Abstract: In this document, the author outlines the basic details of agreements, treaties and general obligations which exist between Britain and the following countries and individuals towards the end of the First World War (1914-1918):France;Italy;Russia;Roumania [Romania];King of Hedjaz;Japan;China;Belgium;Serbia;Portugal;Greece;Sweden;Holland;Switzerland;'the Poles';'the Jews';Jugo-Slavs;Czecho-Slovaks;Albanians;Armenians;Persia;Afghanistan.The document was printed for the War Cabinet in 1918 by the Foreign Office, and is initialled by 'H G N' whose full name is unknownFollowing the synopsis of relations between Britain and other international powers, there is a table between folios 139v-144 which details the 'war aims' of the Americans, British, French, Italians, Russians, Austrians, Germans and Turkish relating to various 'issues', and notes the degree of agreement between the aforementioned countries on these issues. The 'terms' of each country which are noted in the document are often taken from speeches or statements made by their leaders. In the middle of the table are three maps (ff 141-143) which reflect the details of some of the agreements mentioned in the synopsis.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 136, and terminates at f 144, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: This printed memorandum is a report prepared by the General Staff, War Office, dated 31 Aug 1918. It is a summary of the Hejaz [al-Ḥijāz] Revolt (commonly referred to as the Arabic Revolt) in the context of the First World War, covering the period June 1916 to December 1918. The memorandum is marked 'Secret' and 'This Document is the Property of H.B.M. Government' (folio 75).The summary contains an index (folio 76) with the following chronological sections: 'Narrative of events from June 1916 to December 1916'; ''Narrative of events from January 1917 to November 1917'; 'Narrative of events of December 1917 and summary of the situation at the end of 1917'; 'Narrative of events during January and February 1918'; 'Narrative of events during March and April 1918'; 'Narrative of events during April and May 1918'; 'Narrative of events during June 1918'; 'Narrative of events during July 1918'; and 'Narrative of events during August 1918 and summary of the situation up till the end of August 1918'.There is also a list of appendices on the same folio which includes: 'A: King Hussein' [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī]; 'B: Ibn Saud' [Ābd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd]; 'C: Ibn Rashid' [Sa‘ūd bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Rashīd]; 'D: The Jemal Pasha' [Aḥmad Jamāl Bāshā]; 'E: Maurice's Report'; 'F: Enemy political activity'; 'G: Zionist movement'; 'H: Turkish interposition between main British and Arab forces'; 'K: Koweit [Kuwait] blocked'; 'L: Attitude of Norther Arabian tribes towards Hejaz revolt'; 'M: Fakhri Pasha [Fakhrī Bāshā or Fakhr al-Dīn Bāshā] at Medina'; 'N and O: Enemy casualties and Turkish troops'. A map is noted below the list of appendices but is not present.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at f.75. and terminates at f.89, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff.11-158; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain and the British Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, as well as J.W. Storrs, Sub-Divisional Engineer at Bushire, Sheikh ‘Īsā bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, Sheikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsā Āl Khalīfah, Yūsuf Kanoo, Seth Rao Sahib Tirathdas Maharaj, Director of Bahrain Customs, and various merchants, shipping agents and contractors.This correspondence concerns the proposal to build a pier and godwons (warehouses) at Manama, Bahrain. Included within the correspondence are details concerning shipping, the loading and unloading of cargo, and wharfage fees at Bahrain; estimates and expenses for building materials; surveys of the proposed location for the pier; and fund-raising for the project among Bahraini merchants.Physical description: Foliation: The main foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A second uncircled foliation sequence commencing on f. 2 is also present.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence concerning the British Government's relationship with Ibn Sa'ud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] and his conflict with the Al Rashid rulers of the Emirate of Jabal Shammar (or Emirate of Ha'il) as well as his relations with the Ottoman Empire and the Ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Mubarak Al Sabah. The impact of the First World War is also discussed.The file also contains correspondence related to a trip to the region made by Captain Leachman of the Royal Sussex Regiment in 1912 (folios 164-178).The primary British correspondents in the file include the Political Agent in Kuwait, Captain William Shakespear (and to a lesser extent, his successor, Lieutenant-Colonel William George Grey); John Gordon Lorimer, Political Resident in Turkish Arabia and Consul General in Baghdad; the Political Agent in Bahrain, Captain Terence Humphrey Keyes; the Political Resident, Major Percy Zachariah Cox.The file also contains a significant amount of Arabic language correspondence (with English translations), principally from Ibn Sa'ud as well as a limited amount from other regional figures including the Ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Mubarak al-Sabah.In addition to correspondence, the file contains several extracts from the diary of the Political Agency in Kuwait related to political developments concerning Ibn Sa'ud and the following documents:a report by Captain Shakespear on a meeting with Ibn Saud in 1911 (folios 105-107);an account of the Idrisi rebellion in Asir extracted from the Soudan Intelligence Report, June 1912 (folios 161-163);an English translation of a treaty agreed between the British Government and Ibn Saud that was signed on 26 December, 1915 (folios 321-324);a memorandum on relations between Ibn Saud and the 'Ajman tribe written in 1916 (folios 380:385);a note on the political situation in Nejd written in 1920 by the Political Agent in Bahrain, Harold Patrick Dickson (folios 474-486).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 527; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The file has two foliation anomalies, f 52A, and f 433A. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 3-86, and ff 487-522; 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: Correspondence and other papers (order forms, promotional materials, product catalogues, receipts) relating to charitable collections in Bahrain for the Haig Fund (British Legion) from 1933 to 1944. The papers cover subscriptions collected and coordinated by the Political Agency, and from 1938, the sale of poppies in Bahrain, usually undertaken by the wives of British officials. The file’s principal correspondents are: the Political Agent in Bahrain (numerous incumbents); the British Legion (Organising Secretary Captain W G Willcox, and President of the Legion, Sir Frederick Barton Maurice); and Lady Marjorie Lepel Belgrave, wife of Charles Dalrymple Belgrave.The file contains a range of printed materials, published by the British Legion, including:leaflets promoting the Legion’s work and its campaigns (ff 9-10, ff 12-15, ff 21-27, f 41, ff 76-79, ff 99-100, ff 117-118);an annual report of accounts for the British Legion for 1934 (ff 39-40);Haig Fund poppy wreath catalogues (f 98, ff 101-102).A letter from the Political Agent (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch) to the Organising Secretary of the British Legion, dated 12 January 1938 (f 91) notes that it had ‘hitherto been regarded as undesirable that Poppies should be sold in Bahrain. Such objections as there may have been no longer [exist]; and I shall hope to receive Poppies from you in future.’Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 271; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-242; these numbers are also written in pencil.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence related to Ibn Sa'ud's [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] relationship with the British Government and the Ottoman Empire (and to a lesser extent, Kuwait) including the impact of the First World War. In addition to internal correspondence between British officials on this topic, the file also contains a large amount of correspondence from Ibn Sa'ud himself, in both Arabic and English translation.The principal correspondents in the file are Captain William Shakespear; Political Residents, Major Percy Zachariah Cox and Major Stuart George Knox; Political Agent in Bahrain, Major Arthur Prescott Trevor; and the Ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Mubarak al-Sabah. The file also contains of copies of letters sent from various Ottoman officials to Shaikh Mubarak (folios 189-198) and a number of copies of letters sent by Saiyid Talib Pasha [Talib al-Naqib].In addition to correspondence, the file contains several extracts from the diaries of the Political Agencies in Kuwait and Bahrain related to political developments concerning Ibn Sa'ud and the following documents:a 'memorandum setting forth the position as regards Bin Saud for guidance at the time of contemplated meeting with him' by Major Percy Zachariah Cox, 1913 (folios 154-158);a memorandum on meeting Ibn Sa'ud by Captain William Shakespear, December 1913 (folios 171-172);an account of a trip to Riyadh in 1914 by Captain William Shakespear (folios 219-222);a memorandum entitled 'A Contribution to the History of Tribal Fights in the Shamiyah Desert' (folios 426-429);an article about Ibn Sa'ud authored by C Stanley G Mylrea and published in
The Near East, 11 May 1917;a 1917 copy of a treaty agreed between Ibn Sa'ud and the British Government and ratified 18 July 1916 (folios 457-459);an account of a visit to Riyadh in the summer of 1917 by P W Harrison (folios 499-502).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 510; 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 3-508, and ff 95-508; 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: This file consists of a note which concerns Sir Percy Sykes's position as commander of the South Persian Rifles [South Persia Rifles]. The note, written by the Secretary to the Political Department, India Office [Sir Arthur Hirtzel], is written in response to a telegram, dated 28 February 1917 and attributed to the Viceroy of India [Frederic John Napier Thesiger].The note responds to points made in the telegram, particularly those which discuss Sykes's judgement as a commander and the circumstances in which Kazerun and Dashtarjin [Dashtestan] were captured by rebel forces in December 1917.The note also refers to the Viceroy's estimations for the South Persian Rifles' budget for 1917-18; it concludes that a great deal too much money is being spent, and that Sykes's accounts ought to be audited.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 75, and terminates at f 76, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: This file contains miscellaneous demi-official correspondence between the British Political Agent at Bahrain and the British Political Resident at Bushire, as well as with the British Political Agent at Kuwait and Sheikh ‘Īsā bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah.This correspondence concerns various issues related to Bahrain affairs and the British Political Agent's interactions with Sheikh ‘Īsā bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah and the Sheikh Qāsim bin Mahzā’, Qāḍī of Bahrain. In addition, issues covered within this correspondence include the subject of slavery; the appointment of Inam ul Hakk; Captain Francis Beville Prideaux's archaeological interests; the visit to Bahrain of George Ambrose Lloyd, Honorary attaché of the Embassy of Constantinople, in 1907; and British compensation claims against Turkey following the First World War.Physical description: Foliation: There are two foliation sequences. The first sequence, which is circled in crayon, is incomplete. The second sequence, which is written in pencil in the top right corner, begins on number 1, on the first letter, and runs through to 21, ending on the inside of the back cover of the file.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence between Stuart George Knox and David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer, British Political Agents at Bahrain, and Percy Zachariah Cox and Richard Lockington Birdwood of the British Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, as well as with Sheikh ‘Īsā bin ‘Alī Āl Khalīfah, ruler of Bahrain. In addition, included within the file are office notes of various conversations between the Political Agent with the ruler of Bahrain and Seth Rao Sahib Tirathdas Maharaj, Director of Customs at Bahrain.The correspondence and notes concern Turkish customs regulations at the Eastern Arabian ports of al-Qaṭīf and al-‘Uqayr pertaining to the landing and levying of duty on Bahraini and non-Bahraini goods, and the system of issuing cargo certificates. Included in this file are two examples of stamped cargo certificates in Arabic (f. 6 and f. 7).Physical description: Foliation: Foliation starts on file cover and terminates on the final folio before the back cover. Foliation is in pencil in circled numbers in top right of recto.
Abstract: The file chiefly comprises correspondence, memoranda, and newspaper cuttings relating to the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 and British policy in former Ottoman territories following the end of the First World War. Many of the papers were printed and prepared for the War Cabinet (from March 1918, the Eastern Committee of the War Cabinet) and date from May 1915 to September 1919.The papers cover several matters, including:Negotiations leading up to the Sykes-Picot Agreement (ratified in May 1916) and concerning the future government of Syria (including Lebanon), Palestine, Mesopotamia [Iraq], and Asiatic Turkey, and the securing of British and French 'rights' in the regionOther wartime agreements involving Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and Roumania [Romania]Revision of the Sykes-Picot Agreement in 1918 following subsequent developments during the War, in particular the 'Arab Revolt' [uprising of Arab nationalists against the Ottoman Empire] and the conquest of Palestine and Syria by British and Arab forcesThe discussion of an Anglo-French declaration to be made to try and appease the inhabitants of the regionThe British Government's response to a memorial issued by seven Arab leaders resident in Egypt regarding their desires for self-determination in the region, particularly SyriaA statement made by Feisal [Fayṣal bin Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] to the Chief of General Staff, Egyptian Expeditionary Force, 31 August 1919, regarding recent events in the region, promises made to the Arabs during the War, and Arab determination to achieve independence.The correspondence is principally between diplomats and politicians of the British, French, Russian and Italian governments, and officials at the Foreign Office and War Office.Folios 70-84 consist of related manuscript notes by Lord Curzon.The French language material consists of correspondence from French diplomats and politicians.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 85; 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 memorandum is divided up into four sections and a conclusion. The first (folios 125-130) provides an update on the political situation in Persia, and considers how advantageous/disadvantageous it is to British interests, with specific updates on the following places: Isfanhan [Eşfahān], Fars, Bushire, Kerman, Baluchistan, Seistan [Sīstān va Balūchestān], and Meshed [Mashhad]. There is a running — British — concern over the expansion of German influence, and the operation of German supported 'bands' in Persia; a list of causes is provided on folios 129-130.The second section (folios 131-132) provides an update on the North-West Frontier of India, and the third section (folios 133-134) provides an update on Afghanistan. The latter considers the loyalty — to the British — of the Amir of Afghanistan and the influence of a German party in the country. Three copies of telegrams from the Viceroy of India on the subject of the Amir can be found on folio 135.The fourth section (folios 139-140), on the other hand, is a brief update on the situation of the British garrison at Aden, and considers the necessity (for British military interests) in 'separating the Arabs from the Turks'.The conclusion (folios 136-138) provides suggestions as to the measures that may be taken to improve Britain's geopolitical position in Persia, and mitigate future threats to British India.The author is Sir Arthur Hirtzel, Political Department, India Office.Physical description: Condition: the ink on folios 125-127 has faded.Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at f 125, and terminates at f 140, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the bottom right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: each section of the item also has a typed pagination sequence; these numbers are located in the top centre of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This file concerns control of the South Persian Rifles [South Persia Rifles]. It consists of the following telegrams:Secretary of State for India [Joseph Austen Chamberlain] to the Viceroy of India [Frederic John Napier Thesiger], 9 January 1917;Viceroy of India to the Secretary of State for India, 21 January 1917;Secretary of State for India to the Viceroy of India, 25 January 1917;Secretary of State for India to the Viceroy of India, 30 January 1917;Viceroy of India to the Secretary of State for India and repeated to the British Minister at Tehran [Sir Charles Murray Marling], 6 February 1917.The telegrams are primarily concerned with how and by whom the South Persian Rifles should be controlled. In his telegram of 9 January 1917, the Secretary of State for India informs the Viceroy that the War Cabinet, having concluded that operations around Shiraz have assumed a military character, is of the opinion that the forces commanded by Sir Percy Sykes, including the South Persian Rifles, should be placed under the control of the Government of India.The Viceroy, in his telegram dated 21 January 1917, advises that the force be placed under the control of the Commander-in-Chief in India, who would nominate an experienced General to exercise command. The Viceroy suggests that the Commander-in-Chief's authority would be subject to instructions received from the Government of India, under the orders of the Home Government (and after reference, when necessary, to the British Minister at Teheran [Tehran]).In the telegram dated 30 January 1917, the Secretary of State for India states that the War Cabinet is reluctant to supersede Sykes, on the grounds that he is an officer with exceptional knowledge of Persia. The Viceroy's telegram of 6 February 1917, whilst recognising Sykes's political qualifications, questions his military knowledge.Other, more immediate matters relating to the South Persian Rifles are also discussed, including co-ordination between forces at Shiraz and Bushire, and the reinforcement of Sykes's troops at Shiraz.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 110, and terminates at f 111, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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.Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.