraq] after Britain’s military invasion during the First World War. The papers cover: various enquiries from businesses in England and elsewhere (the Netherlands, the United States of America) about trade with businesses in Baghdad and Basra; list of companies and individuals in Baghdad and Basra with whom trade was prohibited (i.e. blacklisted). The file’s principal correspondents are: the Foreign Office; the India Office; The Commercial Department of the Board of Trade; the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India.The file contains a single item of correspondence written in French (f 220).The file includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 314; 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, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: Correspondence and other papers relating to the Prize Court proceedings of the SS
Albistanand SS
Avristan.Most of the papers relate to the case of the
Albistan,which sailed from Mohammerah [Khorramshahr] in Mesopotamia [Iraq] in October 1914 (prior to war being declared between Britain and the Ottoman Empire), arriving in London in December 1914. In January 1915 the
Albistan’scargo, consisting of goods shipped from Baghdad, was seized by the Admiralty as enemy property. The file comprises correspondence between government officials, including the Foreign Office and HM’s Procurator General (Prize Department) at the Treasury, and some of the key claimants and their legal representatives in the case. These include the firms M Samuel & Company and Frederick Huth & Company, both of which were represented by Waltons & Company. The file includes details of the proceedings, as reported in
Lloyd’s Liston 27 February 1917 (ff 160-161), and a copy of the judgement made at the High Court of Justice, Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division, dated 17 May 1918 (ff 51-54).The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 161; 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, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: Papers relating to trade with Mesopotamia during and after the First World War:Part 9 concerns the lifting of restrictions on trade between Baghdad and Mesopotamia [Iraq], under the Trading with the Enemy (Occupied Territory) Proclamation of 1915.Part 10 concerns the return or disposal of enemy (Turkish or German) property and other assets in Mesopotamia [Iraq] and the Persian Gulf at the end of the First World War.Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 354; 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, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: The volume contains papers relating to banking arrangements, mainly in Mesopotamia [Iraq]. It consists of three parts:Part 4 contains papers relating to the Imperial Ottoman Bank in Mesopotamia, mostly concerning the Baghdad branch.Part 5 contains papers relating to the extension of banking facilities in Mesopotamia.Part 6 contains papers relating to the Eastern Bank.Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 354; 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, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The volume contains papers, mostly correspondence and India Office Minute Papers and Reference Papers, mainly relating to the subsidy paid to Ibn Saud, Emir of Nejd [Najd]. It includes papers relating to the following:The proposal to pay Ibn Saud a monthly subsidy of £5,000 per month, the cost of which would be borne by Imperial Revenues.The enquiry into the authority given for the continuance of the payment by the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, of the £5,000 monthly subsidy to Ibn Saud beyond the period of six months originally sanctioned by the Treasury.The proposal to debit Ibn Saud’s subsidy against the surplus revenues of Mesopotamia [Iraq].The request to the India Office from the War Office for a refund of £69,068.The main correspondents are: the India Office; the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India; the Foreign Office; the War Office; the Treasury; the Civil Commissioner Baghdad; Sir Percy Zachariah Cox; and Harry St John Bridger Philby.The file includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 202; these numbers are written in pencil, 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 59-178; these numbers are written in crayon.The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the two leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence in the form of letters and telegrams related to the temporary administration of Baghdad Vilayet [province] and the question of the type of postage stamps to be used for the civil post office at Baghdad during the British occupation. The correspondence is particularly related to a small supply of Turkish stamps that was found in Baghdad after the Ottoman troops left the city. The British Government proposed to issue these stamps with the overprint 'Baghdad under British Occupation.' The volume includes correspondence with stamp printing firms and publishers to provide lists of the Turkish stamps and their values. The volume also includes correspondence between Buckingham Palace and the India Office arranging for a collection of the overprinted Turkish stamps to be sent to His Majesty King George V. Another set of stamps and envelopes was also kept aside in order to use it in an exhibition at the National/Imperial War Museum, London. The main correspondents in the volume are: John Evelyn Shuckburgh; Sir Percy Zachariah Cox, the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad; the Viceroy of India's Foreign Department; the Foreign Office; the Government of India's Department of Commerce and Industry; Harrison and Sons Limited; and Bradbury, Wilkinson and Company, Limited.The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 272; 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, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.