Abstract: Correspondence, memoranda, and other papers, concerning relations between the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) and the Persian Government, and between the British and Persian governments over APOC operations in Persia [Iran]. The file covers: reports of attacks on APOC drilling operations at Bikarz [Bīd Karz] and Mishun in 1923; Soviet propaganda published against APOC in the Persian province of Khuzistan in 1927; disturbances amongst Persian APOC employees at Abadan in May and June 1929, and the British response to these disturbances, including the despatch of naval vessels to the Persian Gulf; copies of a 1931 memorandum entitled 'South Persian Oilfields Defence Scheme', produced by the Overseas Defence Committee at the Foreign Office (ff 76-86); a 1931 'Report on the Tribes in the Area exploited by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company Ltd', prepared by R J Moneypenny at HM Consulate, Ahwaz [Ahvāz] (ff 24-54); anti-APOC articles published in the newspaper
Shafaq-e-Surkhin 1931, which criticise the D'Arcy Concession of 1901 (translations enclosed, ff 6-16), and the subsequent protest at the content of the articles made by the British Government to the Persian Government. The volume's principal correspondents include: HM Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Tehran, Robert Henry Clive; HM Vice-Consul at Mohammerah [Khorramshahr], Captain E W Fletcher; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.The volume contains a small number of items in French, being correspondence exchanged between the British and Persian Governments and three copies of the Persian newspaper
Le Messager de Teheran(ff 61-66).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 first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 268; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: The file contains papers regarding the supply of arms, military equipment and training to Afghan Forces, and is a continuation of the discussion following the Afghan Military Mission to India, documented in IOR/L/PS/12/2217. The principal correspondents are: the Government of India External Affairs Department; the India Office External Department; HM Minister at Kabul (G F Squire); HM Military Attache at Kabul (Colonel Alexander Slaughter Lancaster); the Treasury; the War Office; and the Foreign Office.The papers primarily concern what would come to be known as 'Scheme Lancaster' - the arrangements to supply arms and equipment worth Rs 30 lakhs to the Government of Afghanistan at a cost of Rs 15 lakhs, on an instalment payment plan, and to provide training in India for Afghan Army and Air Force Officers. The correspondence provides a detailed discussion of Afghanistan's military requirements, financial arrangements between the Government of Afghanistan, the Government of India, and HMG, and of the importance of Afghanistan to the defence of India and the Empire.In addition to correspondence, the file contains the following papers of note:Memorandum by Colonel Lancaster, giving a summary of the political and military situation in Afghanistan, and providing an assessment of the Afghan Government's request for arms (ff 182-188).Memorandum by Colonel Lancaster on the training needs of the Afghan Forces, and the proposed schemes of training to be offered in India (ff 164-168).Lists of equipment requested by the Afghan Government (ff 16-21, 113, 120-123, 129-133).Statement of receipts and expenditure on the Afghan Fund for the years 1944-45 (ff 67-68).Note prepared by Colonel Lancaster for Richard Allen, South East Asia Department of the Foreign Office, on the existing commitments with the Afghan Government in relation to the supply of military and air force equipment, and the training of Afghan Officers (ff 29-32).The file also contains a small amount of correspondence concerning the policy of the new Dominion Government of India towards Afghanistan, and the possible continuation of Scheme Lancaster.The file includes dividers which give lists of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are placed at the end of the correspondence (folios 2-3).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 225; 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 2-225; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: This file concerns relations between the Government of the Hejaz and Nejd (Saudi Arabia from September 1932 onwards) and the Soviet Union. It largely consists of copies of correspondence received by the Foreign Office from His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, succeeded by Sir Reader William Bullard) regarding Saudi-Soviet relations and the activities of Soviet representatives in Saudi Arabia. Other prominent correspondents include His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires to Jedda (Cecil Gervase Hope Gill), His Majesty's Ambassador in Moscow (Esmond Ovey), and officials of the Foreign Office, India Office, and the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department.Matters discussed in the correspondence include:The visit of the Hejazi delegation, headed by Emir Feisal [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd], Foreign Minister for the Kingdom of the Hejaz and Nejd, to Moscow, and later, via Turkey, to Tiflis [Tbilisi] and Baku, in May-June 1932.Soviet trade interests in the Hejaz.Concerns expressed by Sir Andrew Ryan in July 1932 that the Soviet representative in Jedda could seek to consolidate Soviet relations with Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] and encourage the latter to take a strong line regarding Transjordan.Unconfirmed reports of a Saudi-Soviet trade agreement in early 1933.Notes on the character and previous career in Jedda of the newly appointed (as of January 1936) Soviet minister at Jedda, Kerim Khakimov.News in May 1938 that the Government of the Soviet Union has decided to close its legations in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, reportedly as a gesture of disapproval of the Anglo-Italian Treaty [Anglo-Italian Agreement], but considered by the Foreign Office to be part of a general policy of reducing the number of its foreign contacts.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 main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 50; 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 2-49; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence between British officials concerning whether or not Major Ghulam 'Ali Bayandor, an officer in the Persian Navy, should have received an official gun salute when he visited Bushire in January 1933 and by what exact title he should be referred to by the British authorities.The correspondence in the file is largely between officials at the Political Residency in Bushire, the Admiralty and the British Legation in Tehran.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 35; 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 between British diplomatic and naval officials concerning an incident on 31 July 1933 when four Persian naval officers landed at Basidu (a naval station on Qishm island used by Britain) and took down the British flag in the presence of witnesses including an Italian and a Frenchman. Subsequently, a Royal Navy vessel arrived at the station and the British flag was re-hoisted.The correspondence discusses the details of the incident itself, its aftermath and its impact on Britain's relations with the Government of Iran. It also covers what steps were taken to 'restore British prestige in the eyes of the Gulf Arabs', including details regarding the dispatch of a royal navy flotilla to the region.In addition to correspondence, the file also contains the following:Relevant press cuttings regarding the incident and Britain's response (folios 78, 169, 311 and 364)Copy of a circular clarifying the sequence of events in Basidu that was issued by the British authorities in the Gulf (folio 11)'Copy of a note dated the 14th August 1933, from the Head Clerk, H.B.M.'s Consulate, Bandar Abbas, regarding a conversation which recently took place between the Governor of Bandar Abbas and the Consulate Mirza' (folio 255)'Basidu Incident' a summary of events written by J V Creagh, Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf (folios 329-331)'Extract from Cabinet Conclusions dated 5th September 1933 - Relations with Persia, Basidu Incident' (folios 370-376)'Legal Status of Basidu' (folios 398-399)'Cabinet: Relations with Persia - Basidu Incident. Memorandum by the First Lord of the Admiralty' (folios 413-415)Cabinet Memorandum regarding Basidu Incident (folios 416-417)'Foreign Office Memorandum for submission to the Cabinet on the subject of the Flag Incident at Basidu' (folios 435-440)A small sketch map marking the boundaries of 'British Basidu' (folio 536).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 591; 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 volume primarily concerns British policy regarding the south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia.It includes interdepartmental discussion regarding the approach that the British Government should take in reaching a settlement with King Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] over the demarcation of the boundaries.Much of the correspondence discusses the legal and international position of what is referred to as the 'blue line' (the frontier which marked the Ottoman Government's renunciation of its claims to Bahrain and Qatar, as laid down in the non-ratified Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913 and redefined and adopted in the Anglo-Ottoman convention of the following year), a line which is not accepted by Ibn Saud as being binding upon his government.The volume features the following principal correspondents: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); the Political Agent, Kuwait (Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Richard Patrick Dickson); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch); the Chief Commissioner, Aden (Bernard Rawdon Reilly, referred to in the correspondence as Resident); the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir John Simon); the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs; officials of the India Office, the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, the War Office, and the Air Ministry.Matters discussed in the correspondence include the following:Whether the British should press Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] for a general settlement of all outstanding major questions.The extent of territory that the British should be prepared to include in any concession made to Ibn Saud.The British response to what are referred to as Ibn Saud's 'ancestral claims' to territories east of the blue line.Sir Andrew Ryan's meetings with Ibn Saud in Taif, in July 1934.Meetings held at the Foreign Office between Sir Andrew Ryan, George Rendel (Head of the Foreign Office's Eastern Department), Fuad Bey Hamza (Deputy Minister for Saudi Foreign Affairs), and Hafiz Wahba (Saudi Arabian Minister in London), in September 1934.The boundaries of a proposed 'desert zone', suggested by Rendel, where Ibn Saud would hold personal rather than territorial rights.Saudi-Qatari relations.Whether tribal boundaries should be considered as a possible solution to the boundary question.Also included are the following:Two copies of an India Office memorandum entitled 'Historical Memorandum on the Relations of the Wahabi Amirs and Ibn Saud with Eastern Arabia and the British Government, 1800-1934', dated 26 September 1934.Copies of the minutes of meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, dated 8 November 1934 and 12 September 1934.A copy of a report by Bertram Thomas regarding a Trans-Oman air route reconnaissance, which was undertaken in May-June 1927.The Arabic material consists of one item of correspondence (an English translation is included).The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence (folio 4).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 394; 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 volume concerns British policy regarding the south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia.It documents preparations for negotiations with the Saudi Government, and includes interdepartmental discussion regarding the approach that the British Government should take in reaching a settlement with Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] over the demarcation of the boundaries.The areas of territory discussed include that which separates Saudi Arabia and the Aden Protectorate in the south, that which extends to the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman in the south-east, and the area extending to the south of Qatar in the east.Reference is made to the 'blue line' and the 'violet line' – boundary lines that formed part of the Anglo-Ottoman Conventions, concluded in 1913 and 1914 respectively.The correspondence includes discussion of the following:The likely consequences of not settling on defined boundaries.The extent of territory that the British should be prepared to include in any concession made to Ibn Saud.The legal distinction between personal and territorial sovereignty.References made by Fuad Bey Hamza (Deputy Saudi Minister for Foreign Affairs) during conversations with Sir Andrew Ryan (His Majesty's Minister at Jedda), regarding certain assurances made by Sir Henry McMahon to King Hussein of the Hejaz [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] in 1915, on the subject of Arab independence (a summary of a letter from King Hussein to McMahon, together with a copy of McMahon's reply, is included in the volume).Tribal history in Trucial Oman between 1918 and 1934.The Koweit [Kuwait] blockade.The boundaries of a proposed 'desert zone', roughly following the edge of the sands of the Ruba al Khali and considered by the British as a possible concession but later abandoned.Abu Dhabi's claims to Odeid [Al ‘Udayd, Saudi Arabia] and Banaiyan [Bi’r Bunayyān, Saudi Arabia].The volume features the following principal correspondents: the Political Agent, Bahrain (Percy Gordon Loch); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Philip Cunliffe-Lister); Bernard Rawdon Reilly (Chief Commissioner, Aden, but referred to in the correspondence as Resident); officials of the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, the India Office, the War Office, the Air Ministry, and the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department.In addition to correspondence, the volume contains a sketch map and a copy of draft minutes of a meeting of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, dated 15 April 1935.The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence (folio 4).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 365; 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 volume primarily concerns British policy regarding the south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia, specifically those bordering Qatar, the Trucial Shaikhdoms, Muscat, the Hadramaut and the Aden Protectorate.It includes interdepartmental discussion regarding the approach that the British Government should take in reaching a settlement with King Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] over the demarcation of the boundaries.References are made to various existing and proposed lines, including the 'blue line' and the 'violet line' – boundary lines that formed part of the Anglo-Ottoman Conventions, concluded in 1913 and 1914 respectively, a 'green line' and a 'brown line', which represent more recent territorial concessions proposed by the British to Ibn Saud, and a 'red line', which is referred to as the Saudi Government's claim for its country's south-eastern boundary.The volume features the following principal correspondents: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Samuel Hoare); the Acting Chief Commissioner, Aden (Lieutenant-Colonel Morice Challoner Lake); officials of the Colonial Office, the Foreign Office, the India Office, the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department.The correspondence includes discussion of the following:The extent of territory that the British should be prepared to include in any concession made to Ibn Saud.The abandonment of the idea of a proposed 'desert zone'.The future of the Treaty of Jedda of 1927.Meetings held at the Foreign Office with Fuad Bey Hamza, Deputy Saudi Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Hafiz Wahba, Saudi Arabian Minister in London, during June and July 1935.The eastern boundary of the Aden Protectorate.The possibility of the British Government employing Bertram Thomas to carry out enquiries and investigations regarding the question of Saudi Arabia's south-eastern frontiers.Wells and territories of the Al Murra [Āl Murrah] tribe.Preparations for Sir Andrew Ryan's forthcoming visit to Riyadh for negotiations with Ibn Saud.Abu Dhabi's claim to Khor-al-Odeid [Khawr al ‘Udayd].Details of a British aerial reconnaissance of the Qatar Peninsula, which took place on 11 October 1935.In addition to correspondence the volume includes the following: copies of the minutes of meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Ministerial and Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, dated 15 April 1935 and 24 September 1935 respectively; photographs of the Qatar Peninsula, taken during the aforementioned aerial reconnaissance; a map showing the route of the aerial reconnaissance.The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence (folio 4).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 411; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers.
Abstract: This volume primarily concerns British policy regarding the eastern and south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia, specifically those bordering Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Muscat (i.e. the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman). Much of the correspondence relates to British concerns that oil companies operating in the region may begin prospecting in disputed territory.References are made to various existing and proposed lines, including the 'blue line' (laid down in the non-ratified Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913 and redefined and adopted in the Anglo-Ottoman convention of the following year). Reference is also made to a 'final offer' proposed by the British to the Saudi Government in November 1935, since which time no conclusion has been reached.Matters discussed in the correspondence include:The reported activity of the California Arabian Standard Oil Company (Casoc) near Qasr-es-Salwa [Salwá, Saudi Arabia] (located east of the blue line), and whether this activity necessitates a renewed effort by the British to reach a settlement with Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] regarding the Qatar-Saudi boundary.Ibn Saud's claim to Jebel Nakhsh [Khashm an Nakhsh, Qatar], which lies in territory included in the Qatar oil concession.Whether the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi should be persuaded to cede Khor-el-Odeid [Khawr al ‘Udayd] to Ibn Saud.The impact of Britain's Palestine policy on Anglo-Saudi relations.The Foreign Office's suggestion that the Khor-el-Odeid question should be submitted to arbitration.In addition to correspondence dating from 1937-39, the volume contains copies of correspondence dating from April 1904 (including translations of two letters from the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi), which discusses Abu Dhabi's claim to Khor-el-Odeid.Correspondents include the following: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Captain Tom Hickinbotham); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Reader William Bullard); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, Viscount Halifax); the Secretary of State for India and Burma (Lawrence John Lumley Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland); the Viceroy of India (Victor Alexander John Hope, Lord Linlithgow); the Minister for Saudi Foreign Affairs [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd]; officials of the Foreign Office, the India Office, and the Government of India's External Affairs Department.Also included are the following: copies of the minutes of meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, dated 8 November 1937 and 8 February 1938; a sketch map depicting the various possible boundary lines of south-eastern Saudi Arabia.The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence (folio 2).Physical description: Foliation: this file consists of two physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the front cover of volume one (ff 1-188) and terminates at the inside back cover of volume two (ff 189-395); 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 2-394; these numbers are printed, and are not circled.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: This file primarily concerns the Treaty of Friendship between Yemen and the Netherlands, which was signed on 12 March 1933 and ratified on 4 February 1934. It comprises the following:A copy of a political intelligence summary, dated 7 March 1933 and received by the Secretary of State for the Colonies from Aden.A copy of a translation of the aforementioned treaty, received by the Foreign Office from the British Legation at the Hague.A letter, dated 9 February 1934 and received by the Foreign Office from the British Legation at the Hague, reporting on the ratification of the treaty.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 8; 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 concerns relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States, and features the following principal correspondents: His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires to Jedda (Albert Spencer Calvert); His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires to Washington (Ronald Ian Campbell); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Reader William Bullard, and later, Stanley R Jordan); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Secretary of State for India; the United States Consul, Dhahran; Isaiah Berlin (writing from the British Embassy, Washington); officials of the Foreign Office and the Government of India's External Affairs Department.The correspondence includes discussion of the following:The United States Government's recognition of King Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] in 1931.The conclusion of a provisional agreement between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, regarding diplomatic and consular representation, juridical protection, commerce and navigation, dated 7 November 1933.Details of the visit of Colonel Harold Hoskins, President Roosevelt's personal envoy, to Saudi Arabia in August 1943.Details of the visit of Emir Feisal [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd], Saudi Minister for Foreign Affairs, and his brother Khalid [Khalid ibn 'Abdul 'Aziz Āl Sa‘ūd], to the United States in September-October 1943.The United States Government's request to establish consular representation in Saudi Arabia, which the British Government advises Ibn Saud to accept.The reflections of Foreign Office officials on the United States' possible economic and strategic interests in Saudi Arabia.Ibn Saud's acceptance of the appointment of a United States Consul at Dhahran in 1944.In addition to correspondence, the file includes a copy of the aforementioned Saudi-United States provisional agreement, plus a number of extracts from various United States newspapers and news agencies.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 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 present in parallel between ff 1-64; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: This volume concerns relations between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Most of the correspondence is focussed on British policy in response to the Saudi-Yemeni conflict.Related matters that feature in the correspondence include the following:Reports in March 1934 that peace negotiations between Saudi and Yemeni representatives have failed.The British response to reports of the evacuation of Hodeida by Yemeni forces, which include the dispatch of HMS
Penzanceand proposals to fly aircraft over the town.Discussion as to whether the British Government should invite Italian naval cooperation regarding Hodeida.The presence of HMS
Penzance, and later HMS
Enterprise, at Hodeida.The state of affairs in Hodeida (as reported by the Commander of HMS
Enterprise) following its occupation by Saudi forces.Saudi concerns that Italy might intervene in the conflict on the side of the Imam of Yemen.Discussion as to whether or not the Italian Government's decision to land troops at Hodeida and Mocha – ostensibly to protect Italian interests – constitutes an act of intervention.Differences of opinion between the British and Italian Governments over the sovereignty of Asir.Reports in May 1934 of the suspension of hostilities and the beginning of peace negotiations.Unfounded rumours of the death of Imam of Yemen [Yaḥyá Muḥammad Ḥamīd al-Dīn].Notable correspondents include the following: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); His Majesty's Ambassador in Rome (James Eric Drummond); His Majesty's Ambassador in Bagdad [Baghdad] (Sir Francis Humphrys); the High Commissioner, Egypt (Miles Wedderburn Lampson); the Political Resident, Aden (Bernard Rawdon Reilly); the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Philip Cunliffe-Lister); the Commander of HMS
Penzance; the Commander of HMS
Enterprise; the Senior Officer of the Red Sea Sloops; the Command-in-Chief, Mediterranean; the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; officials of the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, the Admiralty, and the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department.In addition to correspondence the volume includes copies of political intelligence summaries from the Aden Political Residency, the Bahrain Political Agency, and the Kuwait Political Agency respectively, as well as a sketch map of the Arabian Peninsula.The French material consists of two items of correspondence. The aforementioned sketch map is dated June 1914; the rest of the volume dates from 1934, with most of the material falling within April-May 1934 (a few items of correspondence date from February-March 1934).The volume includes two dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence (folio 3-4).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 449; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers.An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 218-449; these numbers are also written in pencil and circled, but are crossed through.