Abstract: This volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, notes, printed reports, a press cutting and a map, relating to the connection of the railway system of Europe to the railway system of India by the construction of railway lines through Persia.The discussion in the volume relates to the proposal of a Russian consortium and the response of the Government of India to this proposal. A Report (No. 18 of 1911' folios 144 - 160) notes that the Government of India would do well to accept in principle the Russian proposal subject to a number of modifications. A map entitled 'Indexed Map Showing Proposed Railways in Persia' (folio 160) accompanies the report. Suggested modifications included:the point of intersection of the trans-Persian railway with the Indian railway system (British preference for Karachi); and concessions for branch lines (Bandar Abbas, Charbar, Mohammerah);the requirement that both main and branch lines in Persian territory be deemed international with Russia and Britain holding preponderant shares and Persia included as a participant;and the use of a different gauge railway in the British and Russian zones. As a quid pro quo for their support on this matter Britain expected the Russians to cease any consideration of extending the Trans-Caspian Railway to the Persia-Afghan border.Also discussed are the negotiations about a loan between the
Société des Études du Chemin de Fer Transpersanand the Persian Government and a suggestion that the British and French governments should guarantee a substantial loan by securing it against the crown jewels.The following topics are also discussed: the Foreign Office proposal to refer the whole question of railway development in Persia to the Committee of Imperial Defence; a draft application for the concession; a memorandum by Brigadier General A H Gordon; dispatch of instructions to His Majesty's Ambassador at St Petersberg on the attitude of the Her Majesty's Government; the view of the Sir G Buchanan on the attitude of the Russian Government to the question of alignment.The principal correspondents in the volume include: His Majesty's Secretary of State for India, the Earl of Crewe; Deputy Secretary to the Government of India, E H S Clark; His Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Sir Edward Grey; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Zachariah Cox; the President of the Railway Board; Agent to the Governor-General and Chief Commissioner in Baluchistan.This volume includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, year the subject file was opened, subject heading, and list of correspondence references contained in that part 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 inside back cover with 163; 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 comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, notes, and maps relating to the development of railways projects in South Persia and the associated marine surveys of Gulf ports, notably Bandar Abbas and Bushire.The volume includes the report of Lieutenant Arnold Talbot Wilson on the technical issues concerning development of railway lines between Bushire and Shiraz, and Bandar Abbas and Shiraz. Also included is a report on the commercial possibilities of these two developments, compiled by Commercial Adviser, H G Chick. These reports (folios 101-124) are preceded by an accompanying summary and analysis by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Percy Zachariah Cox.Also discussed in the correspondence is the question of concessions for railways in the neutral zone and the relative advantages (climate, water supply) of Bushire and Bandar Abbas as railway termini in the Persian Gulf. The correspondence also features discussion of a rumoured German scheme for a Bushire-Shiraz railway.Further discussion surrounds the arrangements for marine survey work in the region of Henjam and Bandar Abbas to be undertaken by the RIMS
Palinurus.A report by the Captain of the Palinurus, Captain B W Mainprise is included along with three marine survey maps (folios 48-50).The principal correspondents in the volume include: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and Consul General for Fars (Lieutenant Colonel Percy Zachariah Cox); (Lieutenant Colonel Stuart George Knox); First Assistant to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Captain L Birdwood; Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department; Under Secretary of State, India Office; Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Edward Grey); Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Louis Mallet); Director, Royal Indian Marine, Walter Lumsden; Officer Comanding, RIMS
Palinurus (Captain B W Mainprise); Secretary to the Government of India, Marine Department.The volume includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, year the subject file was opened, subject heading, and list of correspondence references contained in that part 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 inside back cover with 127; 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 comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, newspaper cuttings, maps and notes, relating to negotiations over the proposed Berlin to Baghdad Railway in the period 1903-1907.The discussion in the volume relates to the economic, commercial, political and military considerations impinging on British strategy for the international negotiations over the development of a railway to Baghdad in particular.Further discussion surrounds the motivations and strategies of British competitors in the area; included in the volume are four maps.The principal correspondents in the volume include the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Lord Lansdowne, Sir Edward Grey), His Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople (Sir Nicholas O'Connor), the Under Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Charles Hardinge, Sir Thomas Henry Sanderson), and for India (Earl Percy, Sir Arthur Godley), the Viceroy of India (Lord Curzon of Keddleston), the Secretary to the Political and Secret Department of the India Office (Sir Richmond Richie) and the London Manager of the Imperial Bank of Persia (George Newell).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 392; 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 329-358; 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. The foliation sequence does not include the front cover.
Abstract: The volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, newspaper cuttings, maps and notes, relating to negotiations over the proposed Berlin to Baghdad Railway in the period 1910-1912.The discussion in the volume relates to the economic, commercial, political and military considerations impinging on British strategy for the international negotiations over the development of a railway to Baghdad.Further discussion surrounds the motivations and strategies of British competitors in the area; included in the volume is a copy of the Russo-German agreement.The principal correspondents in the volume include Sir Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Sir Gerard Augustus Lowther, Ambassador to Constantinople.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 269; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out. Pagination: a pagination sequence in red crayon is present between ff 244-252.
Abstract: The volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, newspaper cuttings, maps and notes, relating to a negotiations over the proposed Berlin to Baghdad Railway in the period 1912-1914.The discussion in the volume relates to the economic, commercial, political and military considerations impinging on British strategy for the international negotiations over the development of a railway to Baghdad and an extension to Basra. In particular the correspondence focuses on:Anglo-Turkish negotiations;concessions proposed in respect of Kuwait;negotiations with Hakki Pasha in London;the Anglo-Turkish convention and declaration signed by Sir Edward Grey and Hakki Pasha, 15th December, 1913.The principal correspondents in the volume are the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Edward Grey); the Secretary to the Board of Trade (Louis Mallet); the Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign Department, Simla (Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry McMahon); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Zachariah Cox).Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, year the subject file was opened, subject heading, and list of correspondence references contained in that part 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 inside back cover with 256; 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 consists of individual copies of the
Arab Bulletinproduced by the Arab Bureau at the Savoy Hotel, Cairo numbers 66-114. These publications contain wartime, and post-war intelligence obtained by British sources. They deal with economic, military, and political matters in Turkey, the Middle East, Arabia, and elsewhere, which – in the opinion of British officials – affect the ‘Arab movement’; the bulletins cover a wide range of topics and key personalities.The volume contains the following maps:A map of Central Arabia showing St John Philby's route from Uqair to Jidda 17 November to 31 December 1917: folio 103.Sketch map prepared from RNAS photographs and reconnaissance by HMS
City of Oxfordof Wadi Mur February to March 1918 : folio 170.Sketch map of Hejaz (1919): folio 317.Tribal sketch map of the Hadhramaut ‘showing only tribes of fighting value’: folios 333v.Towards the back of the volume is a small amount of correspondence respecting the distribution of
Notes on the Middle East; the
Arab Bulletinwas superseded by this publication. Copies of numbers 3-4 of this publication can also be found at the back of the volume.Tables of content can be found at the front of each issue. A small amount of content is in French.Physical description: Condition: the edges of some of the folios towards the back of the volume have suffered damage to their edges due to general wear and tear. The affected folios are 389-390, 407-409, and 412.Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 413; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The front cover and the leading flyleaf have not been foliated. A previous foliation sequence, which is present between ff 357-363 and ff 374-412 and is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The volume comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence, memoranda, newspaper cuttings, maps and notes, relating to negotiations over the proposed Berlin to Baghdad Railway in the period 1911-1912.The correspondence concerns three broad topics:Anglo-Turkish negotiationsproposals of the Turkish Governmentthe status of Kuwait.The discussion in the volume relates to the economic, commercial, political and military considerations impinging on British strategy for these international negotiations.Further discussion surrounds the Draft Report of the Standing Sub-Committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence.The principal correspondents in the volume include Sir Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs ,and John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley, Lord President of the Council.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 335; 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.
Abstract: The file mainly consists of papers relating to the Bunder Abbas to Kerman telegraph line and road in Persia [Iran]. It includes correspondence regarding: the diversion of the Bunder Abbas to Kerman telegraph line via Tarum and Saidabad; the estimated cost of constructing this new telegraph line; the total expenditure on the Bunder Abbas [or Bandar Abbas or Bander Abbas] to Kerman road; and the decision of the Government of India to discontinue work on the telegraph line and the road due to the cost involved.The file also includes some papers relating to the development of various roads in Persia, railways in Persia, and the Bushire to Shiraz road.The papers in the file consist of correspondence and India Office minutes, including correspondence between the India Office and the following: the Foreign Office; the War Office; and the Government of India Foreign Department and Army Department.The map shows the province of Fars in Persia [Iran], dated 1911 (IOR/L/PS/10/608, f 54). It shows features including camel paths, mule paths, foot paths, telegraph lines and deserted villages, and hydrology, and it provides some indication of relief. The map was published under the direction of Colonel S G Burrand, Officiating Surveyor General of India.Physical description: 1 item (145 folios)
Abstract: The volume contains drafts and counter-drafts of the Anglo-German Convention on the Bagdad Railway, plus agreements involving the Bagdad Railway Company, the Ottoman Railway Company, the Anatolian Railway Company, and the Ottoman Government. There is also correspondence regarding the negotiations, conducted between the following: the India Office Political Department; the Foreign Office; the British Ambassador to Berlin (Sir William Edward Goschen); the Imperial German Ambassador to London (Karl Max Fürst von Lichnowsky); the Councillor at the German Embassy (Richard von Kühlmann); and the Ottoman Finance Minister (Mehmed Cavid Bey).Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. These are placed at the end of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 287; 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.
Abstract: Correspondence, minutes, draft papers, and memoranda relating to the delineation of the boundary between the Kingdom of Nejd and Transjordan. The papers deal with matters such as the status of the Jauf [al-Jawf] region, the idea for a Baghdad-Haifa railway, numerous raids and counter raids along the border area, and the proposal and preparations for a conference in Kuwait to settle the boundary issue.Correspondence is principally between officials at the India Office, Colonial Office, Foreign Office, and Admiralty. Further correspondence, included as enclosures, comes from the High Commissioner in Iraq, HM Consul in Damascus, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the High Commissioner in Palestine, and Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] himself.Documents of note in the volume include:'Note on the Trans-Arabian Railway' by Major A C Griffin, Deputy Director of Railways, Iraq, 6 January 1922 (folios 385-405)Memorandum by Harry St John Bridger Philby on his visit to Jauf and his negotiations with tribal leaders there, 27 May 1922 (folios 367-375).Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in that part 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 422; 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 2-420; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: This part contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, telegrams and minutes regarding the private and commercial financial claims made by British subjects and companies against the Government of Persia [Iran], as well as Persia’s financial affairs generally.The papers notably cover:Claims of British subjects against the Persian Government, and the forming of an Anglo-Persian commission of enquiry to assess these claimsBritish Government proposals for a final inclusive settlement to be paid by the Persian Government, in return for the liquidation of all outstanding British claimsPersian railwaysBritish financial interests in Persia.Also included in the volume are reports and detailed summaries of British Indian and British claims against Persia (ff 465-466 and ff 485-489 respectively).The principal correspondents are as follows: British Legation, Tehran (correspondence sometimes comes from Gulhek [Qolhak, also written as Gula Hek], which was the Legation’s summer hill station); Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, Imperial Bank of Persia, Treasury; Foreign Office.Physical description: 1 item (108 folios)
Abstract: This part concerns the disposal of river craft in Mesopotamia and contains material relating to:The arrangements made by Lord Inchcape [James Lyle MacKay], of the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation Company Limited, with the Ministry of Munitions towards the purchase of the Government’s surplus river craft in MesopotamiaThe vessels purchased by the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation Company from the Government through financial arrangements in Bombay [Mumbai], from March to August 1920The transfer of the Inland Water Transport Department in Mesopotamia from military to civilian authorities, and the amount of military transportation vessels to be maintainedThe suggestion of the Secretary of State for India, Edwin Montagu, to the Secretary of State for War, Winston Churchill, that they convince the civilian and military authorities respectively to agree to the sale of the river fleet in MesopotamiaThe wishes of General James Aylmer Lowthorpe Haldane to retain a portion of the river craft until the railway from Basrah [Basra] to Baghdad has proved its reliability, and consideration that he can carry his supplies by water more cheaply than could be done by possible purchasersThe criticism of the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, of British Army control over the oil fleet as being ‘uneconomical’, for charging three times that of civilian organisations and railway transportationThe financial statement of the Ministry of Munitions to Parliament on the ‘Disposal of Surplus Government Property’, together with a ‘Memorandum on Disposals’ (ff 40-47)The schedules of the Inland Water Transport Headquarters, Basrah, for fitting out and delivering the vessels to Keti Bandar, Calcutta [Kolkata] and Rangoon [Yangon] (ff 34-37)The shortage of personnel in the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force to make the arrangements for the delivery of vessels to the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation CompanyThe observation by the War Office that it would entail an actual loss to make the vessels (all but nine) seaworthy and deliver them to Lord Inchcape under the stipulationsThe responsibility for policing inland waterways in Mesopotamia and the possible takeover, by civil authorities, of four armed gunboats on loan from the AdmiraltyThe ‘non-delivery’ of river craft to the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation Company due to the change in the military’s positionThe reluctance of British military authorities in Mesopotamia to place river transport solely under private control, in case of a possible emergency in Government transportation.Physical description: 1 item (119 folios)