Abstract: This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding the territorial status of a number of small islands in the Persian Gulf and their potential for oil exploration. In particular, the status of the islands of Farsi, Arabi and Harqus is discussed at length.In addition to correspondence, the file contains the following:India Office memorandum from 1928 entitled 'Status of certain Groups of Islands in the Persian Gulf' (folios 197-198)'Oil Board. The expropriation by the Mexican Government of the properties of the Oil Companies in Mexico. Memorandum by the Petroleum Department' (folios 112-119)'Great Britain: Principal Sources of Oil Supply: the outputs of Crude Oil of those countries, their relationship to World Output, during the years 1935, 1936 and 1937; and the Maximum allocations to these sources in an Emergency' (folio 120)Hand-drawn map of the Persian Gulf showing the islands of Farsi, Arabi, Harqus and Qran (folio 78).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 230; 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 2-21 and between ff 62-229; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file concerns the territorial status of a number of islands in the Persian Gulf. The issue arose in response to a request from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company Limited to the Foreign Office in 1938 concerning the extent of Iranian (generally referred to as Persian) territory, in order that the company could choose the precise location of the 100,000 square mile oil concession granted to them by the Iranian Government.The islands principally concerned are Tamb (also referred to as Tumb and Tunb), Little Tamb (also referred to as Nabiya Tunb), Abu Musa, Farur, Little Farur (also referred to as Nabiya Farur), Sirri, Arabi, and Farsi.The papers include correspondence from the Foreign Office describing the position of the British Government with regard to the status of each island; the question of whether to offer an ex gratia payment to the Shaikh of Sharjah in respect of any oil found at Sirri, September-October 1938; papers concerning the extent of Iranian territorial waters and the issue of offshore oil fields, including comments by the Petroleum Department, 1938; and the flying of the flag of the Shaikh of Ras al Khaima over Tamb Island, 1942.The file also includes India Office confidential prints dated 1928 relating to the status of some of the islands concerned.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 77; 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 2-33; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: This part contains papers relating to the status of certain islands in the Persian Gulf. A large proportion of the papers concern the policy to be adopted by the British Government (as decided by the Persian Gulf Sub-Committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence) in relation to islands in the Persian Gulf whose ownership by Persia [Iran] had not been established (in the view of the British Government). These islands included Farsi, Arabi, Harqus and Qran.The papers mainly consist of correspondence and India Office Political and Secret Department minute papers. The main correspondents are as follows: the India Office; the Foreign Office; HM Chargé d’Affaires, Tehran, and HM Minister Tehran (Sir Robert Henry Clive); the Acting Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs; the Admiralty; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Colonial Office; and the Government of India Foreign and Political Department.The papers also include printed copies of India Office memoranda by John Gilbert Laithwaite entitled ‘Status of certain Groups of Islands in the Persian Gulf.’ (27 August 1928), and ‘Status of the Islands of Tamb, Little Tamb, Abu Musa, and Sirri.’ (24 August 1928).Physical description: 1 item (102 folios)
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to American consular posts in the Persian Gulf. This largely consists of: correspondence between the Political Agent, Kuwait, and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; correspondence between the Political Agent, Kuwait, and the British Ambassador, Baghdad; copies of correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the India Office, and between the Political Resident and the Political Agents at Bahrain and Muscat; copies of correspondence between the India Office and the Foreign Office; and copies of correspondence between the Foreign Office and the United States Embassy, London.This correspondence mainly relates to the following subjects:the informal inclusion of Oman (Muscat), Qatar, and the Trucial Coast within the district of the United States Consul at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and the activities of the United States Vice-Consul at Dhahranthe proposed agreement between the United Kingdom and the US for the reciprocal grant of certain financial privileges for officials other than diplomatic and consular personnelthe report of the Political Agent, Kuwait, on the visit to Kuwait from 13 to 16 July 1945 of the US Vice-Consul at Basrah [Basra]the visit to Kuwait of the US Ambassador to Iraq as a guest of the Kuwait Oil Company on 28 March 1947 for two nightsenquiries made by the US Vice-Consul at Basra to the Political Agent, Kuwait, about Farsi Island and the Kuwait Order-in-Council and ‘extra-territoriality’the establishment of an American Consulate at KuwaitAmerican consular ‘infiltration’ into Kuwait and the saluting by gun of American consular officers during the visit of units of the US NavyPhysical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 60; 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.