Abstract: The file contains correspondence about British efforts to obtain supplies of rice for local consumption in the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms, particularly Bahrain, Qatar and the shaikhdoms of the Trucial Coast, in the years after the Second World War (1939-1945). British and Bahrain Government officials disseminate details about offers of rice from the Government of Pakistan and also the allocation of Egyptian quota import rice from British Ministry of Food rice stores in Egypt. There is also extensive correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Political Officer for Qatar at Doha, about a prolonged dispute between Qatari and Bahraini merchants over the delayed transhipment of Egyptian quota import rice for Qatar, which had been landed at Bahrain.The main correspondents are the Political Agent and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, both Bahrain; the Political Officers for Qatar and the Trucial Coast; the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain and the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain. The file also contains copy correspondence between Foreign Office and Ministry of Food officials in London about the latter’s decision to no longer procure rice from the Egyptian authorities for allocation to the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms after 1950, given the proposed winding up of the International Emergency Food Committee (IEFC) allocation system at the end of 1950.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 97; 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 2-95; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence about: the allocation of import quotas of Indian pulses for Bahrain, Qatar and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms in 1947; the arrangements of Bahrain and Dubai importing merchants with their exporters in Karachi, regarding shipments; and the Government of India’s subsequent decision to cancel the agreed export quotas, due to shortages of pulses for local consumption in India. The main correspondents are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agent, both Bahrain; the Director of Customs and Port Officer, Bahrain; the Political Officer for the Trucial Coast, Sharjah and Government of India officials in the Department of External Affairs, New Delhi. Included in the file is a list of the names and addresses of Bahrain importers and Karachi exporters of Indian pulses to the Persian Gulf countries, in 1947.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 29; 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 2-28; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence mainly about the export of bran from Punjab, by sea from Karachi to Bahrain and the Trucial Coast ports of Dubai and Sharjah, during and after the Second World War (1939-1945), when essential animal feed such as bran was in short supply and subject to Government of India export restrictions and import quota arrangements in the Persian Gulf shaikhdoms under British protection. The correspondence is mainly between the Political Agent for Bahrain, the Director of Customs and Port Officer for the Government of Bahrain, and officials in the Government of India External Affairs Department, New Delhi. They discuss minimum annual requirements for the local consumption of bran in Bahrain and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms; the quarterly and half-yearly distributions (in tons) of the bran quota among approved merchants in Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah; the regular quota reductions imposed by the Government of India Food Department owing to acute shortages in India and the unavailability of a surplus for export and Government of India revised export control procedures. The file also contains merchants’ correspondence, from importers in Bahrain and their export agents and shippers in Karachi, complaining about the refusal of the Export Trade Controller in Karachi and other Government of India controlling authorities, to grant export licences and permits. Included in the file are numerous lists containing the names of all approved importers of Indian quota bran in Bahrain, Dubai and Sharjah, as well as the names and addresses of their export agents and shippers in Karachi.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 141; 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 2-126; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence about the supply of matches from India to Bahrain, Qatar and the Trucial Coast shaikhdoms, for local consumption, under Government of India export licensing controls and import quotas imposed during and after the Second World War (1939-1945), when matches and other essential commodities were scarce. British and Bahrain officials discuss the local distribution of the 1944 and 1945 quotas among local Bahrain merchants, including the grant of permits and import licences. There is also a small amount of correspondence with Bahrain merchants and importers of matches, who were refused Government of India export licences for their consignments, by the Export Trade Controller in Bombay. Included in the file is an exchange of letters with the Shaikh of Qatar about the illegal re-export of Government of India quota matches to Iraq and Persia (Iran).There are several lists showing the names of approved Bahrain importers and Bombay exporters of quota matches, the names and addresses of Government of India accredited match factories in Bombay, and the total number of imports of matches from countries other than India between 1937 and 1939. There are also several Government of India circular letters, from both the Commerce Department and the Office of the Chief Controller of Exports to the Export Trade Controller in Bombay, describing export licensing procedures and listing the quantities of matches that Indian factories are permitted to export to designated countries in Africa and the Middle East.The main correspondents are the Political Agent for Bahrain, the Director of Customs and Port Officer for Bahrain, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, the Under Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Commerce and the Chief Controller of Exports, both at New Delhi.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 56; 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 2-31; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains copies of letters, in English and Arabic, sent by the Political Agent at Bahrain to the local rulers requesting them to issue a proclamation claiming their jurisdiction over the seabed adjacent to the coasts of Qatar, Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi. A copy of the draft proclamation is on folio 32. The file also includes correspondence with the Petroleum Development and with the Agency at Sharjah.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 33; 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 16-32; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence, in English and Arabic, between the Political Agent at Bahrain, the Agency at Sharjah and local rulers regarding their jurisdiction over the seabed adjacent to their coastline, for the purpose of oil drilling offshore.The correspondents are:Ruler of Qatar, Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī;Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah;Ruler of Umm-al-Qaiwain [Umm al-Quwain, UAE], Shaikh Ahmad II bin Rashid Al Mu'alla;the brother of the Ruler of Sharjah, Shaikh Muhammad bin Saqr Al Qasimi;Ruler of Ras al Khaimah, Sheikh Saqr bin Moḥammad Al Qasimi;Ruler of Ajman, Shaikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi;Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Shaikh Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan;Ruler of Dubai, Shaikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Hasher Āl Maktūm.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 69; 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 2-68; these numbers are written in a combination of pencil and ink, but are not circled (some are crossed out), and they are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence between British officials concerning the seizure of al-Hasa from Ottoman control by Bin Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] and his growth in power along the littoral. The impact of this development upon relations between Bin Saud and the British Government generally is also discussed, notably the need to maintain neutrality in the conflict between him and the Ottomans. This discussion includes mention of the importance of maintaining the independence of Qatar and the states of the Trucial Coast vis-à-vis Bin Saud.The correspondence in the file is primarily between officials at the Political Residency in Bushire, the Government of India's Foreign Department and the Political Agency in Bahrain but also includes a limited amount of correspondence (in English translation) between Bin Saud and British officials.In addition to correspondence, the file contains a document entitled 'Memorandum of Interview with Bin Saud on 15th-16th December 1913' written by the Political Agent in Bahrain, Arthur Prescott Trevor, and the Political Agent in Kuwait, William Henry Irvine Shakespear (folios 24-25).The file contains an index on folio 2 that lists all the letters contained in the file with details of the correspondents and the date.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 28; 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 volume contains correspondence between the Political
Resident in Bushire, the Political Agent in Bahrain and the Secretary of State for
India, on the Qatar oil concession, on the Southern boundary of Qatar and on the role of
Ibn Saud in the negotiation.The volume includes:meeting notes, copies of telegrams and letters on
Qatar and Kuwait oil concessions;note from the Political Agent in Kuwait to the
Political Resident dated 23 Jan 1934 about the Qatar and Hasa Oil concessions and the
Kuwait Neutral Zone (ff. 60-63);memorandum on the political importance of 'the
maintenance of a British position on the Arab littoral of the Gulf' (ff. 71-76)
and the need to offer protection to the Sheikh of Qatar in return for an
'undertaking on his part to grant a concession to the Anglo Persian Oil Company
(Iraq Petroleum Company);correspondence between the British Air Ministry and
the India Office about air facilities in Qatar;note referring to a conversation that occurred at the
end of 1922 between Sir Percy, Ibn Saud and Major Holmes regarding the southern
boundaries of Qatar and the political relationship between Qatar and Saudi Arabia (f.
116C);memorandum from the meetings occurred on 11-12 Mar
1934 between the Sheikh Abdullah bin Qasim al-Thani and the Political Resident re oil
concession (ff. 131-140);copies of draft Qatar Oil Concession;a sketch of Qatar, ink on fabric (f. 212);memorandum on the frontiers of Saudi Arabia (ff.
196-199).There is an index at the end of the volume ( folios
211-216).Physical description: The foliation is on top right-hand corner, starting on the
first page of writing and finishing on the back cover. The numbering is in pencil,
enclosed by a circle and starts with 1, then 115, 116A, 116B, 116C, then carries on
until 221, which is the last number given. There is a second pagination on the top right
corner, uncircled, starting on folio 22 (numbered 21) to folio 100 (numbered 99) and
then from folio 116a (numbered 113) until folio 210 (numbered 207).
Abstract: The volume concerns negotiations between the British and Saudi Arabian governments over the question of how to settle the eastern frontier of Saudi Arabia.The principal correspondents are: HM Minister, Jedda (principally Sir Reader William Bullard); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (principally Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); officials of the India Office, the Government of India, and the Foreign Office; and the Saudi Arabian Minister for Foreign Affairs (Amir Faisal [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd]).The papers cover: the attitude of Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] to the frontier question; the boundary with Qatar; the boundary with Abu Dhabi; the British maintenance of the Blue Line as the frontier; the activities of the California Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC) in the area, including allegations of encroachment by the company to the east of the Blue Line (folios 104-105); the status of Khor al Odeid and Jabal Naksh, and their possible cession to Saudi Arabia; the effect on negotiations of British policy in Palestine; and the activities of Petroleum Concessions Limited, including the need to guard against encroachment upon the southern boundary of the company's concession (folio 229).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 252; 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 10-252; 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.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence concerning Qatar affairs, particularly the supply of arms and ammunition to Shaikh Abdullah bin Qasim al Thani, the Ruler of Qatar [‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī].The principal correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; Shaikh Abdullah; HM Minister of State, Cairo; Ernest Vincent Packer, Manager, Petroleum Concessions Limited, and Petroleum Concessions (Qatar) Limited; other British officials in the region; and representatives of the Bahrain Petroleum Company Limited (BAPCO), the Eastern Bank Limited, and the Government of Bahrain.The papers cover: the granting of permission to Shaikh Abdullah to import 450 rifles, .303 bore, with 225,000 rounds of ammunition, and fifty Mauser rifles, 7.9 mm bore, with 25,000 rounds of ammunition, December 1937 - March 1939 (folios 6-104); a request by Shaikh Abdullah for the supply of armoured cars fitted with machine guns, July 1938 - July 1939 (folios 81-109); reports on Qatar affairs from Ernest Vincent Packer, Petroleum Concessions Limited, Bahrain, and by the Political Agent, Bahrain (including relations between Qatar and Bahrain, and correspondence concerning the appointment by Shaikh Abdullah of an Iraqi adviser on oil affairs), December 1939 - November 1941 (folios 115-157); and a further request by Shaikh Abdullah for machine guns and ammunition, the resulting dispatch to the Gulf of six captured Breda machine guns and ammunition, and the Political Resident's decision that the machine guns should be distributed equally between the Shaikhs of Qatar, Dubai, and Sharjah, 'the importance of Qatar's defence having diminished owing to the closure of oil operations, while others now have important R.A.F. installations in their Shaikhdoms' (folio 199), July 1942 - October 1943 (folios 159-212).The Arabic language content of the file consists of approximately thirty folios of correspondence (with translations into English) between the Political Agent, Bahrain, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, and the Ruler of Qatar.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 241; 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 4-240; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The volume contains correspondence concerning Qatar affairs, particularly the issues of smuggling, and rationing.The principal correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain (Tom Hickinbotham); the Head Munshi of the Political Agency, Bahrain (Jassim bin Mohamed [Jasim ibn Muhammad Kadmari]); the Residency Agent, Sharjah (Abdur Razzaq [Khan Sahib Saiyid ‘Abd al-Razzaq]); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; and Shaikh Abdullah bin Qasim al Thani, the Ruler of Qatar [‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī].The papers cover: correspondence and reports by British officials concerning the issues of slave trading, arms traffic, and the smuggling of goods at Qatar; the involvement of individual Qataris; the British decision to impose rationing on quota goods (including a discussion paper entitled 'Rationing in Qatar', folio 56); the question of the appointment of a food controller; correspondence on these subjects from Shaikh Abdullah; information on members of the Ruling family (e.g. descriptive chart entitled 'Qatar Ruling Family' on folios 130-131); and some information on general conditions in Qatar.The Arabic language content of the papers consists of approximately thirty folios of correspondence, mainly between British officials and the Ruler of Qatar.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 218; 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 4-208; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: Reports, submitted by the Political Agent (Captain Charles Geoffrey Prior) or the Indian Assistant at the Political Agency in the Political Agent’s absence, detailing proceedings at Bahrain and elsewhere. The reports are organised under various headings, as follows:arrivals and departures of ships at Bahrain (with details of cargoes and their origins), and of the arrivals and departures of flying boats;the movements of British Government representatives (the Political Agent, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf);news from elsewhere in the region (Nejd, including updates of Ibn Saud’s [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] movements; Qatar, including Shaikh Abdullah’s [‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī] actions and movements; and events at Qatif [Al-Qaṭīf]);news in Bahrain, including the activities of members of the Āl Khalīfah ruling family, economic news, including reports of bankruptcies, and updates on the year’s poor pearling season, including diminished pearl yields, and pearl trading activity;meteorological reports, including details of the minimum and maximum temperatures for each fortnight, and rainfall figures;miscellaneous news, including the visits of foreigners to Bahrain, activities of the American Mission’s representatives, a visit by geologists from Eastern General & Syndicate Limited.Specific events of note include:disturbances at two Sunni schools in Bahrain, in which schoolmasters went on strike. Contributing causes to the disaffection, suggested by the Political Agent, include staff salaries, the school inspector’s preference for a schooling system ‘based on Beirut’, the rumoured curtailment of religious teaching, and an expansion of English teaching to the detriment of Arabic (ff 10-12);the opening by Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah of a new electric power station in Bahrain (f 24).Physical description: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 63; 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 1-19; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.