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73. 'File 19/243 II (C 72) Zubarah'
- Description:
- Abstract: File contains correspondence related to hostilities that occurred between the forces of Shaikh Abdullah bin Qassim Al Thani of Qatar and the Al Naim tribe that took place in June and July 1937.At this time, the Al Naim tribe was allied to the Al Khalifa ruling family of Bahrain who claimed Zubarah as a part of their own territory (the family had been based there before their conquest of Bahrain in 1783). The British authorities did not recognise the Al Khalifa's claim to Zubarah and did not intervene on their behalf. Hostilities ended in July 1937 and Shaikh Rashid bin Muhammad, Chief of the Al Naim tribe, agreed to recognise the rule of the Al Thani family over Zubarah.The file also contains a map of Qatar (folio 164) and four aerial photographs of Zubarah (folios 160-163).Physical description: A bound correspondence file. Foliation starts on first page of text, top right hand circled number. Ends on last page in volume. A second foliation penciled, uncircled from folio 1a-209.
74. ‘File 21/1 I Zubarah’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence concerning the ongoing dispute between the Rulers of Bahrain and Qatar over the sovereignty of Zubarah and the surrounding area on the Qatar Peninsula. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Agent at Bahrain (Cornelius James Pelly; Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Crawshaw Galloway), the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay), the Ruler of Bahrain (Sheikh Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah), and the Ruler of Qatar (Sheikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī).The volume includes:an initial exchange of letters between the Political Agent and the Rulers of Bahrain and Qatar, between February and July 1945, relating to the Ruler of Bahrain’s complaints that some of his subjects had gone to a place called Bruk on the Qatar Peninsula (near Zubarah) to collect wood, and had been harassed by men associated with the Ruler of Qatar (ff 2-41). Underlying the dispute are the differing interpretations of the two Rulers to the agreement, signed by them in June 1944, to restore friendly relations between the states of Bahrain and Qatar, and to restore conditions at Zubarah to what they had been prior to 1936;correspondence between the Political Agent and Political Resident, relating to Bahrain-Qatar relations and the 1944 agreement, including: comment on the vagaries of the 1944 agreement (ff 61-63); the difficulties encountered in the handing over of the role of Political Agent from one individual to another; the historical context of Bahrain-Qatar relations, including a note, prepared by the Political Agent (Galloway) on the history of Zubarah, up to the present day (ff 100-107); discussion over the possibility of requesting the Ruler of Qatar to demolish his fort at Zubarah;ongoing correspondence amid a stalemate in the disagreement over Zubarah, including: the imposition by the Qatar Customs Officer of export duties on limestone shipped from Qatar to Bahrain (ff 50-54); the Ruler of Bahrain’s agreement that the Al Bu Rumaih tribe be allowed to emigrate from Bahrain to Qatar (ff 95-96); the dispatch of a deputation to Zubarah by the Ruler of Qatar; continued letters, some enclosing petitions, from the Ruler of Bahrain, making his historical claim to Zubarah (ff 125-138);correspondence relating to an incident in early 1947, in which an individual from the Al Bu Rumaih tribe, on returning to Qatar, was arrested and imprisoned by the Ruler of Bahrain (ff 167-204). An attempt by the Assistant Political Agent (Captain Hugh Dunstan Rance) to intervene in the matter in the Political Agent’s absence, provoked a strong complaint from the Ruler of Bahrain, which in turn brought a rebuke from the Political Agent (Pelly) on his return. In correspondence exchanged with the Political Resident in the wake of the incident, Pelly suggests that Arab rulers, including the Ruler of Bahrain, are beginning to challenge British orders, in light of Britain’s ‘recessive’ policy in Egypt and India (ff 203-204).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 235; 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 4-213; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.Pagination: the file notes at the back (ff 214-232) have been paginated using pencil.
75. ‘File 21/11 Communal tension in Qatar: appointment of special constables for Qatar’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises correspondence and other papers relating to tensions arising between the Muslim and Sikh communities of Bahrain and Qatar, in response to the Indo-Pakistan war of 1947. The tensions referred to in the file are chiefly between Indian/Pakistani employees of Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL), operating the oil concession in Qatar. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Agent in Bahrain, Cornelius Pelly, and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Sir William Rupert Hay.The file includes: a letter from Basil Henry le Riolet Lermitte, Manager for PCL, to the Political Agent at Bahrain, dated 22 January 1948, reporting on tensions between Sikh and Muslim PCL employees, and enquiring if Special Police Constables can be employed by PCL, similar to those employed by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) in Bahrain (f 3); proposed searches of PCL employees for weapons, dismissal and/or departure of Sikh PCL employees (ff 4-7); correspondence between the Political Resident and H Dayal of the Ministry of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations in New Delhi, 1948, relating to ‘communal relations’ in Bahrain and the wider Gulf region, with reference to Sikh-Muslim tensions, and anti-Jewish riots in Bahrain in December 1947 (ff 10-12); the text (typewritten draft and printed) of a notice entitled Kings Regulations under Article 83 of “The Qatar Order in Council, 1939” No.1 of 1948: Special Police Officers’ Regulations, dated 3 February 1948 and signed by Hay (ff 13-14, 16).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 18; 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.
76. ‘File 28/35 Defence of Qatar’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file, while entitled ‘Defence of Qatar’, chiefly concerns the issue of six rifles and 1,200 rounds of small arms ammunition (SAA) to British personnel employed by Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) in Qatar during the war. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman; Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban) and the Manager of PCL at Bahrain (Ernest Vincent Packer).The file includes:correspondence relating to a report, entitled an ‘Appreciation of the Defence of Qatar against tribal attack and sabotage’ prepared by staff at Air HQ in Iraq, and sent to the Political Resident on 6 February 1939 (f 2). A copy of the report is not included in the file, however, the Political Agent at Bahrain’s comments on the report are (ff 3-5);a copy of a report prepared by the Air Liaison Officer at Bahrain (R Coates) in July 1939, being a reconnaissance of possible landing grounds and flying boat mooring areas at Dohat-es-Zekrit [Zikrīt] (ff 11-12);correspondence dated September 1939, relating to protection for British personnel working on the Qatar oil field, and a request by the Political Agent at Bahrain to the Air Officer Commanding at Bahrain, for six rifles and SAA to be loaned to PCL’s British employees in Qatar (ff 13-19). Later correspondence, dated June and July 1941, details the eventual receipt of the rifles and ammunition by PCL (f 21, f 26), a rifle register (f 28), and a note written by the PCL Manager, describing the poor condition of the rifles (f 32);correspondence dated July 1939, relating to PCL’s plans to close down their operations in Qatar and the Trucial Coast, including: copies of letters from the Political Agent in Bahrain to the Rulers of Qatar and the Trucial Coast, informing them of PCL’s closure of operations (ff 47-54); the return of the six rifles and ammunition to the Defence Officer in the Persian Gulf (Major H T Hewitt), the latter’s complaint at the poor condition of the rifles, and the PCL Manager’s response that the rifles had been received in poor condition (ff 57-59).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 75; 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 1-74; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
77. ‘File 28/35 Denial programme Qatar’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains copies of letters, agreements and other papers relating to the temporary cessation in 1942 of oil operations undertaken by Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited (PDQ) in Qatar, in response to events in the Second World War, and negotiations over an agreement between the Ruler of Qatar and the Political Agent at Bahrain for the cessation of operations, and continued payment of the concession and other costs. The volume’s principal correspondents are the Political Agent at Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield, superseded by Major Tom Hickinbotham in October 1943); the Manager of PDQ (Ernest Vincent Packer, also in the file as chief correspondent for Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL)); the Ruler of Qatar (Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī).The volume includes:a telegraphic instruction from the Under Secretary of State for India, dated 19 June 1942, informing of the Commander-in-Chief Middle East’s decision to plug all oil wells in Qatar and suspend drilling operations, ‘for reasons connected with the War Effort’ (f 10);a copy of a report marked Most Secret, detailing the oil denial proposals for PDQ’s operations in Qatar, prepared by Major E Boaden of the Royal Engineers, and dated 23 May 1942 (ff 19-20);correspondence dated June to July 1942, relating to the plugging and junking of oil wells in the Qatar oil field, and evacuation of oil and water supply equipment, under orders received by the Tenth Army (ff 45-53, ff 67-69);correspondence relating to arrangements to transfer oil drilling equipment from Qatar to Karachi;correspondence between PDQ/PCL, the Political Agent at Bahrain, and the Ruler of Qatar, relating to the protracted negotiation of terms for the suspension of oil operations in Qatar, chiefly concerning: retention and pay of guards to protect oil company property; salaries for the Ruler of Qatar’s representatives and the Director of Customs at Zekrit [Zikrīt, also referred to in correspondence as Zekhrit]; rent of the oil company’s house (Company House) in Doha [occasionally referred to as Dohah], and employment of servants; supply and use of the Company’s ice machine, water pump; provision of communications between Doha and Dukhan; maintenance of a launch between Zekrit and Bahrain;correspondence relating to the method of continued concession payments to the Ruler of Qatar: chiefly in the form of discussion over whether the payments should be in silver rupees, preferred by the Ruler but potentially difficult to supply, or in paper currency through the Eastern Bank Limited;multiple copies of the draft agreement of terms between the Ruler of Qatar and the Political Agent at Bahrain;correspondence dated October and November 1943 relating to arrangements for the Political Agent in Bahrain to visit Doha and the Ruler of Qatar, in order to conclude the suspension of operations agreement;a copy of the original agreement between the Ruler of Qatar and the Political Agent at Bahrain, dated 23 November 1943, setting out payments and facilities to be provided by PDQ during the suspension of operations in Qatar (in English and Arabic, with the latter signed by the Ruler of Qatar and Major Tom Hickinbotham, ff 336-338).While the volume’s correspondence begins in in May and June 1942, an extract of an earlier letter from the Political Resident, dated 5 June 1935 (f 6) provides the earlier date indicated in this catalogue entry’s date range.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 371; 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 incomplete foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 163-349; 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.
78. ‘File 28/38 Powers to appoint approved members of the Company’s [Petroleum Concessions Limited] staff in Qatar as special police officers’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises correspondence and papers relating to the institution of a regulation, created under the Qatar Order in Council (1939) enabling the Political Agent at Bahrain to appoint specified employees of Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) as Special Police Officers in Qatar. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay); the Political Agent at Bahrain (Cornelius James Pelly); and Basil Henry le Riolet Lermitte (PCL Manager).The file contains:correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the PCL Manager, dated July to August 1947, relating to the dismissal and threatening behaviour of a PCL employee in Qatar, and the Political Agent’s subsequent proposal to the Political Resident that PCL be enabled to appoint selected employees as Special Police Officers to deal with such incidents in future (ff 2-8);correspondence between the Political Resident and Eion Pelly Donaldson of the Commonwealth Relations Office, relating to the proposal to appoint PCL employees as police officers under the Qatar Order in Council (ff 12-14);draft and printed copies of King’s Regulation under Article 83 of the Qatar Order in Council, 1939, No. 1 of 1948, entitled Special Police Officers’ Regulations (ff 17-18, f 27, f 29);correspondence and orders no. 1 and 2 of 1950, relation to the appointment of specific PCL employees as Special Police Officers in Qatar (ff 20-21, ff 31-35).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 41; 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 2-14; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.Condition: there is evidence of insect damage throughout the file, in the form of small holes in the papers. This does not affect the readability of the file.
79. ‘File 28/64 Exemptions from customs dues on oil companies’ stores’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises copies of correspondence relating to customs and transit duties payable on equipment and stores owned by Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited (PDQ) that are passing from Qatar through Bahrain, as a consequence of the shutdown of the Company’s operations in Qatar in 1942. The file’s principal correspondents are: the Political Agent in Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield); the Manager of PDQ (Ernest Vincent Packer); and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave).The file includes:correspondence between the Political Agent, PDQ Manager, and Adviser to Government, including: Bahrain Government agreement that exemption of duty and transit fees should be made for equipment sold to British military forces; PDQ objection to having to pay a two per cent transit duty on stores returning to Bahrain; a list of materials being shipped by PDQ from Qatar via Bahrain (f 29); the Bahrain Government’s eventual waiving of all transit duties on PDQ stores;correspondence relating to a similar enquiry concerning customs and transit duties made by the California-Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC), and the Bahrain Government’s concession that duty be waived on equipment being brought through Bahrain for purchase on behalf of the United States Armed Forces.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 37; 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, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
80. 'File 29/18 II Tea and coffee: Bahrain, Eastern Saudi Arabia and Qatar'
- Description:
- Abstract: This is a correspondence file about the operation and impact of the quota system and export licensing restrictions that were imposed by the Government of India, on the supply of Indian tea (and to a lesser extent the supply of coffee) to Bahrain and also to Eastern Saudi Arabia and Qatar, during the Second World War (1939-1945). The main official correspondents are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain; the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain; the Food Controller, Bahrain; the Tea Controller for India, Calcutta; and other Government of India officials in the Departments of Commerce and External Affairs. Included in the file are various circular lists that give the names of Indian tea exporters and Bahrain tea importers, such as the monthly list of India tea quota allotments prepared by the Political Agent, Bahrain and similar lists, complied by the Director of Customs and Port Officer and the Food Controller on behalf of the Government of Bahrain.The file also contains merchants' correspondence between: Indian tea exporters and Bahrain tea importers about their shipping consignments; the Chairman of the Persian Gulf States Pool (an association of Indian tea exporters) and the Political Agent, Bahrain about the distribution of tea quotas among members of the Pool; Bahrain tea importers and the Political Agent, Bahrain about Indian tea importations allowed to be landed at Bahrain under the Government of India quota system.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the 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. An additional incomplete foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 93-204; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. Pagination: the file notes at the back of the file (ff 204-224) are paginated in pencil. The original front file cover, containing the original file title and file reference number, is missing.
81. ‘File 29/18 vol. iii TEA FOR BAHRAIN, EAST SAUDI ARABIA AND QATAR’
- Description:
- Abstract: This is a correspondence file about the operation and impact of the quota system and export licensing restrictions that were imposed by the Government of India, on the supply of Indian tea (and to a lesser extent the supply of coffee) to Bahrain and also to Eastern Saudi Arabia and Qatar, during the Second World War (1939-1945). The main official correspondents are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain; the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain; the Food Controller, Bahrain; the Tea Controller for India, Calcutta; and other Government of India officials in the Departments of Commerce and External Affairs. Included in the file are various circular lists that give the names of Indian tea exporters and Bahrain tea importers, such as the monthly list of India tea quota allotments prepared by the Political Agent, Bahrain and similar lists, complied by the Director of Customs and Port Officer and the Food Controller on behalf of the Government of Bahrain.The file also contains merchants' correspondence between: Indian tea exporters and Bahrain tea importers about their shipping consignments; the Chairman of the Persian Gulf States Pool (an association of Indian tea exporters) and the Political Agent, Bahrain about the distribution of tea quotas among members of the Pool; Bahrain tea importers and the Political Agent, Bahrain about Indian tea importations allowed to be landed at Bahrain under the Government of India quota system.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 240; 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 176-217 with numbers sporadically appearing on other folios; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
82. ‘File 29/20 – Vol II FOOD STOCK POSITION – Monthly Return’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence and statistics about the monitoring and maintenance of adequate supplies of quota rice, wheat, sugar and also cotton piece goods, in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, in the years following the Second World War (1939-1945). These essential commodities continued to be subject to Government of India quota arrangements and other controls imposed on trade with the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms, due to wartime shortages.The main contents of the file are the monthly stock figures sent to the Political Agent, Bahrain by the Director of Customs, Bahrain. These figures show the quantities (in tons) of Bahrain Government imports, stocks and exports (mainly to Qatar) of rice, wheat, sugar and cotton piece goods. There are similar monthly stock figures for Dubai, Sharjah and the other Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, submitted by both the Residency Agent and the Political Officer for the Trucial Coast, Sharjah. There are also file copies of the monthly consolidated stock figures sent by the Political Agent, Bahrain to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. Included in the file is a small amount of correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain and his officials at Sharjah, about wheat and sugar prices in Dubai and Sharjah, following the abolition of controls and a return to normal market conditions for these food commodities.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.
83. ‘File 29/20 iii STOCK POSITION – BAHRAIN & TRUCIAL COAST’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence and statistics about the monitoring and maintenance of adequate supplies of quota rice, cereals such as wheat and barley, sugar, tea and also cotton piece goods, in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, in the years following the Second World War (1939-1945). These essential commodities continued to be subject to Government of India quota arrangements and other controls imposed on trade with the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms, due to wartime shortages.The main contents of the file are the monthly stock figures sent to the Political Agent, Bahrain by the Director of Customs, Bahrain. These figures show the quantities (in tons) of Bahrain Government imports, stocks and exports (mainly to Qatar) of cereals, tea, sugar and cotton piece goods. There are similar monthly stock figures for Dubai, Sharjah and the other Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, including separate figures for private importations of barley, submitted by both the Residency Agent and the Political Officer for the Trucial Coast, Sharjah. There are also file copies of the monthly consolidated stock figures sent by the Political Agent, Bahrain to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, together with his recommendations for reducing imports of quota wheat to Bahrain and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, based on increased supplies of imported rice. There are similar monthly consolidated stock figures from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf to the British Supply Mission (Middle East), Cairo (formerly the Middle East Supply Centre). These show the cereal stocks position in Bahrain, Kuwait, Muscat and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms.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 237; 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 2-108; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
84. ‘File 29/21 - III FOOD SUPPLY RICE’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence about arrangements for the purchase and shipping of rice imports mainly from African and South American countries, for consumption in Bahrain, Qatar, Dubai, Sharjah and other Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, where rice and other cereals continued to be in scarce supply after the Second World War (1939-1945). The file consists mainly of letters from Bahrain and Dubai merchants, or from the Imperial Bank of Iran and the Eastern Bank Limited on their behalf, also from the local manager of the Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited on behalf of oil company personnel, asking the Political Agent, Bahrain to permit them foreign currency exchange facilities for the purchase of rice from Brazil and other non-Sterling countries. Also included in the file are the Political Agent’s responses, including importation recommendation certificates and letters to their banks, approving the release of sterling for the opening of letters of credit and hard currency payments to exporters.The file also contains the successful bids made to the International Emergency Food Committee (IEFC), Washington by the British Government on behalf of Bahrain, Qatar, Dubai and the other Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, for a share in the 1949 Middle East rice allocations. In relation to this matter there is the correspondence of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent, Bahrain with the Rulers of Bahrain, Qatar and Dubai and also with British officials at the Ministry of Food and the Foreign Office in London. In this correspondence, they discuss reducing existing wheat quota imports for Bahrain, Qatar and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms in favour of increased rice quota imports, the arrangements for the local storage and stock management of the IEFC allocated Egyptian rice by British Ministry of Food officials in Cairo, the appointment of approved purchasing and shipping agents by the Bahrain and Dubai authorities to act for them and for their merchants with regard to orders, payments and deliveries of the IEFC allocated Egyptian quota rice by sea to Bahrain, Qatar and Dubai.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 360; 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.