Abstract: The file relates to the publication of the report of the Palestine Royal Commission, and British Government White Papers on Palestine, 1937-39; the reaction to them in Bahrain (and elsewhere in the Persian Gulf); the response of the King of Saudi Arabia [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] (usually referred to in the papers as Ibn Saud) to British policy on Palestine; and fundraising in Bahrain for charitable causes in Palestine.The principal correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Residency Agent, Sharjah; the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave); and senior officials of the India Office and the Foreign Office.The papers cover: approaches to the Ruler of Bahrain [Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah] by pro-Palestinian groups, and British advice that the Shaikh should ignore them, August-September 1936 (folios 5-13); the publication of the report of the Palestine Royal Commission (which proposed partition), May-August 1937 (folios 21-57), including the reaction of Ibn Saud (folios 31-32), the reaction in Bahrain, where the public was said to be 'not interested' (folio 35), distribution of Arabic copies of the report, (folios 41-44), and the reaction in the Gulf generally (folios 46-57); an appeal at Sharjah to the Muslims of the Trucial Coast to help the Palestinians, November-December 1937 (folios 65-73); publication of the White Paper
Policy in Palestine(cmd. 5634), January 1938 (folios 75-84); distribution of an Arabic translation of the White Paper, January-February 1938 (folios 85-90); texts of British Government official communiqués, January and November 1938, which rejected partition (folios 91-95 and 101-102); Arabic translation of the summary of the report of the Palestine Partition Commission, with two maps (B Plan of Partition, folio 119 and C Plan of Partition, folio 118), November 1938 (folios 108-120); report that there was no local reaction in Bahrain to the Commission's report, November 1938 (folio 130); correspondence between the British Government and Ibn Saud, January-May 1939 (folios 149-193); Foreign Office extracts from the forthcoming White Paper on Palestine, and explanatory letter from the Political Agent, Bahrain to Ibn Saud, May 1939 (folios 194-214); correspondence concerning a fund for relief of distress in Palestine, May 1939 (folios 218-222); White Paper
Palestine. Statement of Policy(cmd. 6019), which included sections on the constitution of Palestine, Jewish immigration, and transfers of land, May 1939 (folios 225-232); letter from Ibn Saud in response to British policy in Palestine, 21 May 1939 (folios 235-240); Arabic translation of the White Paper (folios 243-250); the reaction to the White Paper in Bahrain, June 1939 (folio 256); correspondence concerning charitable relief in Bahrain for Palestine, including correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain, and Shaikh Abdullah bin Isa al Khalifah [‘Abdullāh bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah], June-July 1939 (folios 257-271); and reaction to the White Paper on the Trucial Coast (folio 272), and in Kuwait (folio 278).The Arabic language content of the papers consists of approximately fifty folios. This is composed of correspondence (most with English translations), and copies of Arabic translations of official British Government publications.The date range gives the covering dates of the correspondence; the last dated addition to the file is an entry in the notes in folio 318, dated 17 August 1939.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. Arabic booklets are numbered in reverse order and these numbers are located in the top left corner. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 4-277; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: File containing correspondence, memoranda and reports relating to the creation of the League of Nations mandates, by which the administration of former colonies of Germany and the Ottoman Empire [Turkey] was granted variously to the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Japan.Much of the file is focused on the mandates formed from former Ottoman possessions, and particularly on the rapidly changing political situation in Mesopotamia [Iraq], leading to the formation of the Kingdom of Iraq and the eventual abandonment of the British Mandate for Mesopotamia. Final drafts of the mandates for Mesopotamia and Palestine are on folios 236-242, and a draft of the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1922 is on folios 295-298.Other topics covered in the file include:Initial discussions between the Allied powers about the formation of the mandates, particularly relating to differences between the three classes of mandateArrangements for formalising and establishing individual mandatesA request by Japan to insert clauses establishing free trade for the Allied powers within the mandatesAttempts by the United States to be given the right to approve final drafts of the mandates, despite not having ratified the Treaty of Versailles or participated in the San Remo Conference.Copies of the official declarations of each of the mandates formed from former German possessions in Africa and the Pacific are included on folios 3-34, and conventions for the same mandates are on folios 68-93.There are ten folios of material in French, primarily correspondence relating to British and French mandates in West Africa.The primary correspondents are: Lord Curzon of Kedleston, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; Winston Churchill, Secretary of State for Colonial Affairs; Arthur Balfour, Lord President of the Council; Herbert Fisher, President of the Board of Education; Sir Percy Cox, High Commissioner, Mesopotamia; Bainbridge Colby, United States Secretary of State; the Ambassadors of France, Japan and the United States to the United Kingdom; the Colonial Office; the India Office; the Foreign Office; and the War Office.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 323; 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 inconsistent foliation sequence is also present; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The volume includes correspondence in the form of telegrams, letters, minutes, draft mandates and conventions. The correspondence is mainly about the British Mandate for Palestine and Mesopotamia, and the French Mandate for Syria and Lebanon. British and French officials exchanged draft copies of the mandates discussing the wordings, modifications required, the date to submit them to the Council of the League of Nations, and the date to get the drafts signed by the allied powers.The main issues discussed in the volume are the following:Amendments required in regard to the section on the holy placesThe French Government’s desire to imitate the Mandate for Mesopotamia as far as possible for its own mandate in SyriaDraft declarations constituting the mandates for Palestine and MesopotamiaProposals for the future administration of EgyptThe question on whether the foreign relation article of the draft Mandate for Mesopotamia should follow the Egyptian example or notThe necessity to get the views of the High Commissioner of Mesopotamia, Percy Cox, on the draft MandateDraft Anglo-French Convention discussing the construction of two railways in the Yarmuk valley; the water of the rivers Tigris, Euphrates and the Jordan Valley; and the Syria-Palestine boundariesThe maintaining of the local troops in the territories for the defence of these territoriesThe question of whether Arabic should be the official language of MesopotamiaCommunication between the Foreign Office and the High Commissioner, Jerusalem, Herbert Samuel, regarding the question of ‘safeguarding Palestine’s right to use the waters of Litani and Yarmuk for power purposes even if they fall outside frontiers of Palestine’The wording of the draft Mandate for Palestine, and the use of the terms ‘National Home’ and ‘Jewish State’The French Government's mistrust of the British policy in Palestine‘Italian Government’s opposition to entry into force of mandates pending ratification of Turkish Peace Treaty’The communication of mandates to the United States GovernmentPostponement of legalisation of British position in Palestine and Mesopotamia until the mandates are passed by the Council of the League of NationsThe necessity of drafting of an organic law and postponement of the Mesopotamia mandate.The volume contains the following items:Copy of the Convention Franco-Britannique (Franco-British Convention) signed 23 December 1920, by the French Prime Minister, Georges Leygues and the British Ambassador to France, Charles Hardinge of Penfhurst [Penshurst]Copies in French and in English of draft mandates for Palestine, Mesopotamia, Syria and Lebanon submitted by representatives of the British and the French Delegations to the Council of the League of Nations for its approvalA convention regarding Palestine, signed between the British Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Joseph Austen Chamberlain, and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States at London, Frank B Kellogg.The principal correspondents in the volume are: the Secretary of State for the Colonies; the Assistant Secretary, Foreign Office; the Political Department, India Office; the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; the Under-Secretary of State for India; the Secretary of State for India; the Secretary of the War Office; the Secretary to the Army Council; the British Embassy, Paris; the British Delegation to the Council of the League of Nations; the Director of Military Intelligence, War Office; the Treasury; the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the French Delegation to the Council of the League of Nations; and the French Embassy, London.The volume includes some duplications.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 374; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Multiple intermittent additional foliation sequences are also present.The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: This file relates to the administration of Syria and the possibility of the French Government installing a King of Syria.The file mostly contains copies of Colonial Office and Foreign Office correspondence, much of which consists of copies of the minutes, memoranda and correspondence of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, which discuss how the British Government should respond to rumours that the French Government has been approaching both King Feisal of Iraq [Fayṣal bin Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] and his brother, Ali [‘Alī bin Ḥusayn al-Hāshimī], as candidates for the throne of Syria.Related matters discussed in the correspondence include:The British stance on whether Iraq and Syria should be ruled by one king.The possibility of Syria becoming a republic rather than a monarchy, with a Syrian as President (an outcome which is deemed to be more suited to British interests).Reports in the Turkish press that the ex-Khedive of Egypt, Abbas Hilmi [ʿAbbās Ḥilmī II] has aspirations for the Syrian throne, and that the Turkish Government also favours the ex-Khedive as a candidate.Reports that the French Government is contemplating ending its mandate over Syria and is negotiating a treaty with Syria, using the 1930 Anglo-Iraqi Treaty as a basis.Details of the Treaty of Alliance between France and Syria (signed on 16 November 1933), and of its suspended ratification.Details of the Franco-Lebanese Treaty of Friendship and Alliance, signed on 13 November 1936.Egypt's preference for Prince [Muhammad] Abdul Moneim to be installed as King of Syria.Ibn Saud's [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd's] concerns that the throne of Syria might be offered to a Hashimite candidate (i.e. a member of the Hāshimī family).The principal correspondents are the following: His Majesty's Consul at Damascus (Edwyn Cecil Hole, succeeded by Gilbert Mackereth); the High Commissioner for Iraq (Sir Francis Henry Humphrys and his Acting Commissioner, Hubert Winthrop Young); His Majesty's Ambassador in Baghdad (Humphrys again, and later, Basil Cochrane Newton); the Secretary of State for the Colonies; the British Consul-General at Beirut (Harold Eustace Satow); the High Commissioner for Egypt (Percy Lyham Loraine, succeeded by Miles Wedderburn Lampson); His Majesty's Ambassador in Angora [Ankara] (George Russell Clerk, succeeded by Loraine); the British Minister at Jedda (Sir Reader William Bullard); His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires, Jedda (Alan Charles Trott); officials of the Colonial Office and the Foreign Office.The French material in this file consists of several items of correspondence, a copy of the Franco-Syrian Treaty of 1933, a copy of the Franco-Lebanese Treaty of 1936, and copies of extracts from two French language publications (the Lebanese newspaper,
L'Orient, and the Damascus newspaper,
Les Échos de Syrie).The file includes two dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are 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 248; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An external leather cover wraps around the documents; the front inside of this cover has been foliated as f 1. A previous foliation sequence, which is present between ff 12-247 and is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: This file relates to changes to the administration of French-ruled Syria during the 1930s and early to mid-1940s.The file consists of copies of received Foreign Office correspondence, which have been forwarded by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the Under-Secretary of State for India. Most of the correspondence received by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir John Simon; Anthony Eden; Viscount Halifax) is either from His Majesty's Consul at Damascus (Edwyn Cecil Hole, succeeded by Gilbert Mackereth) or from His Majesty's Consul at Aleppo (George Evelyn Arthur Cheyne Monck-Mason, succeeded by Archibald William Davis).The French material in the file consists of copies of decrees, correspondence and a communique produced by the French High Commissioner in Syria and Lebanon (Auguste Henri Ponsot; Damien de Martel; Gabriel Puaux).Items of discussion include the following:The political atmosphere in Aleppo and Damascus in the run-up to Syria's first parliamentary elections under its new constitution, in late 1931 and early 1932.An attempted assassination of Subhi Bey Barakat [Subhi Bay Barakat al-Khalidi], former President of Syria, by a student from Homs, in 1932.Reports of tense relations in Aleppo, between Syrians identified as 'moderates' and 'extremists' by the British, following the elections.Reports on the first sessions of the new Syrian Parliament in June 1932.Details of a 1937 decree issued by the French High Commissioner, granting a general amnesty to those referred to in the correspondence as 'political offenders'.The resignation of the Syrian Government in March 1939 and the resignation of the Syrian President [Hashim Bay Khalid al-Atassi] on 7 July 1939.The resignation of the Syrian Defence Minister, Nabih el Azmeh [Nabi al-Azmeh], in June 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 for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 89; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An external leather cover wraps around the documents; the front inside of this cover has been foliated as folio 1.
Abstract: This file concerns Anglo-French relations in the near East, particularly relating to French policy in Syria.Much of the correspondence relates to British efforts to obtain information from the French Government regarding the latter's future policy in Syria. The correspondence includes discussion of the following:British concerns in 1939 regarding public support in Iraq for the Syrian Nationalist cause.Differences between the French Mandate in Syria and the British Mandate in Palestine.British misgivings regarding the French Government's decision not to proceed with the ratification of the treaty between France and Syria (the Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence), which was concluded in 1936 and amended in 1938.The reception given to King Faisal II of Iraq upon his visit to Damascus in July 1939.Reactions in the Iraqi press to the suspension of the Syrian Constitution in July 1939.The suspension of the Lebanese Constitution and the dissolution of its Parliament in September 1939, reported as a 'wartime measure'.An increase in the number of French forces in Syria in September 1939.The French Government's concerns in 1946 regarding the activities of the Arab League in North Africa.The file features the following principal correspondents: His Majesty's Ambassador in Paris (Eric Phipps, succeeded by Ronald Ian Campbell); His Majesty's Ambassador in Bagdad [Baghdad] (Basil Newton); the British Consul, Beirut (Godfrey Thomas Havard); officials of the Foreign Office.The date range of the file is 1939-47; however, with the exception of three items dating from 1946-47, all of the correspondence dates from 1939.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 (folio 2).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 84; 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 documents the British response to developments regarding the status of the Sanjak [administrative district, referred to in Arabic as Liwa] of Alexandretta, including the cities of Alexandretta [İskenderun, Turkey] and Antioch [Antakya, Turkey].The file features the following principal correspondents: His Majesty's Ambassador, Istanbul (Sir Percy Loraine, succeeded by Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen); His Majesty's Ambassador, Bagdad [Baghdad] (Sir Archibald Clark Kerr, succeeded by Sir Maurice Drummond Peterson); His Majesty's Ambassador, Paris (Sir George Russell Clerk, succeeded by Sir Eric Phipps); the British Consul, Aleppo (Archibald William Davis); the British Consul, Damascus (Gilbert MacKereth); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Reader William Bullard); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Anthony Eden); officials of the Foreign Office.The correspondence includes discussion of the following:The demography of the Sanjak of Alexandretta.Turkey's claim for the Sanjak to be given autonomy.The progression of Franco-Turkish negotiations, brokered by the League of Nations and resulting in the Sanjak's new autonomous status (in its internal affairs only), as granted in a League of Nations statute, concluded in January 1937 and brought into force on 29 November 1937.Reports of both Arab and Turkish demonstrations in Alexandretta and Antioch during January 1937 (as well as Arab demonstrations in Aleppo).Pressure from Syria and Iraq for the Sanjak to be partitioned between Syria and Turkey.The reported registration of non-Turkish electors in the Sanjak as Turks.Reported divisions in the Syrian Nationalist Government.The conclusion of a treaty of friendship between France and Turkey in July 1938.The announcement in September 1938 that the Sanjak of Alexandretta will in future be known as the Republic of Hatay, with Antioch as its capital.The Franco-Turkish agreement regarding the change of status of Hatay to that of a Turkish province, concluded in June 1939.The French language material in the file consists of several items of correspondence, plus copies of the aforementioned Franco-Turkish agreement (dated 23 June 1939) and the Turco-French treaty (dated 4 July 1938).The file includes two dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence (folios 2-3).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 287; 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 documents British policy and Allied operations regarding Syria and Lebanon, following the defeat of France in June 1940. It documents preparations for a British-Free French military campaign in Syria [Operation Exporter] and concludes with correspondence regarding armistice terms, following the Allied forces' victory.The file's principal correspondents are the following: the British Consul, Damascus (Alfred John Gardner); the British Consul-General, Beirut (Godfrey Thomas Havard); the High Commissioner, Palestine (Harold MacMichael); His Majesty's Ambassador in Cairo (Miles Wedderburn Lampson); His Majesty's Ambassador in Bagdad [Baghdad] (Basil Newton, succeeded by Sir Kinahan Cornwallis); His Majesty's Ambassador in Angora [Ankara, Turkey] (Sir Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen); His Majesty's Ambassador in Washington (Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, referred to in the correspondence as Viscount Halifax); His Majesty's Minister, Jedda (Hugh Stonehewer Bird); Commander-in-Chief, Middle East (Archibald Wavell); officials of the Foreign Office.The file includes discussion of the following:British concerns that Italy will seek to gain a foothold in Syria following France's defeat.British policy in the event of the French authorities in Syria and Lebanon being unable to defend their interests.The prospects of independence for Syria.The possibility of British intervention in Syria.The cessation of exports from Syria to Palestine.The arrival in Syria of an Italian armistice commission.The detention of three British ships and their crew in Beirut in August 1940, under orders from the Vichy Government.Proposals for a Free French coup d'état in Syria.Rumours in early 1941 that the Vichy French authorities in Syria are considering some kind of regime change, either by instituting some form of nationalist government, or by installing a monarch, such as Amir Faisal [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd], son of Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd].British policy towards the nationalist movement in Syria.The precise wording and timing of a proposed Free French declaration (to be supported by a British declaration), proclaiming the independence of Syria and Lebanon, to be delivered by General Georges Catroux on behalf of General Charles de Gaulle.Preparations for a Free French-British military intervention in Syria.The Allied forces' military campaign in Syria, which commenced on 8 June 1941.The armistice terms to be offered by the Allies to the Vichy authorities following the cessation of hostilities in Syria, with the United States Consul General at Beirut acting as an intermediary.The French language material consists of a final draft of the aforementioned Free French declaration (folio 160).The file includes three dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence (folios 2-4).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 501; 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: This file relates to the abolition of the mixed courts system that existed under the French Mandate in Syria and Lebanon (a system whereby cases concerning the rights and properties of foreigners were processed by courts usually consisting of two French judges and one local judge, with the proceedings being conducted in French).The file's principal correspondents are the following: His Majesty's Ambassador in Washington (Archibald Clark Kerr, referred to in the correspondence as Lord Inverchapel); the Secretary of State for India (Frederick William Pethick-Lawrence); the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; officials of the Foreign Office, the Dominions Office, and the British Legation at Damascus.In addition to correspondence, the file includes copies of translations of two decrees passed by the Lebanese Government. The first, dated 31 December 1946, confirms the abolition of the mixed courts system and the second, dated 9 January 1947, lays out changes to the structure of the country's courts and judiciary.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 (folio 2).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 54; 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: Following on from an earlier file (IOR/L/PS/12/2166), this file concerns British policy relating to Syria, following the success of the British-Free French military campaign in Syria [Operation Exporter]. (The abbreviation 'Incl.' in the title stands for 'Including').The date range of this file is 1941-44; however, most of the material dates from 1941.Notable correspondents include the following: His Majesty's Ambassador in Cairo (Miles Wedderburn Lampson); Minister of State, Cairo (Oliver Lyttelton); His Majesty's Ambassador in Bagdad [Baghdad] (Sir Kinahan Cornwallis); His Majesty's Ambassador in Washington (Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, referred to in the correspondence as Viscount Halifax); the Secretary of State for India (Frederick William Pethick-Lawrence); General Charles de Gaulle; General Georges Catroux; officials of the Foreign Office, the War Office, and the Government of India's External Affairs Department.The file includes discussion of the following:The British Government's relationship with Free France in Syria (particularly with General Charles de Gaulle) and the possibility that the Free French authorities are suspicious of Britain's interest in Syria.Concerns expressed by the Government of India (and to a lesser degree, by the War Office) that the Free French authorities intend to take the place of the Vichy administration in Syria and renege on promises of imminent independence.Arrangements for the repatriation of Vichy French officers and the return of British prisoners of war.The wording of a Free French declaration (a translated draft of which is included) announcing Syria's independence and the formation of a Syrian Government, with Sheikh Taj ed Din el Hassani [Taj al-Din al-Hasani] as President, issued on 27 September 1941.Britain's formal recognition of Syrian independence on 28 October 1941.Reports of unrest in the Deir es Zor [Deir ez-Zor] region during October 1941.The wording of a Free French declaration announcing Lebanon's independence (particularly the wording of paragraph 16, which makes reference to Lebanon as 'an indivisible unit'), issued on 26 November 1941 (a translated draft of the declaration is included).Whether the proclamations of Syrian and Lebanese independence constitute the termination of the French Mandate.Whether treaty negotiations should be initiated following the declarations of independence, or delayed until the end of the war.The appointment of Major General Sir Edward Spears as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Governments of Syria and Lebanon.Also included are copies of daily summaries produced by the Middle East Intelligence Centre (MEIC) in Cairo, covering early July 1941.There is a small amount of French language material, consisting of extracts from drafts of both of the aforementioned declarations, as well as a copy of the full text of the declaration of Lebanese independence.The file includes two dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence (folio 2-3).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 312; 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 volume comprises copies, drafts, and originals of correspondence, minutes, and memoranda relating to the administration of Mesopotamia [present-day Iraq, sometimes referred to as Irak in this volume] following the decision by the League of Nations to assign the territory as a British mandate.A number of matters are covered by the volume, including the following:The form, extent, and timing of self-government in IraqThe framing of a constitution and electoral lawDiscussion of potential candidates to lead any future governmentReaction to the British mandate among the people of Mesopotamia, including nationalist, pan-Arab, pan-Islamic, and pro-Turkey groups, and the outbreak of the Iraq Revolt of 1920, and British efforts to appease or suppress these groupsThe timing and wording of announcements made in Mesopotamia by the civil administration regarding British intentionsThe question of sufficient military and administrative presence in the countryDiscussion of how to respond to the subject of Mesopotamia being raised in the UK Parliament and the British and Iraqi pressBritish fears of French, American, and Italian influence in the region.Notable within the volume are the following:Drafts of the mandate for Mesopotamia, 26 May 1920 (ff 163-176)A summary of proposals on the Mesopotamian constitution by the Bonham-Carter Committee (ff 97-99) and a memorandum on the subject by Henry Robert Conway Dobbs, Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, 26 May 1920 (ff 94-95)Copy of a public proclamation (written in English and Arabic), made by the Civil Administration in Mesopotamia and regarding British troop withdrawals, dated 17 June 1920 (f 67)Translation of a ‘manifesto’ by leading men of Najaf, Abdul Muhsin Shalash [‘Abd al-Muḥsin Shalāsh], Saiyid Nur [Sayyid Nūr al-Yāsiri], Abdul Raza al Ibrahim Shaikh Razi [‘Abd al-Riḍā al-Ibrāhīmī, Shaikh Rāḍī], Abdul Karim Jazairli [‘Abd al-Karīm Jazā’irlī], and Jawad Sahib ul Jawahir [Jawād Ṣāḥib al-Jawāhir], 11 June 1920 (f 42).The principal correspondents are Arnold Talbot Wilson, Acting Civil Commissioner for Mesopotamia, and Edwin Samuel Montagu, Secretary of State for India. Other correspondents include: Nuri Said [Nūrī al-Sa‘īd, also written Noury Saïd in this volume], leading Arab Iraqi politician and officer; Major-General Percy Zachariah Cox, Acting Minister in Tehran and appointed High Commissioner of Iraq; General Headquarters, Iraq; the War Office; the Foreign Office; and Political Officers and Military Governors in Amarah, Baghdad, Samarra, Diwaniyah [Al Diwaniyah], Hillah [Al Hillah], Basra, and Shamiyah [Al Shamiyah].Some of the Arab and Iraqi leaders and officials discussed in the volume include: the Naqib of Baghdad [‘Abd al-Raḥmān Al-Kīlānī al-Naqīb al-Ashrāf]; Hasan Suhail [Ḥasan al-Suhayl, Shaikh of the Banī Tamīm]; Mirza Mahammed Taqi Shirazi [Mīrzā Muḥammad Taqi al-Shīrāzī], leading Mujtahid (Islamic legal authority) of Karbala; Sayed Talib [Sayyid Ṭālib bin Rajab al-Naqīb al-Refā‘ī], Arab nationalist, Feisal [Fayṣal bin Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī, also written Feisul in this volume], King of Syria; and Abdullah [‘Abdullāh bin Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī], Feisal’s brother and future Amir of Transjordan [present-day Jordan].The volume contains several cuttings and extracts from
The Baghdad Times,
The Times,
The Morning Post,
The Pioneerand Reuters.The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 192; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Multiple intermittent additional pagination and foliation sequences are also present.The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.