Abstract: The volume consists of correspondence primarily between Francis Warden, Chief Secretary to the Bombay Government, and Captain Thomas Perronet Thompson. Other correspondents included in the volume are Major-General Lionel Smith; Mountstuart Elphinstone, the Governor of Bombay; James Henderson, Secretary to the Bombay Government; Captain Deschamps; and Andrew Jukes. Translations of correspondence with Sa‘īd bin Sultān Āl Sa‘īd, the Imam of Muscat are also included.The subject matter of the material is centred around the abandonment of Raʼs al-Khaymah, the establishment of a garrison on the Island of Qeshm, the suppression of piracy in the Gulf, a failed British joint expedition with the Imam of Muscat against the Banī Bū ‘Alī tribe in Oman, and the removal of Captain Thompson from his post for the aforementioned failure; the subsequent, more successful, follow-up expedition against the Banī Bū ‘Alī tribe is also covered.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence starts with the first page of text and runs through to the last folio. It is written in pencil and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. This sequence has been used to construct the references at item level, and for internal referencing.Pagination: A pagination system is also present, which runs folios 22-275, though there are gaps in the sequence; these numbers are also written in pencil and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence related to the security of the Arab Coast Air Route, used by both Imperial Airways and the Royal Air Force (RAF). The majority of the file is devoted to proposals made by Sir Trenchard Craven William Fowle, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, in his letter dated 28 June 1939: see folios 44-50. His proposals can be summarised as follows:Alternative landing facilities should be established for use in the event of civil disturbances at Sharjah and Dibai [Dubai].The Political Resident should be given the discretion – in the event he is unable to consult the home government – to use force against ‘troublesome Shaikhs’ that threaten the continued operation of the Air Route.There is also a small amount of discussion in the file around the possibility of negotiating a fresh agreement with the Shaikh of Ra's al-Khaymah for the provision of air facilities.The main correspondents in the file are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior), officials of the Air Ministry, officials of the Foreign Office, and officials of the India Office (J P Gibson and Roland Tennyson Peel). The Admiralty is also consulted over the Resident's proposals.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 commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio 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.