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61. Coll 30/5 'Persian Gulf. Diaries: Bushire Residency (Persian), Jany. 1931 - Dec. 1940'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file contains copies of the monthly diary of the British Residency and Consulate-General in Bushire that was compiled by the Secretary of the Political Resident in Bushire.The diaries are separated into a number of different sections that vary slightly from month to month. In addition to reports concerning specific events or developments that took place during that month, most entries contain the following headings:movements of British officialslocal governmentmilitarynavalaviationmovement of foreignerstrade and developmentforeign interestsbroadcastinghealtheducationmunicipalityAfter the commencement of the Second World War, the heading 'Public Opinion' is added to the diaries.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 660; 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 A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
62. 'Memorandum respecting Koweit'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file is a memorandum concerning Koweit [Kuwait] written by Foreign Office official, R V Harcourt [Robert Venables Vernon Harcourt].The memorandum is divided up as follows:General Narrative - Turkish Activity - Understandings with Turkey and Germany;Koweit Boundary;Political Agent;Koweit Flag;Koweit Post Office;General Policy.The memorandum discusses Britain's position in Koweit and the development of Britain's relationship with Kuwait's ruler, Shaikh Mubārak Āl Ṣabāḥ.The appendix to the memorandum (folios 11r-12) contains a copy of an agreement signed between the British Government and Shaikh Mubārak Āl Ṣabāḥ of Kuwait in January 1899, a translation of a letter sent to Mubārak by Lieutenant-Colonel Meade [Malcolm John Meade] in January 1899 and a copy of a memorandum regarding Koweit written for the Foreign Office by the Marquess of Lansdowne [Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne] in March 1902.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this memorandum and appendix commences at f 6, and terminates at f 12, as they are part of a larger physical volume; 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; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
63. 'Memorandum respecting Koweit'
- Description:
- Abstract: This is a confidential memorandum, printed for the use of the Foreign Office on 30 October 1901, and authored by Robert Venables Vernon Harcourt, dated 29 Oct 1901. The memorandum primarily focuses on the position of Koweit [Kuwait] in regards to Turkey (Ottoman Empire) from 1871 onwards. In the left and righ hand margins there are references to various correpondence, reports and agreements between 1878 and 1901, as well as giving subject headings, which include: 'Difficulties with Turkey', 'German railway scheme', 'Dispute between Koweit and Nejd [Najd]', 'Defences of Koweit', 'Use of Turkish flag in Koweit', and 'Proposal to make Koweit a port of call for Mail-steamers'. Folios 150 to 151 include extracts of correspondence from Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Anthopoulo Pasha, dated 11 September 1901, and Admiral Sir Day Hort Bosanquet, Commander-in-chief, East Indies, to Admiralty, dated 31 August and 4 October 1901. There is an Annex between folios 152 and 153, which includes a translated agreement ('Arabic bond') with the Sheikh of Kuwait, Mubārak bin Ṣabāḥ Āl Ṣabāḥ, dated 23 January 1899, signed by Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm John Meade, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, and witnessed by E Wickham Hore, Captain of the Indian Medical Service (IMS), John Calcott Gaskin, and Muhammad Rahim bin Abdul Nebi Saffer [Muḥammad Raḥim bin ‘Abd al-Nabī Ṣafar], Native Agent at Bahrain and friend of the Sheikh of Kuwait; and a translation of an Arabic letter from Meade to the Sheikh of Kuwait, dated 23 January 1901.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at folio 143, and terminates at folio 153, since it is part of a larger physical volume; 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 the top right-hand corner of the recto of each folio. These numbers are written in pencil, but are not circled.Pagination: This section of the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
64. 'Note on Kuwait'
- Description:
- Abstract: This note gives a very short history of Kuwait in eight paragraphs. It provides brief details of the ruling Ibn Subah family [Āl Ṣabāḥ], including Mubarak Ibn Subah [Mubārak bin Ṣabāḥ], Jabir [Jābir bin Mubārak] and Salim [Sālim bin Mubārak], and their relations with the Britain, Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥman bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] and the King of Hejaz [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī]. Also mentioned are 'promising signs of oil', trade, the American Mission, and education.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this sequence commences at folio 81, and terminates at folio 81, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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 folios 7-153 of the volume; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
65. 'File 14/4 Visits of Japanese representatives and agents'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains notes, memoranda, and correspondence relating to the visits and treatment of Japanese and Italian subjects and agents in the Persian Gulf. The correspondence is mostly between the Political Agency at Bahrain, the Political Residency at Bushire, the British Ministry at Jeddah, the India Office in London, the Home and Foreign Departments of the Government of India, and representatives of Imperial Airways Limited in Sharjah.The file covers the following matters:The visit of Mr Ohba, agent of the Japanese company Mitsui Bussan Kaisha, to Bahrain in February 1939, his attempts to secure a local shipping agent, and his subsequent visit to Sharjah;A tour of Saudi Arabia made by the Japanese Minister at Cairo in March 1939, and his request that two members of his staff also visit Kuwait and Bahrain, which was subsequently refused by the British Government;The movements of Kawamura (alias Muto), a Japanese Muslim convert engaged in anti-British activities in China;The treatment to be accorded to Italian and Japanese subjects in India and the Persian Gulf at the start of the Second World War, when both countries still declared to be neutral.The file contains (folios 24-25) a report from the Ministry at Jeddah on the Japanese Minister's visit to Saudi Arabia and includes details on agreements and proposals made between both countries relating to commerce, communism, and oil.At the back (folios 39-42) are internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) 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. Two additional sequences are also present between ff 2-38 and ff 39-42 respectively; these sequence are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
66. 'File 14/5 Visits of German Agents'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the visits of suspected German agents to the Persian Gulf region. The main correspondents include: Tom Hickinbotham (later Hugh Weightman), Political Agent at Bahrain; Trenchard Craven William Fowle (later Charles Geoffrey Prior), Political Resident at Bushire; Gerald Simpson de Gaury, Political Agent at Kuwait; the RAF Air Officer Commanding at Hinaidi, Iraq; and Shaikh Abdullah bin Qasim al Thani [‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī], Ruler of Qatar. Recipients include: the Political Agency at Muscat, the British Consulate at Basrah, the British Embassy at Bagdad [Baghdad], the India Office, the Government of India, the British Ministry at Tehran, the British Consulate at Kerman, the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf, the British Minister at Jedda, and the British Consulate and Vice-Consulate at Bandar Abbas and Khorramshahr, respectively.The file covers the discussion over the visits of the following four suspected agents:Auguste Rudolf Lindt, a Swiss journalist, and his British-born wife, who visited Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat, and Kerman;Baron Von Schirach, suspected of visiting Bahrain, though no trace of him is found;Kurt Lori, a German electrical and wireless engineer who visited Kuwait and requests to visit Bahrain in search of work, which is denied;Jack Wolters and his (unnamed) brother, believed to be in the Gulf region and to be arrested if found.Included in the file is a letter (folio 25) in English and Arabic from Weightman to Shaikh ‘Abdullāh, dated 9 October 1939, requesting that he arrest Wolters and his brother should they try to enter Qatar. It is followed by ‘Abdullāh's compliant response (folio 26).At the back of the file (folios 27-29) are internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence (used for referencing) 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. Two additional foliation sequences are also present between ff 4-26 and ff 27-29 respectively; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
67. ‘File 28/32 I Recruitment in Persian Gulf states’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains copies of correspondence and other papers relating to investigations into the prospect of recruiting large numbers of labourers from the Persian Gulf, for non-combatant military work in Basra, and later on, civilian (oil refinery) labour at Abadan. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Agent at Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior, and Lieutenant-Colonel William Rupert Hay as Officiating Political Resident); and Colonel Charles Marriot of the 3rd Auxiliary Pioneers, PAIFORCE [Persia and Iraq Force].The file includes:correspondence dated May 1942, relating to an initial proposal from the War Council for the recruitment of men from the Persian Gulf states for (chiefly) non-combatant service, and enquiries made to the Political Agents in the Persian Gulf as to whether there would be any objection from the rulers in the region (ff 2-9);correspondence dated July to August 1942, relating to arrangements made by the Tenth Army for a recruitment tour to the Persian Gulf, and enquiries made to the Political Agents as the degree of success that such a tour might have (ff 10-14);correspondence relating to Colonel Charles Marriot’s visit in January 1943 to Bahrain to assess the prospects of recruitment in the Persian Gulf region (ff 16-18), his subsequent report on his visit (ff 30-31), and his subsequent correspondence with the Political Agent at Bahrain over the delays and increasing unlikelihood of the recruitment scheme taking place (ff 34-36, ff 40-41);a copy of a secret memorandum, dated 12 November 1942 entitled ‘Recruiting in the Persian Gulf’ (ff 20). Following the memorandum are several annexes: copies of letters from the Political Agents at Kuwait, Bahrain, and Muscat, offering assessments of the recruitment prospects in their respective areas (ff 21-22); copies of documents indicating rates of pay and allowances for recruits, clothing and equipment lists, field service ration schedules, and rates for permanent partial disability compensation for Iraq (ff 23-29);correspondence relating to assessments that up to 2,000 Bahrain subjects could be recruited to work in Basra or elsewhere, in light of the depressed economic situation and unemployment in Bahrain (f 33, ff-38-39, f 42);correspondence relating to a request from PAIFORCE, made in April 1943, for civilian labour to work at the oil refinery at Abadan, and the Political Agent at Bahrain’s response that there is now no surplus labour available at Bahrain, due to construction work at the Royal Naval and Royal Air Force bases in Bahrain, and the extension of the Bahrain Petroleum Company’s (BAPCO) refinery facilities (ff 44-57).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 66; 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 2-41; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. Pagination: the file notes at the back (ff 61-65) have been paginated using pencil.
68. ‘File 28/37 Dhow launches &c. for war purposes’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file comprises correspondence relating to miscellaneous calls and requests for dhows and other watercraft, to perform various tasks related to wartime measures, including: transport of war equipment; use as floating craft platforms for wireless observation equipment; to assist in importing provisions to the Persian Gulf from India. The file’s principal correspondents are: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior); and the Political Agent at Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield).The file includes:enquiries made in April 1942 into the availability at Bahrain and the Trucial Coast of large dhows or lighters, for use in the assembly of trucks bound for Russia at Bushire (ff 2-6);correspondence from May and June 1942 relating to the charter from Kuwait by the Royal Air Force, of twelve dhows to be used as floating wireless observation units (WOUs) that will be arranged in a line between the Iranian and Qatar coasts, including a preliminary enquiry into the scheme by Herbert Bainbrigge Russell, Air Commodore Commanding No.215 Group, RAF Iraq, and notice from the Political Agent at Kuwait (Major Tom Hickinbotham) of two vessels bound from Kuwait to Bahrain (ff 8-16);copies of correspondence dated 1942 relating to recommendations to encourage more sailing dhows to ply their trade between the Gulf of Aden and India, including an exhortation to the use of sailing boats over oil- and coal-powered vessels, written by Brian Joseph Hartley, Agricultural Officer at Aden, dated 4 April 1942 (ff 20-21);correspondence dated November 1942 following an order made by the Ruler of Kuwait [Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ], for all Kuwaiti dhows not carrying dates to operate between India and the Gulf ports (chiefly Kuwait, Bahrain and Muscat) as a means of supporting trade and maintaining supply of vital provisions (f 23, ff 29-33, ff 36-38);correspondence relating to an order, made by the Naval Officer at Bahrain in October 1942, for two second-hand wooden skiffs, the price of which was considered too excessive, and the matter subsequently dropped (ff 25-28, ff 34-35);correspondence dated June 1943 relating to the sale of dhows formerly used for mine watching (ff 41-44);a circular letter from the Naval Officer in Charge at Bahrain, dated 9 October 1943, requesting a report of all motor launches at Bahrain (f 45), prompting a letter from the Manager of Petroleum Concessions Limited (PCL) at Bahrain, Ernest Vincent Packer, dated 17 October 1943, expressing concern that their motor launch, used to ferry company supplies between Bahrain and Qatar, might be seized by the naval authorities at Bahrain (f 46).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 51; 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 2-50; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
69. ‘File 28/79 Discovery of wireless set at Jazirat Shaikh Shuaib’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the discovery of a wireless set, with parachute attached, at Kuwait, and four similar devices found near Lingah [Bandar-e Lengeh], reported by the Political Agent at Kuwait [Gordon Noel Jackson] and the British Consular Agent at Lingah respectively, in March and April 1945. In a letter to the Political Resident, dated 24 April 1945, the Political Agent at Bahrain (Cornelius James Pelly) writes to confirm that the devices are meteorological monitoring sets (otherwise known as radiosonde apparatus), released twice daily by the United States Army Transport Corps Meteorological Department, which, the Political Agent adds, would like to have them back.The correspondence listed on the second page of file notes at the end of the file (f 8) does not describe or correspond to the contents of the file. Its title suggests that it was originally part of file no. 28/50 (which does not survive in the Second World War subject files).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 9; 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 2-6; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
70. 'File 29/7 I Consular: Passport and Visa Regulations (governing Bahrain, Muscat, Kuwait and other Shaikhdoms)'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file contains correspondence and documents related to passport and visa regulations in the various Shaikhdoms of the Gulf, primarily in Bahrain, Kuwait and Muscat.The majority of the correspondence is between Charles Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain; the Political Agency in Bahrain; the Political Residency in Bushire and other British officials, both in the region and in London.The file also contains a limited amount of correspondence in Arabic, including letters to the Political Agency in Bahrain from Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim, the Emir of Qatar.On folios 134-135, the file contains a Foreign Office memorandum entitled 'Travel Documents for Persons proceeding to, and for Natives of, Certain British Protectorates and Certain Arab States'.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 292; 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 9-260; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
71. 'File 29/33 PRICE CONTROL'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence about fixing profit rates on several goods including wheat, dates, sugar, rice, spare parts, watches and typewriters, as well as the relaxation of price controls on commodities usually classified as luxury goods, such as cigarettes, toiletries and medicines. Most of these goods are described as imports from India, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, to Manama and Muharraq in Bahrain. The file also contains complaint letters from both the Singer Sewing Machine Company in Baghdad and Electric & Musical Industries Limited in England, regarding the adverse effect of Bahrain price controls on their profit margins. Also included in the file are the minutes of two meetings of the Bahrain Government's Food Control Committee about the removal of price controls and export restrictions, as well as new and amending Price and Export Control Orders for Bahrain in 1946 and 1947, drafted by the Political Agent. Most of the file correspondence is between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Director of Customs and Port Officer for Bahrain (also acting in his dual capacity as Food Controller).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 76; 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 2-29; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
72. 'File 39/7 (10/9) Kuwait Oil Concession'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence between Kuwait Oil Company, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent at Bahrain and the Political Agent at Kuwait. The correspondence discusses the discovery of oil in Kuwait; because of the scarcity of oil found in the well at Bahra it was decided to drill another well around the w ara(sandstone) hill (now part of Burqan Field), where oil was found in commercial quantities in 1938. Copy of the 1934 Agreements between the British Government, the Sheikh of Kuwait and with Kuwait Oil Company is included in the file (ff 3-10). The discovery of oil in Kuwait increased interest from Saudi Arabia over the Neutral Zone, which is subject of correspondence from Petroleum Concessions Limited.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 44; 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 2-37; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.