Abstract: The file concerns a request from the Government of the United States of America (US, USA) to the British Government in 1943 to be allowed to open a consulate at Bahrain, in view of the construction of additional oil refining facilities at Bahrain, and a consequent increase in the numbers of American personnel and shipping there (folio 241). However, the British Government rejected the approach (Foreign Office letter, folios 239-240), and saw 'difficulties and dangers' in allowing foreign consular representation at Bahrain (India Office minute, folios 195-196). Later papers, dated 1944-48, show the reaction of the British Government to attempts by the US Government to extend the influence of the US vice-consulate at Dhahran (and the vice-consulate at Basra) to the Gulf states. The papers show that there was a dichotomy between the attitude of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Foreign Office towards American influence in Bahrain (e.g. folio 59).The papers cover: correspondence from the India Office, the Foreign Office, the Government of India, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, and the Political Agent, Bahrain; the attitude of the Ruler of Bahrain; British agreement to the establishment of a US consulate at Dhahran, February-March 1944; the issue of the extension of the US Consul's exequatur to Bahrain, March - April 1944; clarification for the US Government of the issue of jurisdiction over foreigners in Bahrain; the issue of policing in Bahrain; reports of discussions between representatives of the British Government and the US representative Wallace Murray, 1944; British Government correspondence concerning the actual numbers of US citizens resident in Bahrain (e.g. folio 123); a US demand that an American citizen act as a Bahrain judge in all criminal cases in which the defendant was an American citizen (folio 119); correspondence concerning the activities of the US Vice-Consul, Dhahran, October-December 1944; the decision over whether to issue visas to the US Vice-Consul at Dhahran to visit Qatar and the Trucial Coast, December 1944; US relations with Muscat, March 1945; the visit of the US Vice-Consul at Basrah [Basra] to Kuwait, in July 1945 (report dated August 1945); the issue of competing British and US interests in the Middle East (e.g. folio 14); and Foreign Office stress on the need to reduce friction between British officials and American citizens, whether officials or private individuals, November 1947 (folio 12).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 243; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The file contains one foliation anomaly, f 158A.
Abstract: This file contains annual budgets and financial accounts of the Government of Bahrain as well as related correspondence between British Government officials and Charles Belgrave, Adviser to the Ruler of Bahrain. Much of this correspondence is between officials at the Political Agency in Bahrain and the Political Residency in Bushire that discusses the Government of Bahrain's financial situation and Bahrain's general economic development. The file also contains a limited amount of correspondence between the Political Agency in Bahrain and the country's ruler, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.The file contains two Arabic language propaganda posters that were produced by the British Government's Ministry of Information. The posters are contained in the file as they were used as spare paper to print Government of Bahrain financial accounts on.The file also contains correspondence and notes related to a decision to grant Bahrain tariff autonomy (on folios 302-440), including a 'Draft Record of an Interdepartmental Meeting held at the Foreign Office on August 26th 1932, to Consider the Proposal to Grant Tariff Autonomy to Bahrein' (folios 335-373).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 441; 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 25-43; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence between British officials that discusses the position of Charles Belgrave, Adviser to the Ruler of Bahrain, notably their frustrations with his management of the country's economic development and the need to arrange a succession process. The correspondence also discusses economic development in Bahrain more broadly and the size of the country's estimated oil reserves.In addition to correspondence, the file contains a written summary of a discussion that took place between Belgrave and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior, in Bahrain on 16 March, 1946.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 inside 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.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence and other papers concerning the passing of two regulations under The Bahrain Order in Council, 1913. The regulations involved are:King's Regulation (No. 2 of 1927): Bahrain Rules of Court 1927King's Regulation (No. 1 of 1927): The Indian Succession Regulation.The papers cover the submission, approval, and publication of the new regulations, both of which were simultaneously made under The Muscat Order in Council, 1915, and The Kuwait Order in Council, 1925. The correspondence is principally between officials at the India Office, Colonial Office, Foreign Office, and the Government of India, Foreign and Political Department. Further correspondence, included as enclosures, comes from the British Residency and Consulate General, Bushire, and the Treasury.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 front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 21; 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, drafts, and minute papers relating to the passing of The Bahrain Passport Regulation, 1937'. The regulation was seen as necessary for addressing the large numbers of people entering Bahrain without valid passports or visas. The interdepartmental consultation over the drafting and issue of the legislation includes exchanges between officials at the India Office, Foreign Office, Government of India (External Affairs Department), and the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf. The file includes draft and final copies of the regulation and an extract from Intelligence Summary of the Political Agent, Bahrain, for the period 16-30 April 1938, in which the effects of the new regulation are reported (folio 3).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 57; 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 contains a letter from R Dewhurst, Director of Accounts in the Commonwealth Relations Office, addressed to the Manager of the Eastern Bank Limited. It details the sums due to the Shaikh of Bahrain under the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement for the lease of the aerodrome and services operated by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) through Bahrain for the year ending 1949. It also includes the sum due for additional services operated in 1948.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 5; 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 contains correspondence related to negotiations surrounding the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement (1934) between the British Government and the Government of Bahrain, along with subsequent amendments and renewals, and issues arising from the implementation of the agreement. Occasional reference is made to similar agreements with Kuwait, Muscat, and Sharjah. It also covers the preliminary negotiations in 1933 between Imperial Airways and the Government of Bahrain, and the file contains three draft versions of this agreement: see folios 489-495, 516-518, and 533-539. The latter negotiations are superseded by negotiations for the Civil Air Agreement, following a decision to standardise civil aviation procedures across the Arab Shaikhdoms.Issues related to Muharraq Aerodrome and the Manama Flying Boat base are also covered in the file, which includes the application of a legal definition of an aerodrome to Bahrain, and efforts to define the geographical extent of these air bases. This includes negotiations with the Government of Bahrain for the purchase of additional land round the Muharraq Airfield for the Royal Air Force (RAF), and the extension of facilities such as the pier at Manama. A sketch map produced by the Government of Bahrain in 1944 can be found on folio 133 in relation to a proposal from the British Government to acquire an area – referred to as area 'C' – adjacent to the Muharraq Aerodrome for the RAF.A map can be found on folio 245 showing the approaches to Bahrain harbour, which is included as a result of negotiations to establish a flying boat service through Bahrain in 1937.The Arabic language content is limited to a copy of the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement (1934), which contains both Arabic and English translations (see folios 332-348), and a few items of additional correspondence with the Shaikh of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah [Shaikh, Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah].The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven William Fowle, Hugh Weightman, and Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent at Bahrain, officials of the Air Ministry, and officials of the India Office. Occasional reference is made to the Government of Bahrain via Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain.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 for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 543; 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 contains correspondence related to the provision of civil air services to Bahrain. It therefore covers a range of related topics such as the amendment and renewal of the Bahrain Civil Air Agreement, money due to the Ruler of Bahrain under the agreement, amendments to landing fees, aviation facilities at Bahrain, and alterations to be made to British Overseas Airways Corporation services (BOAC) to/from Bahrain. The topic covered in the most depth is the termination of the BOAC Class C (Calcutta) flying boat service, and the consequences of the subsequent reduction in services for Bahrain. The file also includes correspondence on proposals for the provision of alternative services, and the final introduction by BOAC of a replacement Plymouth flying boat service. The provision of services by alternative air lines is also briefly considered.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (William Rupert Hay), the Political Agent at Bahrain, officials of the India Office (from August 1947 the Commonwealth Relations Office), and officials of the Ministry of Civil AviationThe 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 commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 174; 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 mainly consists of correspondence relating to applications from various individuals for visas to visit Bahrein (Bahrain), and application forms for visas.The correspondence largely consists of internal India Office notes, and correspondence between the India Office and the following: HM Passport Office; the Acting Political Agent, Bahrain (Hugh Weightman); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; and the individuals applying for visas.The file includes three letters in German.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 main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 52; 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 28-34; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.A previous foliation sequence on ff 12, 13 and 15, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence mainly relating to visas for countries in the Persian Gulf for employees and wives of employees of oil companies, mostly the Kuwait Oil Company, Limited (for Kuwait), but also other oil companies including: the Iraq Petroleum Company, Limited (for Bahrain and Qatar); the Standard Oil Company (for Kuwait and Oman); the Bahrain Petroleum Company (for Bahrain); the Superior Oil Company (for Kuwait); and Petroleum Concessions Limited (for Bahrein and Qatar). It also includes correspondence concerning visas for Bahrain for employees of the British Overseas Airways Corporation.The correspondence is largely between the India Office (and the Commonwealth Relations Office after the abolition of the India Office in 1947) and the following: the (Foreign Office) Passport Control Department; the Kuwait Oil Company, Limited; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Iraq Petroleum Company, Limited; the Political Agent, Bahrain; and the Bahrein Petroleum Company, Limited.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 front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 469; 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 contains correspondence relating to travel documents for persons travelling to, and for natives of, particular British Protectorates and Arab states.It includes correspondence concerning the following: the endorsement affixed by the Saudi Arabian authorities to the passports of persons leaving Saudi Arabia for Bahrein [Bahrain]; the issue of visas for Muscat by British authorities on behalf of the Muscat Government; the proposed issue of identity certificates for Iraqi nationals travelling to Koweit and Bahrain; the proposal that the Sheikh of Koweit [Kuwait] should, in future, be allowed to issue his own passports; the grant of Iraqi visas to Kowaitis; and visas for Arab Shaikhdoms in the Persian Gulf.The main correspondents include: HM Minister, Jeddah, and the British Legation, Jeddah; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Foreign Office; the India Office; the Secretary to the Government of India, External Affairs Department; HM Consul, Muscat; and the Commonwealth Relations Office.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 front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 83; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: Annual reports on the workings of the Bahrain Order-in-Council, 1913 for the years 1927-46. The reports contain information on the civil and criminal cases tried and the numbers of British subjects and British protected persons registered during each year. The reports were written by the Political Agent, Bahrain, and are sent as enclosures from the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, New Delhi, to the India Office, London.In addition to the reports is correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Government of India (Foreign and Political Department), and the Foreign Office concerning the following matters:The effort, with associated regulations, to confer more powerful judiciary powers on the Political Agent and the Assistant Political Agent, BahrainThe definitions of British Subjects and British Protected Persons as used in connection with the Order-in-Council, and the question of how and to what extent they should be registered in BahrainProcedural questions relating to the death sentence and executionNotices given by the Political Agent, Bahrain, to the Government of India of various prohibitions and deportationsAn enquiry from the American Consul, Dhahran, about the extent of jurisdiction the United Kingdom has in the Trucial States [United Arab Emirates].Also contained in the file are copies of the Bahrain Order in Council, 1919 (folios 159-71), and the Bahrain (Amendment) Order in Council, 1922 (folio 157).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 229; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.