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 file 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 the boundaries should be demarcated prior to the commencement of any oil prospecting in the area. The file's principal correspondents are the following: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, succeeded by Sir Reader William Bullard); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch); the Political Agent, Muscat (Major Ralph Ponsonby Watts); the Secretary of State for the Colonies; the Secretary of State for India; the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; officials of the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, the India Office, and the Admiralty.Matters discussed in the correspondence include the following:Whether the British should press King Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] for a settlement of the outstanding questions relating to the aforementioned boundaries.Sir Andrew Ryan's meeting with Ibn Saud and the Deputy Minister for Saudi Foreign Affairs, Fuad Bey Hamza, in Riyadh, in November 1935.The disputed territories of Jebel Naksh [Khashm an Nakhsh, Qatar] and Khor-al-Odeid [Khawr al ‘Udayd].Whether or not a territorial agreement between Ibn Saud and Qatar was concluded prior to the Anglo-Qatar Treaty of 1916.The intentions of Petroleum Concessions Limited regarding the development of its oil concession in Qatar.The line proposed by the British for the boundary between Saudi Arabia and the Aden Protectorate.The Kuwait blockade.Leading personalities in Oman.Details of Harry St John Bridger Philby's expedition to Shabwa [Shabwah, Yemen].Four meetings held between Sir Reader Bullard, George Rendel (Head of the Foreign Office's Eastern Department), and Ibn Saud, in Jedda, 20-22 March 1937.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.Copies of correspondence dating from 1906, exchanged between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Major Percy Zachariah Cox), the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department, and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi [Shaikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan], regarding the latter's claim to Khor-al-Odeid.Several maps and sketch maps depicting the proposed boundaries discussed in the correspondence.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 421; 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 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 volume concerns British policy regarding the south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia, specifically its border with Qatar.The correspondence and memoranda near the beginning of the volume discuss from a British perspective the origins and recent history of the boundary dispute, which is described as having been in abeyance since 1938; much of the later correspondence is concerned with whether the British should make renewed attempts to reach an agreement with Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] .References are made to various existing and proposed boundary lines, the most recent of the latter is the 'Riyadh line' (the name given to the boundary proposed by the British to the Saudi Government in November 1935, referred to elsewhere as the 'final offer').Notable correspondents include the following: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior, succeeded by William Rupert Hay); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Reginald George Alban, Edward Birkbeck Wakefield, and Cornelius James Pelly); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Stanley R Jordan, succeeded by Laurence Barton Grafftey-Smith); officials of the Foreign Office, the India Office, the Government of India's External Affairs Department, and the Ministry of Fuel and Power (Petroleum Division); representatives of the United States' State Department, Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited, Petroleum Concessions Limited, and the Iraq Petroleum Company respectively.Related matters of discussion include:Ibn Saud's claims regarding the south-eastern frontiers of Saudi Arabia, particularly those relating to Jebel Nakhsh [Khashm an Nakhsh, Qatar] and Khor-el-Odeid [Khawr al ‘Udayd, Qatar].Reports in 1941 of a rumour that the Shaikh of Qatar [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī] and Ibn Saud have reached an agreement regarding the Saudi-Qatar boundary.The likelihood of oil prospecting either near or within the disputed territory, and its implications for the territorial dispute.British concerns in 1947 regarding the possibility of the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco) initiating drilling operations in the seabed near to the disputed territory.The precise location of proposed drillings by Petroleum Concessions Limited in the Qatar Peninsula.A reported complaint in 1947 from the Shaikh of Abu Dhabi [Shaikh Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan] that Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited has laid buoys in his territorial waters.Whether the British should permit or impede a proposed survey in Qatar by Petroleum Concessions Limited, which is thought likely to provoke protests from Ibn Saud.Also included are three maps depicting the eastern and south eastern parts of the Arabian Peninsula.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: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 195; 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.Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: This file concerns Anglo-Yemeni relations. Consisting largely of copies of Colonial Office and Foreign Office correspondence, it documents negotiations leading up to the conclusion of the Treaty of Sana'a between Britain and Yemen (signed on 11 February 1934 and ratified on 4 September 1934), and continues to discuss Anglo-Yemeni relations thereafter.Much of the correspondence following the ratification of the treaty relates to the existing frontier between Yemen and the Aden Protectorate; it includes discussion of article three of the Anglo-Yemeni treaty, which refers to the future settlement of the frontier.Related matters that feature in the correspondence include:The appointment in May 1934 of Captain Basil William Seager as Frontier Officer in the Aden Protectorate, as recommended by the Political Resident, Aden (Bernard Rawdon Reilly).Discussion regarding the extent of Italian influence in Yemen.The Imam of Yemen's [Yaḥyā Muḥammad Ḥamīd al-Dīn's] claim to certain districts on the British side of the Yemen-Aden Protectorate frontier.Details of two meetings in London, held in September and October 1937 respectively, between the Imam of Yemen's son, Prince Hussein [al-Ḥusayn Yaḥyā bin Ḥamīd al-Dīn], and George Rendel of the Foreign Office, regarding Anglo-Yemeni relations, with particular reference to article three of the aforementioned treaty.The reported presence of Axis nationals (Italians and Germans) in Yemen in 1942.The file features the following principal correspondents: the Political Resident, Aden (Bernard Rawdon Reilly); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, and later, Hugh Stonehewer Bird); His Majesty's Ambassador in Cairo (Sir Miles Wedderburn Lampson); the British Minister of State, Cairo; the Secretary of State for the Colonies; officials of the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, and the India Office.In addition to correspondence the file includes the following:Copies of political intelligence summaries from Aden.Copies of the English text of the aforementioned treaty.A certificate of registration for the treaty (in French and English), dated 4 February 1935 and issued by the Secretary General of the League of Nations.Whilst the file contains material ranging in date from 1934 to 1942, the vast majority of the material dates from 1934 to 1935.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 inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 252; 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 in parallel between ff 160-187, and ff 202-208; 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 concerns a request, made by the Army Headquarters, India, to the British Embassy at Baghdad, for a map of Arabia showing the national and provincial boundaries of Saudi Arabia. The correspondence discusses the difficulties associated with marking out the various boundaries, owing to the fact that many of them are 'the subject of actual or potential controversy'. Also discussed are recommended revisions to the boundaries of Arabia, as shown on a National Geographic Society map of Asia (map not included).Notable correspondents include the following: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); officials of the Foreign Office, the India Office, the Persian Gulf Political Residency, the British Embassy in Baghdad, and the British Library of Information in New York.In addition to correspondence the file includes the following:A copy of a memorandum dated 18 April 1932, which recounts an interdepartmental conference held at the Colonial Office three days earlier, concerning the submission of the frontiers of the mandated territories (namely the Iraq-Transjordan frontier, the Iraq-Kuwait frontier, and the Palestine-Syria frontier) for approval to the Council of the League of Nations.Two maps: one depicting the Arabian Peninsula and the other showing the eastern portion of the Aden Protectorate.Whilst the date range of the file is 1916-1934, only two items (including the aforementioned memorandum) date from earlier than 1934.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 60; 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 boundaries in eastern Arabia (specifically Saudi Arabia and Qatar). It concerns British policy regarding 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).Much of the correspondence relates to a request for a copy of the 1913 Anglo-Ottoman Convention, which was submitted by the United States Embassy in Angora [Ankara] to its British counterpart (reportedly on behalf of the United States' State Department), as well as to the wider significance of this request in relation to the United States' oil interests in the region.The correspondence also discusses Foreign Office concerns that aerial survey work carried out by the California Arabian Standard Oil Company (Casoc) in relation to its Hasa oil concession might extend beyond the blue line (subsequent correspondence relays reports of Casoc's aeroplane having crossed the blue line).Although the date range of the file is 1913-1934 most of the material dates from 1934. In addition to correspondence from 1934, the file includes two letters between officials of the Foreign Office and the India Office dating from 1924, and printed copies of the Anglo-Ottoman Conventions of 1913 and 1914 (in English and French), both of which contain enclosed maps (with text in English and Arabic). Also included with the Conventions are printed copies of agreements and treaties between Britain and various Gulf rulers, covering 1820-1904, and printed copies of Anglo-Ottoman protocols, covering 1903-1905.Notable correspondents include the following: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); the British Ambassador in Angora (Percy Loraine); Hugh Millard, United States Embassy, London; officials of the Foreign Office and the India Office.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 91; 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 relates to boundaries in the Arabian Peninsula. The file begins with a Foreign Office memorandum (and an enclosed map) dated 30 April 1934, which provides a brief recent history of disputes and agreements regarding the eastern and south-eastern boundaries of modern-day Saudi Arabia.The remainder of the file, which dates from 1937, contains correspondence between the Foreign Office and the Colonial Office discussing the precise extent of the Aden Protectorate. Also discussed are the respective British and Italian interpretations of the Rome Understanding of 1927. The correspondence includes a second Foreign Office memorandum dated 23 August 1937 and entitled 'The Growth of the Aden Protectorate'.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 40; 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 relates to the eastern boundary of Saudi Arabia and the southern boundary of Qatar.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), which is regarded by the British as the eastern boundary of Saudi Arabia, but is disputed by the Saudi Government, mainly on the grounds that it is no longer correct, following various developments during the years since the line was demarcated.British concerns regarding these boundaries follow a recent oil concession for the Hasa [Al Hasa] region of Saudi Arabia, granted by the Saudi Government to the Standard Oil Company of California, as well as reports of the possibility of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company securing an oil concession in Qatar.Related matters discussed in the correspondence include the following:The British policy regarding the blue line.The views of India Office and Foreign Office officials, as well as other British officials (most notably Sir Percy Zachariah Cox, former Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, and Harold Richard Patrick Dickson, Political Agent at Kuwait), regarding the demarcation of the southern boundary of Qatar.British concerns regarding the land lying between the blue line and the southern boundary of Qatar, as recognised by the Sheikh of Qatar [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī].A request for a copy of the 1913 Anglo-Ottoman Convention, submitted by the United States Embassy in Angora [Ankara] – reportedly on behalf of the United States' State Department – to its British counterpart, and the wider significance of this request in relation to the United States' oil interests in the region.Foreign Office concerns that aerial survey work carried out by the California Arabian Standard Oil Company (Casoc) in relation to its Hasa oil concession might extend beyond the blue line.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 Secretary of State for India (Samuel Hoare); the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India; the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs; officials of the Foreign Office, the India Office, the Admiralty, and the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department.In addition to correspondence, the volume includes extracts from Bahrain political intelligence reports and minutes of meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, which concern the Qatar boundary.Whilst the volume contains material dating from 1923 to 1934, the vast majority of the material dates from 1934. The French material consists of a short extract from the aforementioned Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913, which is contained in copies of an India Office memorandum on the southern boundary of Qatar.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 (folios 3-4).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description 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. The front and back covers have not been foliated.
Abstract: This file consists of an envelope containing three maps depicting the disputed boundaries of south-eastern Arabia and Qatar.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 4; 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 file contains correspondence regarding the supply of arms, ammunition and training by the British to the Tibetan Government. The details of the 1921 agreement between Britain and Tibet, the quantity of munitions to be supplied, and the intended use of the arms (for internal policing or external policy) are debated throughout the correspondence.The principal correspondents are: the Political Officer at Sikkim (Frederick Williamson, later Basil Gould); the Resident at Sikkim (James Leslie Rose Weir); the British Mission to Peking [Beijing]; and the Government of India Foreign and Political Department. The file also contains notes and memoranda on the above, made by the Foreign Office and the India Office Political Department. A number of translated telegrams from the Chief Ministers of the Tibetan Government, and Thub-bstan-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIII (1876-1933), are also found within the file.Correspondence dated 1932-1933 concerns the following: clashes between Tibet and China at Kanze [Ganzi] in eastern Tibet; a request for the final supply of arms under the 1921 agreement; the financial situation of the Tibetan Government; and Chinese requests for details of the 1921 agreement.Correspondence dated 1936-1939 concerns the following: Sir Basil Gould's mission to Lhasa; rejection by the Tibetan Government of Britain's intervention in the settlement of the dispute with the Tashi Lama; the supply of munitions and training of Tibetan officers in India; and an incident in which the brother of a Tibetan trade agent passed arms to China.Correspondence dated 1943-1947 concerns the following: the provision of arms and ammunition beyond the amount specified in the 1921 agreement; the extension of Government of India control in areas immediately south of the Indo-Tibet frontier (McMahon line); and the assessment of the importance of Tibet to the security of India's north-eastern frontier. A memorandum found at folio 70 provides a summary of all of the arms supplied following the 1921 agreement; folios 33-68 consist of extracts from intelligence reports, documenting arms traffic within Tibet; and a Chiefs of Staff Committee Report at folios 16-26 provides an assessment of Russian and Chinese military threats to Tibet, and possible Tibetan and British responses.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 for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 320; 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 the cover has been foliated as f 1; the back of the external cover has therefore not been foliated. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-319; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.