Abstract: Document providing a history of lighting and buoying of the Persian Gulf.Covering:first reconstruction: 1909-14 – assessment, programme of reconstruction; obstructive activities of the Turkish authorities, detail of buoys and lighthouses placed, and parts of the programme not completed;expansion: 1914-25 – including extensions to the original programme, and an overhaul of beacons;administration and finance – including light dues, responsibility for the cost of the service, the Government of India's role in administration and maintenance, and the creation of a Lighting and Buoying Fund;relations with Persia – listing occasions during the British management of the Lighting and Buoying Service when His Majesty's Government came into collision with the Persian Government;conclusions.It also includes an appendix listing lights, buoys, and beacons present at the time of writing (1928).Written by M J Clauson of the India Office.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 49, and terminates at f 51, 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: This file consists of a memorandum of British relations with Khazal Khan, Shaikh of Mohammerah. The memorandum describes the inter-acting strategies over time of Khazal, the British Government and the Government of Persia, and reproduces the texts of British assurances of support given to Khazal. The memorandum goes on to describe Khazal's arrest and detention by Reza Shah in Tehran, and his death there eleven years later.The memorandum was written by Hugh K Grey, Foreign Office, in response to a claim made by Khazal's eldest son that British assurances given to his late father should pass over to him.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 12; 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 contains correspondence about Arab sovereignty and occupation of the Gulf islands of Tanb (also spelt Tamb, Tunb), Nabiyu Tunb, Abu Musa (also spelt Bu Musa) and Sir Bu Na’air (also spelt Sir Bunair) in the light of a renewed territorial claim by Iran (formerly Persia) in 1948. The main correspondents are Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Rupert Hay, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bahrain; Cornelius James Pelly, Political Agent Bahrain; Patrick Desmond Stobart, Political Officer Trucial Coast, Sharjah and officials at the Foreign Office, London.The file includes two similar reports dated January 1949. One report is of a visit to the islands of Abu Musa and Tanb, both under the rule of the Shaikh of Ras al Khaimah [Ra’s al-Khaymah], by the Political Officer Trucial Coast. The other report is of a visit to the islands of Abu Musa and Sir Bu Na’air, by G.F.M. Best, Commander, Royal Navy aboard H.M.S.
Loch Quoich, describing their population, economy and any evidence of smuggling or Persian occupation. There is also an English translation of an extract from an article published in the Tehran newspaper ‘Tirhan-I-Musavvar’, reporting a public disturbance between Arabs and Persians in Bahrain and also Arab aggression against the Persian islands of Tanb and Abu Musa in October 1949. The file ends with a few British naval reports, together with an English translation of a letter of thanks from Shaikh Saqr bin Muhammad the Ruler of Ras al Khaimah, about the removal of a Persian flag from the island of Nabiyu Tunb, by the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf, in September and October 1949.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) starts on the outside front cover (f 1) and ends on the inside back cover (f 39). The 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 2-38. These numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.
Abstract: Memorandum outlining the recent history of smuggling in the Persian Gulf, and the results of an investigation made by His Majesty's Government, the Government of India, and the Admiralty into the extent to which assistance could be given to Persia in the suppression of the contraband traffic. It records objections to assisting Persia given by Sir Lionel Haworth, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.Written by John Gilbert Laithwaite of the India Office.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences and terminates at f 67, as it is part of a larger physical volume; this number is written in pencil, and is located in the top right corner of the recto side of the folio.
Abstract: A memorandum by John Gilbert Laithwaite, India Office, describing the history of Bahrein [Bahrain] with a focus on the political status of the islands at various periods; the claims to sovereignty over them put forward by Persia at various dates since 1783; and the correspondence and discussions which have taken place in connection with such claims.The memorandum begins with a brief description of the geography of Bahrain and continues with a series of summaries of historical events between the years 1783 and 1934. The summaries provide accounts of, inter alia, British punitive expeditions in 1868 and 1869, details of Exclusive Agreements signed by the Government of Bahrain and the British Government in 1880 and 1892, and the Anglo-Turkish Convention of 1913. A conclusion provides a summary of assertions of sovereignty over Bahrain, a review of the basis of Persian claims, and the attitude of the British Government between 1820 and 1934.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 25; 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 file concerns Britain's relations with Persia (also referred to as Iran in some of the correspondence). It includes the following:cases of Persian customs authorities reportedly inhibiting (and in some cases preventing altogether) the passage of persons travelling between Persia and Kuwait, allegedly because of the Persian Government's claim that Kuwait is part of Persian territory;a copy of a non-aggression clause, written in 1930 and taken from a draft of a proposed treaty between Britain and Persia;copies of correspondence between the India Office and the Foreign Office regarding whether or not the rulers of Muscat, Bahrain, and Kuwait should cancel their respective existing proclamations that give Persian vessels rights to inspect Arab dhows outside Persian territorial waters;a copy of a draft of Iran's 1942 treaty of alliance with Britain and the Soviet Union;copies of correspondence dating from 1934 between the British Legation, Tehran, and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs [Sir John Simon], regarding Britain's response to the Persian Government's refusal to recognise certain agreements between Britain and the Arab rulers of the Gulf, which give Britain the right to represent the latter in their foreign relations.Other subjects of correspondence include the anticipated revision in (1947) of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company's concession of 1933 and the presence of Iranian Airways in Kuwait.The principal correspondents are the following: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent, Kuwait; the Secretary of State for India; the British Legation, Tehran; the India Office; the Foreign Office; the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; the Commonwealth Relations Office; the Ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Ahmad al-Jabir as-Sabah [Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ].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 137; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two previous foliation sequences, both of which are written in pencil (the set from ff 1-136 are circled, the set from ff 4-122 are not), have been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file concerns negotiations over a convention to establish a Conservancy Board for the Shatt-el-Arab (also referred to as the Shatt-al-Arab) between the governments of Iraq, Iran (also referred to as Persia), and the United Kingdom.The convention had two main objects: (1) to provide for the conservancy of the Shatt-al-Arab (i.e. its maintenance as a navigable waterway adequate to the needs of international shipping); (2) to control the navigation of the Shatt-al-Arab (i.e. to provide all shipping using the waterway with a uniform system of control, administration, and discipline in all matters necessary for safe and efficient shipping). The board was to consist of Iraq and Iran as the two riparian countries concerned, and the United Kingdom as the state owning over 90 per cent of the shipping using the river.The papers cover: Perso-Iraqi negotiations; the question of British participation in the convention; the views of the Shah of Iran; negotiations over the frontier between Iraq and Iran; dredging dues; the navigation of the river; Persian violations of Iraqi territory; the anchorage at Abadan; draft agreements on the frontier between Iraq and Iran; the Persian refusal to allow Iraq any say over the waters (the Karun) that flowed into the Shatt-al-Arab (e.g. folios 262-264); the interests of the Government of Turkey in the issue; the view of the Foreign Office that a single authority was required in order to achieve unified control over the whole waterway system (folios 245-246); quarantine and police posts; and the Port of Basra (budget estimates, and dues and charges).The main correspondents are the Foreign Office, the British Ambassador to Iraq, and HM Minister, Tehran.The French language content of the file consists of approximately ten folios of diplomatic correspondence and treaty drafts.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 464; 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, along with the two leading and two ending flyleaves have not been foliated. A previous foliation sequence, which is present between ff 291-464 and is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file concerns the possibility of establishing an international Conservancy Board for the Shatt-el-Arab (also referred to as the Shatt-al-Arab) between the governments of Iraq, Iran (also referred to as Persia), and the United Kingdom.The board was intended to ensure the efficient maintenance and navigation of the Shatt-al-Arab waterway. The United Kingdom was involved because of the close interests of British shipping in the conservancy of the Shatt-al-Arab.The papers cover: Perso-Iraqi frontier negotiations; drafts, signing (July 1937), and ratification (June 1938) of the Perso-Iraqi Frontier Treaty; Turkish approval of the frontier negotiations; the signing of the four power non-aggression pact between Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan (the Saad-Abad [Saadabad] Pact), 1937; Abadan anchorage; Foreign Office memoranda and minutes of meetings concerning a convention for the conservancy of the Shatt-al-Arab; the question of British participation in the convention; lighting and buoying; the involvement of Sir John Ward [serving with the Iraqi Government] in the discussions; the opposition of the Iranian Government to British involvement; the involvement of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC); the Port of Basra (including Foreign Office memorandum, folios 77-83); the Rooka Channel; and renewed discussion of the issue in 1945, including the importance of the Shatt-al-Arab for tanker traffic to supply Britain's war needs in the Far East.The main correspondents are the Foreign Office, the British Ambassador to Iraq, and HM Minister, Tehran.The French language content of the file consists of approximately twenty folios of diplomatic correspondence and treaties.There are no papers in the file dated 1941-44.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: this file consists of two physical parts. The foliation sequence commences at the first folio of part one (ff 1-169) and terminates at the last folio of part two (ff 170-329); 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; these numbers are printed, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out. The front and back conservation covers (parts one and two), have not been foliated.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence between HM Ambassador to Iran and the Foreign Office, regarding a request from the General Officer Commanding Iraq for the export from Iran of materials needed for the provision of a military water supply. Owing to the difficulties foreseen in obtaining the agreement of the Iranian Government, it is suggested that the materials be obtained instead from Kirkuk or Bahrein.A list of correspondence references contained in the file appears on the front cover.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 6; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The file contains papers regarding the former Road Transport Department of the Persian Government and the transferral of its responsibilities to two newly formed bodies, the Movements Department and the Road Transport Authority. The primary correspondent is Sir Reader William Bullard, British Legation, Tehran.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 11; 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 comprises telegrams, letters with enclosures, correspondence, memoranda, and notes, relating to the examination of the Persian Government's attitude towards the Turko-Persian frontier settlement of 1914. The discussion in the correspondence is in response to a letter from an official of the Government of Persia over a matter concerning water rights in which it was stated that 'the frontier delimitation made in 1914 is not regarded as official'.The discussion in the file relates to the British drafting of a response from the Government of Iraq to the Persian delegation in Baghdad in view of the British perception that this was the first challenge of the Imperial Persian Government to the validity of the frontier settlement of 1914.The principal correspondents are: the Counsellor to the High Commissioner for Iraq (R S M Sturges); the High Commissioner for Iraq (Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Francis Henry Humphreys); Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of Iraq (Abdullah Al Damluji); the Secretary of State for the Colonies (James Henry Thomas).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 575, and terminates at f 583, 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. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file consists of correspondence regarding the proposed purchase of two British ships by the Persian Government for trade between the Gulf ports and ports in India and Europe.Correspondents include the British Minister at Tehran, and the Foreign 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.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 13; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.