Abstract: The memorandum is divided into the following chapter headings:'General Status of Persia', ff 2r-12;'Persia and Herat', ff 12v-24r;'Persia and Seistan [Sīstān]', ff 24r-31v;'Persia and Kohuk', ff 31v-35;'Persia and the Navigation of the Karun [Kārūn] River', ff 35v-39r;'Persia and her integrity', ff 39r-47;'Persia and Merv', ff 47v-52v;'Continuation of General Status of Persia', ff 52v-61;'Appendices', ff 63-78.'General Status of Persia' provides a geographic description of the Kingdom including details of its boundaries, rivers, and transportation links. It also includes an outline of its demography, and its revenue by province. Military matters are also covered in this section; this includes an in-depth look at the Persian army — its pay and composition — and a look at the employment of British officers in Persia. This section concludes with a narrative of Persia's modern history from the sixteenth century.'Persia and Herat' describes the extent to which the province's boundaries can be defined, and provides a brief description of each district within; Ghorian, Sabzawar, Farah, Bakwa, Kurak, and Obeh. It also includes a description of the town of Herat, and information on the province's demography and climate. The section also provides detailed coverage of the tribes in the region. The development of British policy towards Herat is explained through the use of select correspondence. This includes the relative merits for Britain in either maintaining Herat's independence, or supporting Afghan or Persian rule; extensive reference is made to the Treaty of Paris (1857).'Persia and Seistan' also provides a geographic description of the province, along with information on its administrative divisions, climate, and transportation links. Its main purpose however is to outline the development of British attitudes concerning the governance of this province; should it be overseen by Afghanistan or Persia? To provide context, it covers the historical basis for the two competing claims. It concludes by describing the British arbitration of the matter in 1871-72 by General Frederick John Goldsmid, and its outcome; summaries of the statements provided by the Afghan and Persian sides are included.'Persia and Kohuk' explains how Persia has disputed the award of this province to Khelat by General Goldsmid in 1871, and British reluctance to amend the award in favour of Persia.'Persia and the Navigation of the Karun River' outlines British efforts to open up the Karun River for steam navigation. It explains that Russian success in improving transportation infrastructure in the north of Persia — in contrast to British failure in the south — is seen to be putting British trade at a disadvantage; the Karun River is seen as having the best potential for resolving this. The prospects for the construction of a railway in southern Persia are also briefly examined.'Persia and her integrity' details the development of a diplomatic understanding from 1834 between Britain and Russia, in which both powers established their mutual interest in the maintenance of the territorial integrity of Persia. It chiefly concerns British suspicions that Russian activities in central Asia do not match their professed intentions towards Persia (i.e. British fears that Russia is encroaching on central Asia).'Persia and Merv', in addition to providing an overview of the region's history and ancient settlements, considers what the British consider to be the encroachment of Russia on Persia's northern borders; the British consider any potential Russian occupation of Merv to be a threat, and it is explained that Persian control is preferred.'Continuation of General Status of Persia' concentrates on British concerns over increases in Russian influence at the Persian Court in Tehran; the British fear Persia becoming a vassal of Russia and facilitating Russian expansion towards Afghanistan. It therefore discusses the extent to which Britain should take advantage of Persian overtures to establish friendly relations with that power in order to prevent this scenario. It also briefly discusses Persian designs on Bahrain, and the desirability — for Britain — in maintaining its status as an independent state, in addition to emphasizing the need to maintain Britain's protectorate role in the Persian Gulf. Topics also included in this section, but covered in less detail include: the conference of consular powers on the Resident in the Persian Gulf; the development of telegraph lines in Persia; and negotiations respecting the demarcation of the Persian-Turkish border.The memorandum is signed by Owen Tudor Burne of the India Office.The appendix at the back is divided eight sections as follows:I. 'Employment of British Officers with the Persian Army', f 63;II. A selection of memoranda (dated 20 July-24 December 1868) concerning the need to strengthen British influence over Persia, and the means available to achieve it, ff 63v-64;III. A selection of memoranda (dated 10-30 October 1868) on the possibility of employing British officers with the Persian Army, f 65;IV. 'The Policy of Great Britain towards Persia, ff 66-69;V. Instructions given to Major-General Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlingson as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of Persia, dated 4 August 1859, ff 68-69;VI. 'Outline Sketch by Colonel Burne of the Shah of Persia's Visit to England, 1873, ff 69-72;VII. 'Note by Colonel Burne on the Persian Army, 20th December 1871', ff 72-73;VIII. 'Abstract of Events in Persia, Afghanistan, &c. from 1722 to the present period', ff 73v-78.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 1A and terminates at f 78, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: The file consists of two notes by members of the Council of India, William Lee-Warner and Hugh Shakespear Barnes, on the Government of India's Letter No 119 dated 9 August 1906 (L/PS/10/74: Pol No 1455/06), concerning policy in Aden.William Lee-Warner's note opposes the Government of India's policy and discusses the following: the effect of the policy on troop numbers at Aden, increased political interference in the hinterland, and whether a garrison at D'thala [Aḑ Ḑāli‘] is needed, or the extension of railways desirable. A table is included providing sickness and mortality statistics among troops stationed at Aden, 1897-1904.Hugh Shakespear Barnes agrees with the Government of India's policy and states his views on the circumstances and effect of demarcation, the various methods of dealing with the tribes, railway extensions, and keeping a Political Officer and troops at D'thala.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 184, and terminates at f 187, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, 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 189-192; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are circled. Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: This file concerns British policy regarding Persia (and, to a lesser extent, British interests in Mesopotamia). It is largely composed of printed memoranda by George Curzon and other senior British politicians. Also included is a significant amount of related letters and despatches, as well as printed transcripts of speeches delivered by Curzon. Of particular note are the following:Memorandum by Curzon entitled 'Nushki-Seistan Railway', dated 17 August 1916Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee, comprised of correspondence and memoranda, dated September 1918-November 1918 (ff 5-6 and ff 10-19)War Cabinet report entitled 'Railway Policy in Relation to General Military Policy in the Middle East.', dated December 1918 (ff 21-26)Memorandum entitled 'Memorandum Regarding the Policy of His Majesty's Government Towards Persia at the Peace Conference.', dated December 1918 (ff 31-42)Letter to Curzon from the Secretary of State for India, Edwin Samuel Montagu (ff 43-49)Transcript of a speech on Persia, delivered by Curzon at a banquet given in honour of His Highness Prince Firouz Mirza Nosret-ed-Dowleh, at the Carlton Hotel, 18 September 1919 (ff 56-58)Printed letters from Curzon, writing as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, to Percy Zachariah Cox, British representative in Persia, dated October 1919-April 1920 (ff 60-66)Transcripts of two speeches given by Curzon as Foreign Secretary, in the House of Lords, regarding the British Government's Persian policy, dated 16 November 1920 and 26 July 1921 respectively (ff 68-71 and ff 72-73).Appended to the aforementioned War Cabinet report is a map of railway gauges across the Middle East region (f 25).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 78, 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 is a confidential memorandum, printed for the use of the Foreign Office on 30 October 1901, and authored by Robert Venables Vernon Harcourt, dated 29 Oct 1901. The memorandum primarily focuses on the position of Koweit [Kuwait] in regards to Turkey (Ottoman Empire) from 1871 onwards. In the left and righ hand margins there are references to various correpondence, reports and agreements between 1878 and 1901, as well as giving subject headings, which include: 'Difficulties with Turkey', 'German railway scheme', 'Dispute between Koweit and Nejd [Najd]', 'Defences of Koweit', 'Use of Turkish flag in Koweit', and 'Proposal to make Koweit a port of call for Mail-steamers'. Folios 150 to 151 include extracts of correspondence from Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Anthopoulo Pasha, dated 11 September 1901, and Admiral Sir Day Hort Bosanquet, Commander-in-chief, East Indies, to Admiralty, dated 31 August and 4 October 1901. There is an Annex between folios 152 and 153, which includes a translated agreement ('Arabic bond') with the Sheikh of Kuwait, Mubārak bin Ṣabāḥ Āl Ṣabāḥ, dated 23 January 1899, signed by Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm John Meade, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, and witnessed by E Wickham Hore, Captain of the Indian Medical Service (IMS), John Calcott Gaskin, and Muhammad Rahim bin Abdul Nebi Saffer [Muḥammad Raḥim bin ‘Abd al-Nabī Ṣafar], Native Agent at Bahrain and friend of the Sheikh of Kuwait; and a translation of an Arabic letter from Meade to the Sheikh of Kuwait, dated 23 January 1901.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at folio 143, and terminates at folio 153, since 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 the top right-hand corner of the recto of each folio. These numbers are written in pencil, but are not circled.Pagination: This section of the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: This printed memorandum deals with the question of the political and financial obligations that the British Government should in future incur in relation to Arabia, in view of the forthcoming negotiations in Paris between Britain, France and the other allied powers on the subject of Arabia [the Paris Peace Conference, 1919-20]. The memorandum is signed 'H. W. Y.' [Major Hubert Winthrop Young].Arabia is defined in the memorandum as the area bounded on the north-west by the peninsula of Sinai and the British mandate of Palestine and Trans-Jordan; on the north-east by the British mandate of Mesopotamia; on the east by the Persian Gulf; on the south-east by the Indian Ocean; and the west by the Red Sea.The memorandum includes draft treaty proposals of the British delegation to Paris (Appendix A, folios 4-5), and the main body of the document discusses the articles of the proposed treaty in relation to the various constituent parts of the Arabian peninsula, as defined by the British, including the Kingdom of the Hedjaz [Hejaz, al-Ḥijāz], Nejd [Najd], Yemen, and the Gulf littoral states. The memorandum asserts the right of the British Government to recognition of their special position in Arabia in view of Britain's longstanding relations with many of the region's rulers (folio 1). There are three further appendices: Appendix B (folios 5-6) contains transcriptions of relevant correspondence issued by the Foreign Office and the India Office, dated 1919-20, relating to the sub-divisions into which Arabia had been divided for the purposes of the document; Appendix C (folios 7-8) contains minutes of a meeting held at the Foreign Office on 17 April [1920] to discuss the question of subsidies to Arab rulers; and Appendix D (folios 8-10) contains a Foreign Office memorandum dated 13 July 1920 concerning the question of the continuance of financial support by the British Government to King Hussein [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] of the Hejaz.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the first folio and terminates at 10 on the last folio. The numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle, and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. This is the system used to determine the order of pages.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence, numbered 2-18. These numbers appear in the top centre of each page.
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: The file contains a copy telegram (reference number Intel 243) sent from the Foreign Office to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bahrain on 2 June 1949. The telegram provided a justification for the British Government's recent recognition of the Emir of Cyrenaica (eastern Libya), in the event that the Resident would have to publicly defend British foreign policy in respect of the former Italian colony and quash any speculation that similar action would also be taken in the former Italian colony of Tripolitania (western Libya).According to notes at the end of the file, the telegram was circulated to the Resident and Agent, Bahrain for information.Physical description: Foliation: numbered 2 and 3 in pencil in the top right hand corner and encircled. The covers are not numbered.
Abstract: The file contains copies of correspondence and notes concerning Anglo-American foreign policy in the Middle East, with a particular emphasis on shared interests and closer future policy cooperation in the region. The file includes:copies of correspondence dated 29 April 1944, from the Foreign Office, enclosing a report of a meeting held between representatives of the Foreign Office and US Government (Wallace Smith Murray), on British and United States policy in the Middle East, with subheadings for: Egypt, Ethiopia, Palestine, the Levant States, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Persia [Iran], Afghanistan, Yemen, and the Middle East Supply Centre (ff 8-12);a copy of a letter sent from the India Office (Roland Tennyson Peel) to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior), dated 17 June 1944, enclosing a telegram (Savingram No. 54) from the Foreign Office, dated 2 May 1944, instructing British diplomats to ensure that closer contacts are fostered between British and United States interests, in order to avoid any future friction, complaints and grievances (ff 13-14);a copy of a letter from the Ministry of Information, Middle East Bureau, to the Public Relations Office in Bahrain, dated 22 June 1944, enclosing a résumé of the aforementioned report (entitled Savingram No. 53), organised under the same subheadings. The letter contains recommendations for fostering closer Anglo-American cooperation, and for countering anti-British and anti-American propaganda in the Middle East (ff 3-6).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 17; 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 3-15; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: This file contains a number of British Government reports (and related correspondence) regarding its policy in 'Arabia', a label that in the file primarily refers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia but also includes Iraq, Trans-Jordan and the Persian Gulf region more broadly.The following reports are contained in the file:a 1933 report setting out the main lines of British Government policy in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Trans-Jordan (folios 4-11);a 1933 report written by Trenchard Craven Fowle, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, entitled 'The Future of Arabia'(folios 13-26);a 1945 report prepared by the External Department of the India Office concerning the right of the British Government to contract engagements on behalf of the Arab Sheikhdoms of the Persian Gulf in International Agreements (folios 40-42).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 62; 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 3-45; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: The file contains a Confidential Foreign Office report entitled 'British Relations with Khazal, Sheikh of Mohammerah'. The report contains a detailed history of the relationship between the British Government and Shaikh Khaz‘al bin Jābir bin Mirdāw al-Ka‘bī, the Ruler of Mohammerah (present day Khorramshahr). An annex to the report contains copies of numerous written assurances given to the Shaikh by British officials between 1902 and 1914.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 14; 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 government and military officials concerning British Government policy on the 'Arab side' of the Persian Gulf and the impact of the formation of the Arab League on the Arab states of the Gulf. In addition to this correspondence, the file contains the following related documents:'British Policy on the Arab side of the Persian Gulf ', memorandum written by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Trenchard Craven Fowle (folios 3-11)Notes on defence of Persian Gulf stations by J H S Tyssen, Air Vice Marshal, Commanding British Forces in Iraq (folios 16-19)Memorandum entitled 'Muscat vis-a-vis the British Government' (folios 25-31)English translation of the text of the Covenant of the Arab League (folios 37-42)Full copy of an issue of an Arabic language magazine published in India called
al-'Arab(No. 10, 1 December 1945) that was suppressed by British authorities for an article regarding the Ruler of Bahrain and the Arab League (folios 48-67)A translated extract from an article concerning the Arab League published in the Egyptian magazine
al-Musawwar(folio 79).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 82, 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 2-79; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: This file contains the following two documents related to the policy of the British Government in Arabia:A secret despatch written by Secretary of State for the Colonies, Philip Cunliffe-Lister, in February 1933 that discusses Britain's policy in regard to Arabian affairs with special reference to Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Trans-Jordan (folios 5-13)A briefing entitled 'The Future of Arabia' written by the Political Resident, Trenchard Craven Fowle, in September 1931 that covers issues related to the future of Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Trans-Jordan, Iraq and the Persian Gulf (folios 14-27).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 28, these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.