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1. Coll 5/68 ‘Air route to India: Air facilities on the Arab Coast; Security of the Air Route; emergency landing arrangements’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence related to the security of the Arab Coast Air Route, used by both Imperial Airways and the Royal Air Force (RAF). The majority of the file is devoted to proposals made by Sir Trenchard Craven William Fowle, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, in his letter dated 28 June 1939: see folios 44-50. His proposals can be summarised as follows:Alternative landing facilities should be established for use in the event of civil disturbances at Sharjah and Dibai [Dubai].The Political Resident should be given the discretion – in the event he is unable to consult the home government – to use force against ‘troublesome Shaikhs’ that threaten the continued operation of the Air Route.There is also a small amount of discussion in the file around the possibility of negotiating a fresh agreement with the Shaikh of Ra's al-Khaymah for the provision of air facilities.The main correspondents in the file are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior), officials of the Air Ministry, officials of the Foreign Office, and officials of the India Office (J P Gibson and Roland Tennyson Peel). The Admiralty is also consulted over the Resident's proposals.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 commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 56; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
2. Coll 5/16(1) ‘Landing Fees at Koweit’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence regarding the collection of landing fees from Kuwait (also spelled Koweit) Aerodrome, and the subsequent credit of these fees to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. It includes a protest from Iraqi Airways requesting a review of these landing fees, due to the lack of facilities provided by the British Government at Kuwait; the file does not include the British Government's response. The main correspondents are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (William Rupert Hay), the Political Agent in Kuwait (Maurice Patrick O'Connor Tandy), and officials of the Commonwealth Relations Office.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at 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.
3. Coll 5/17 ‘Air Route to India (Arab Coast): Landing grounds at Kalba, Shinas, and Dibah’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence, and related India Office notes, regarding the establishment of an emergency landing ground and facilities at Kalba for the use of Imperial Airways (later the British Overseas Airways Corporation - BOAC). This includes material related to negotiations between Tom Hickinbotham, the Political Agent at Bahrain, and the Shaikh of Kalba (Shaikh Said bin Hamad) in August 1936: a copy of the agreement reached can be found on folios 63-64. In addition, the file contains correspondence discussing the terms that the British Government are prepared to accept for the use of Kalba. It therefore covers the following: the facilities required, the amount of rent to be paid, the provision of a gift of rifles and ammunition, the necessity of offering the Shaikh of Kalba some level of British protection, and the desirability of formally recognising his independence via the grant of a personal three gun salute. A discussion over the appropriateness of using force following the Shaikh's initial refusal in 1932 is recorded in some detail, as is the consideration of alternatives; this includes a proposal for the establishment of an alternative site at Shinas in 1933.The file also briefly covers a request from Trans American Airlines in 1946 to fly over the territory of the Sultan of Muscat, and a request that they may be permitted to use the emergency landing ground at Shinas.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Trenchard Craven William Fowle and William Rupert Hay), the Political Agent at Bahrain, and the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat (Ralph Ingham Hallows). The file also contains correspondence between officials of the Admiralty, the Air Ministry, the Foreign Office, the India Office, and personnel stationed at RAF Hinaidi (Iraq).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.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 236; 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 4-235; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is present between ff 2-3 and also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
4. Coll 5/18 ‘Air Route to India (Arab Coast): Use of landing grounds by foreign aircraft’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence, and related India Office notes, regarding the Arabian Coast air route linking Europe and Asia. In particular, it is concerned with Britain's policy over restricting access to this route to non-British aircraft. It contains applications from the Governments of France, Italy, and the Netherlands for permission for their companies to access this route. These companies being: Air France, Ala Littoria, and Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (KLM) respectively. The focus of these applications is on obtaining access to landing grounds at Gwadur, Kuwait, Bahrain (Muharraq), Sharjah, and Yas Island. The file contains a record of the British response to these applications, which is largely correspondence between officials over the extent that they can legitimately exclude these companies from the region; there is particular concern over keeping Sharjah aerodrome an exclusively British preserve.As a result of a policy decision made by the British Government to allow Air France and KLM access to Muharraq and Gwadur (for refuelling and in cases of emergency), the file includes periodic applications from these companies to the Shaikh of Bahrain and the Sultan of Muscat for authorisation to use these aerodromes.The correspondence dating from the Second World War (1939-1945) largely relates to a reversal of British policy – due to wartime difficulties – which allowed KLM to run regular air services via Bahrain and Sharjah for the duration of the war. It also contains discussion related to an attempt to secure a wartime agreement to facilitate the utilisation of KLM aircraft for war purposes by the British.The correspondence with the Government of France and with Air France is in French, as is a small proportion of the correspondence with the Government of the Netherlands. Overall, the French language content forms only a small proportion of the material within the file.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent at Bahrain, and the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat. There is also correspondence with officials of the following British Government departments: the Air Ministry, the Foreign Office, the India Office, and the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India (External Affairs Department from 1937). Correspondence is frequently forwarded to the Under-Secretary of State for India by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.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 commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 545; 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 present between ff 2-544 is also circled, but has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
5. Coll 5/20 ‘Air Route to India – Arab Coast Secn: Negotiations with Trucial Sheikhs’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file is largely made up of correspondence, with occasional internal India Office notes, and records of inter-departmental meetings. The subject matter is the establishment of an aerodrome on the Trucial Coast to facilitate the transfer of Imperial Airways' Europe-India route from Southern Persia to the Arabian Coast. There is some material related to the selection of a suitable site. However, much of the file is concerned with negotiations with Shaikh Sultan bin Saqar, Ruler of Sharjah; Sharjah was selected by British officials as the most promising site for a landing ground. The file therefore contains a number of reports on the political situation at Sharjah, the progress of negotiations, and discussion over terms and conditions. A copy of the final agreement can be found on folios 225-228.The agreement with the Shaikh of Sharjah provided for the construction of a rest house to be owned by the Shaikh but rented by Imperial Airways. The file therefore includes discussion relating to arrangements for the financing and construction of the rest house. There is also a detailed consideration of the measures needed to ensure its security, and measures to be taken by British forces in the event of an attack on the facility: see folios 18-27 for a copy of the Sharjah Defence Scheme.The file also contains discussion between British officials over their response to the following two proposals submitted by the Government of the Netherlands: a proposal for Anglo-Dutch-French co-operative partnership in approaching civil aviation matters linking Europe and the Far East, with a particular view to negotiations with Persia; and a request for access to the Arab Coast air route.In addition to the immediate response to the Netherlands Government, the file includes discussion related to how British policy over the Trucial Coast should develop in response to developments in civil aviation.Also contained within the file are a number of papers circulated by the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East. These papers relate to a proposal from Imperial Airways to use landplanes along the Arabian Coast route instead of flying boats; the file contains extensive technical comparisons between the ‘Hannibal’ four engine landplane (the Handley Page H.P.42) and three engine ‘Calcutta’ flying boat (the Short S.8).There is a limited amount of discussion, towards to front of the correspondence, over the state of British negotiations with Persia. However, this is not the focus of the file.A couple of letters from the Government of the Netherlands are in French (see folios 296-301) and the final agreement with the Shaikh of Sharjah (folios 225-228) is in both English and Arabic. The vast majority of the file is in English.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Hugh Vincent Biscoe, and later Trenchard Craven William Fowle), the Political Agent at Kuwait (Harold Richard Patrick Dickson), and the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf. It also includes correspondence with officials of the following governmental departments: the Admiralty, the Air Ministry, the Foreign Office, the India Office, and the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India.Most of the material in the file covers the period 1932 to 1935. Only a single letter, dated 31 March 1940, falls outside this range.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 637; 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, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the two leading and ending flyleaves.
6. Coll 5/77 ‘Muscat: including activities of U.S. Air Force and Pan-American Airways in the Middle East’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file is concerned with the operations of Pan American Airlines in the Middle East; British officials were concerned that the airline was using the war as a pretext for commercial penetration of British controlled territories. The file therefore covers the militarisation of Pan American Airlines operations in the Middle East, and its absorption into the United States Army Air Force (USAAF).In addition, the file contains correspondence related to the use of the Southern Arabian Air Route by the United States Air Force: in particular, the use of aerodromes at Masirah and Salalah, as per a 1942 agreement with Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd, Sultan of Muscat and Oman: see folio 87 for a record of the negotiations. This includes discussion surrounding the post-war disposal of stone buildings built by the Americans at these sites.The main correspondents in the file are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (William Rupert Hay and Arnold Crawshaw Galloway), the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat (Cornelius James Pelly), HM Ambassador to the United States (Edward Wood, Viscount, later Earl of Halifax), HM Ambassador to Iraq (Sir Kinahan Cornwallis) the Minister of State Resident in the Middle East (Walter Guiness), officials of the Foreign Office, officials of the India Office, and representatives of the Government of India.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 commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 207; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
7. Coll 5/1 ‘Persian Gulf Air Routes: Hasa Coast & Flying over Nejd territory — Saudi regulations for the landing of foreign aircraft’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence and papers related to negotiations between the British Government and the Government of Saudi Arabia for the establishment of emergency landing grounds along the Hasa Coast, and proposed arrangements for their maintenance. The intention was that these facilities would be used by aircraft of the Royal Air Force (RAF) or Imperial Airways in the event of an emergency. It further covers measures to be taken to prevent the intrusion of British aircraft into Saudi territory during the progress of negotiations.Also briefly covered in the file is a visit by Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] to the Netherlands in 1935 (see folios 26-71) and the attitude of the Saudis to foreign aircraft flying over their territory (see folios 3-21).The main correspondents are as follows: HM Minister at Jeddah (Sir Andrew Ryan), officials of the Foreign Office (mainly George William Rendel), and officials of the Air Ministry (mainly James Stirling Ross). The negotiations are primarily undertaken through Fuad Bey Hamza and Shaikh Yusuf Yasin.Prior to 1932, Saudi Arabia was known as the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd, and this is reflected in the file.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 commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 282; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Bookmarks are present on the verso side of f 41 and f 272; these have been labelled with an ‘a’.
8. Coll 5/10 ‘Air Route to India: Persia; Arabian Coast Route; Negotiations with Arab Sheikhs’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains correspondence, memoranda, and minutes related to a proposal to relocate the Persian Gulf Air Route (linking Europe and India) from Southern Persia to the Arabian Coast. The proposal is related to difficulties between the British and Persian governments over securing an extension of Imperial Airways' concession to operate in Persia. The volume therefore also contains papers related to the progress of negotiations between the British Government and the Government of Persia. However, the majority of the volume relates to the examination of the Arabian Coast option; this includes potential route options, possible sites for facilities, estimates of expenditure, and progress reports on negotiations between the Trucial Shaikhs – primarily at Dubai and Ra's al-Khaymah – and Hugh Vincent Biscoe, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.The volume also contains minutes of the meetings of the Official and Ministerial Sub-Committees of Imperial Defence for the Consideration of Middle Eastern Questions: 2 November 1931 (folios 226-35), 5 November 1931 (folios 217-25), 17 November 1931 (folios 175-82), 17 December 1931 (folios 89-102), and 15 February 1932 (folios 28-31 and folios 22-5). Related notes and memoranda can also be found within the volume.A number of extracts from reports (dated 24 March, 26 April, and 25 September 1932) from E C Denison and D S McGrath, Commanding HMS Bideford, on trips to the Trucial Coast can be found on folios 3-9; this includes details relating to the construction of the Sharjah Aerodrome.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, officials of the Admiralty, officials the Air Ministry, officials of the Foreign Office, and officials of 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.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 395; 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 cover, nor does it include the two leading flyleaves.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
9. Coll 5/11 ‘Air Route to India: Arab Coast Route – Emergency Landing Ground at Qatar’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence, memoranda, and reports relating to two topics. The first topic is an attempt by the British Government to obtain permission for an emergency landing ground in Qatar during 1932. The second topic relates to the air facilities needed by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in Qatar, if an offer of British protection is to be made to the Shaikh of Qatar in return for an oil concession for the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC). In respect of this second topic, the file also contains material regarding a reconnaissance undertaken by the Royal Air Force over Qatar on the 9 May 1934 to identify suitable sites for such facilities. It includes a copy of a report on the reconnaissance – submitted by Bomber Squadron No 84, Shaibah, Iraq – on folios 27-32, along with a tracing of Qatar (folio 7) and a number of aerial photographs (folios 8-22) referenced in the report.A draft copy of the Qatar Oil Concession can be found on folios 93-101, and notes of amendments proposed by the British Government can be found on folios 80-89. In addition, a number of India Office memoranda have also been included towards the back of the file: El Qatar, 1908-16(folio 167), The Trucial Coast Chiefs, 1908-28(folios 168-71), and a Précis of the Treaties and Engagements between the British Government and the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast of the Persian Gulf(folios 164-67).The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf(Trenchard Craven William Fowle), the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, officials of the Air Ministry, and officials of 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.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 173; 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.
10. Coll 5/16 ‘Air Route to India: Occasional landings at Koweit – Agreements between the Sheikh of Koweit and British Overseas Airways Corporation’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence regarding civil aviation matters in Kuwait (also spelt Koweit in the file). The primary focus is the negotiation of a Civil Air Agreement between the British Government and the Shaikh of Kuwait, Shaikh Sir Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah [Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ] in 1934, its subsequent renewal in 1938, 1945, and discussion related to its possible further renewal in 1948. Draft and final copies of each agreement can be found within the file; a 1934 copy contains both English and Arabic versions of the document (see folio 185-187). Correspondence related to occasional amendments has also been included.Also discussed in the correspondence is the granting of permission for Imperial Airways (later the British Overseas Airways Corporation - BOAC) to land in Kuwait in September 1932 for a period of six months, and the establishment of an airmail service in 1948. It also contains some correspondence relating to British military requirements in Kuwait, and the transfer of the maintenance of the Kuwait Aerodrome from the Royal Air Force (RAF) to the Kuwait Oil Company.The file also contains proposals from the Kuwait Oil Company for the construction of a new aerodrome in 1948, including two plans for the proposed airstrip (see folios 20-21).In addition to the copy of the Kuwait Civil Air Agreement (1934), the file contains a limited amount of correspondence with both English and Arabic translation.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, and the Political Agent at Kuwait. The file also contains correspondence with the following departments of the British Government: the Air Ministry, the Foreign Office, the India Office (the Commonwealth Relations Office from August 1947), and the Ministry for Civil Aviation.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 commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 273; 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.
11. Coll 5/32 ‘Air-route to India (Arab Coast): Possibility of establishing a landing ground on Das Island’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence between John Gilbert Laithwaite of the India Office, Harold Spencer Kerby of the Air Ministry, and Trenchard Craven William Fowle as the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. It documents the decision not to proceed with using Das Island as an emergency landing ground.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 commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 7; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
12. Coll 5/33 ‘Air-route to India: Landing ground at Gwadur; Muscat Civil Air Agreement’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains notes and correspondence related to the use of the Gwadur Aerodrome by Imperial Airways and the Royal Air Force. It also therefore covers the negotiations surrounding the Muscat Civil Air Agreement (1934), and subsequent amendments to modify the level of rent paid to the Sultan of Muscat and Oman. Draft copies of the Muscat Agreement can be found on folios 266-273 and 307-318, while the final print edition copies can be found on folios 189-192 and 221-222. A copy of the Kuwait Air Navigation Regulations can be found on folios 366-367, and a copy of the Kuwait Air Agreement can be found on folios 329-331.The file contains further correspondence regarding trouble experienced by Imperial Airways in claiming its rebate on aviation fuel, and efforts made by British authorities to obtain further duty exemptions for the airline. It also covers special authorisations issued under the agreement to permit aircraft to fly over and land in Oman.The abandonment of Gwadur in 1938 – as a result of its unsuitability for seaplanes – and the transfer of Imperial Airways services to Jiwani (also spelt Jiunri in the file) is documented by the correspondence.The main correspondents are as follows: the Persian Gulf Political Resident; the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat (Claude Edward Urquhart Bremner and Ralph Ponsonby Watts); the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India (the Department of External Affairs from 1937); and the Agent to the Governor General, Resident and Chief Commissioner in Baluchistan. The file also contains correspondence with officials of the following departments of the British Government: the Air Ministry, 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.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 362; 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 (present between ff 2-360), which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
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