Abstract: The file opens with a memorandum by Edwin Samuel Montagu (Secretary of State for India) dated 4 November 1920 regarding the current situation of Assyrian and Armenian refugees in Mesopotamia, paying particular attention to the difficulties that they have faced in seeking repatriation. This memorandum seeks to provide an update to a previous memorandum of the same title which was issued by Montagu on 5 July 1920 (IOR/L/PS/18/B345). The memorandum is followed by an appendix in the form of a letter from the India Office to the Foreign Office on 2 November 1920 and its enclosure, 'note on the Christian communities in and around Mesopotamia'. The letter details the French and British spheres of influence in Mesopotamia and explains how the refugee crisis should be handled. The note details the different types of Christian groups in the area, and explains the initial reasons for the emigration of these communities from Urmia. The final folio is a copy of Montagu's initial memorandum dated 5 July 1920.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at f 151, and terminates at f 153, 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 present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file comprises correspondence and papers produced in response to Britain’s involvement in the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, which began on 25 August 1941. The file’s principal correspondents are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban), and the Assistant Political Agent at Bahrain (Captain Roy Douglas Metcalfe).The file includes:information from the Political Resident to the Political Agents in the Gulf, dated 26 August 1941, on the response amongst the Persian community in Bahrain to events in Iran, with instruction to the Government of Bahrain that Persian schools in Bahrain should remain open (ff 2-4);instructions from the Political Resident to the Political Agents in the Gulf, dated 2 September 1941, to keep watch on dhows arriving from the Iranian coast, lest they be harbouring escaping Axis nationals or Iraqi/Palestinian rebels (ff 6-8). The Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave) reports that Iranian nationals were intercepted at Bahrain on a vessel coming from Qattar [Qatar] (ff 9-10). A subsequent report from the Political Resident, dated 24 September 1941, suggests that more than one hundred Germans are believed to have fled southwards from Tehran, some of whom may end up in the Persian Gulf (ff 21-24);a demi-official letter from the Assistant Political Agent at Bahrain to the Political Resident, dated 4 September 1941, related to an apparent relaxation of travel restrictions for Iranians in Bahrain, with a suggestion that there are ‘16,000 foreigners’ now in Bahrain (ff 12-13);a report from the Residency Agent at Sharjah of a letter containing anti-British sentiment posted on the gates of the market in Dubai, signed by ‘a number of sacrificing volunteers’. The report encloses draft and final English translations of the letter, as well as a transcribed copy of the Arabic (ff 15-18);a report from the British Consul at Bushire, dated 30 September 1941, of the declaration of martial law in Shiraz (f 25);a copy of the text of the Treaty of Alliance, with annexes, signed between Iran, the USSR and Britain on 29 January 1942 (ff 32-36);the file notes contain a list of detailed points discussed between the Assistant Political Agent and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain on 26 September 1941, arising from the Anglo-Soviet invasion (arrest and surveillance of suspects; applications from Iranians for Bahrain nationality; imports and exports to/from Iran; export of currency; travel documents; mail; arms and ammunition) (ff 37-40).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 43; 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 2-36; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. An additional mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 37-42; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence between British officials (primarily at the Political Residency in Bahrain, the Political Agency in Muscat and the Foreign Office) and the Government of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman regarding the employment of Palestinian refugees for government service in Muscat, largely as teachers. One such teacher, Muhammad Khalil Ibrahim, is discussed at some length and a copy of his curriculum vitae is contained on folio 14.In addition to correspondence, the file contains a list of Palestinian refugees that was compiled by an unofficial committee of ex-Palestine Government officials who had grouped themselves together in Cairo in an endeavour to find employment (folios 21-29) and a list prepared by the Colonial Office of Palestinian students studying social science courses in the United Kingdom (folio 43).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 51, 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 regarding the employment of Palestinian teachers in the Middle East, primarily in government service in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. This correspondence is between officials at the Political Agency in Muscat, the Foreign Office, the Political Residency in Bahrain and the Government of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman as well as a number of Palestinian applicants (some of whom correspond in Arabic). The file also contains a number of reference letters from previous employers and teachers of these applicants.In addition to correspondence, the file contains the following documents:Minutes of a meeting concerning 'Possibilities of Employment for Palestinian Refugees' held at the British Middle East Office in Cairo, 9 June 1950 (folios 47-48)List of Palestinians looking for employment in the Persian Gulf divided into Clerical, Technical, Police, Judicial, Teachers and Professionals (folios 137-151)Lists composed by the Foreign Office of Palestinian Students in the UK finishing their courses in 1949 (folio 187) and 1950 (folio 188).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 204; 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 2-203; 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 contains correspondence regarding the recruitment of Palestinian teachers in Lebanon to work for the Government of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. The correspondence is between the Political Agency in Muscat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, the Political Agency in Bahrain and the British Council.On folios 3-4 the file contains a summary of the role of the British Council's office in Beirut in assisting the governments of Bahrain, Kuwait and Muscat in hiring teachers for employment in their countries.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 16; 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 item comprises an abstract listing enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 146 of 1846, dated 11 December 1846. In the abstract the enclosures are dated 4 November 1844-26 November 1846.The enclosures, which are not present in this item, relate to the proceedings of the Government of Bombay in connection with Aga Khan Mehlatee [Āqā Khān Maḥallātī also known as Ḥasan ‘Alī Shāh], a refugee subject of the Government of Persia [Iran], including: his residence in Sind [Sindh] and then Bombay [Mumbai]; the attendance of a European Medical Officer on Aga Khan and his family in Sind; the allowance paid for his support by the Government of Bombay; the refusal of the Persian Government to grant permission for him to re-visit Sind (in 1846) to settle his affairs; the demand of the Persian Government that he be removed to Calcutta [Kolkata]; the Shah of Persia's encouragement of his return to Persia and promises to receive him 'kindly' and release all his property and estate from sequestration; the payment of arrears of his allowance by the Government of Bombay; and his apparent wish to return to Persia.Physical description: 1 item (15 folios)
Abstract: This volume consists of papers relating to the Arab and Kurdish Levies in Mesopotamia [Iraq].The papers include correspondence from the Acting Civil Commissioner in Mesopotamia at Baghdad (also spelled Bagdad in this volume), Lieutenant-Colonel Arnold Talbot Wilson, to the India Office, mostly forwarding copies of memoranda, reports and other papers concerning the levies, for information. The papers forwarded by Wilson include: notes on the training of the Arab and Kurdish Levies and Gendarmerie; a memorandum regarding the reconstitution of the Arab Levies in the Hillah, Diwaniyah and Najaf Divisions (which includes an annexed specimen enrolment form in both English and Arabic); a copy of the Arab and Kurdish Levy and Gendarmerie Proclamation, 1920; a report on the 2nd Euphrates Levies and District Police in the Hillah, Diwaniyah, and Shamiyah Divisions by Brigadier-General Arthur Grenfell Wauchope, and a supplementary report dealing with the two squadrons at Diwaniyah.The papers also include:Copies of telegrams and draft telegrams between the India Office and Wilson, and (after 4 October 1920) between the India Office and the High Commissioner in Mesopotamia, Sir Percy Zachariah CoxIndia Office Political and Secret Department minute papers and internal notesParliamentary Notices of questions to be asked of the Secretary of State for War and the Secretary of State for India in the House of Commons, with draft replies, and extracts from
Hansardof the relevant proceedings in the House of CommonsCorrespondence between the India Office and the following two MPs in relation to questions they asked of the Secretary of State for India in the House of Commons: the Earl of Winterton, concerning reparation for the widows and dependents of members of the levies; and Colonel Charles Edward Yate regarding his question about whether efforts are being made to recruit levies from ‘the Chaldeans and Syrians’, leading to the Secretary of State for India suggesting to the High Commissioner in Mesopotamia that levies might be recruited from Assyrian refugeesCopies of telegrams between the General Officer Commanding Mesopotamia and the War OfficeDraft letters from the India Office to the War Office: forwarding a memorandum regarding the Arab and Kurdish Levies in Mesopotamia of 12 August 1919; and forwarding copies of telegrams from the High Commissioner in Mesopotamia of 1 and 5 February 1921, regarding the difficulty of obtaining suitable British Officers for the levies without the prospect of their permanent employment.The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 177; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Multiple intermittent additional mixed foliation/pagination sequences are also present. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence regarding the deportation of three Polish men (Oligierd Stolyho, Adam Backer and Josef Bekerman), one Lithuanian man (Bronistew Bogussewier), one Ukrainian man (Iwan Basileffsk) and one Russian woman (Tatiana Chinnova) from the Persian Border to British Indian territory at the beginning of the Second World War.The main correspondence is between:• the Government of India, External Affairs Department to Tehran• the Secretary of State for India• the Senior Assistant Director, Intelligence, Government of India, Quetta• the Director, Intelligence Bureau (Home Department), Government of India, Simla• the Secretary to the Agent to the Governor-General in Baluchistan, Ziarat• the Polish Consulate General in India• the Additional Deputy Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs DepartmentDetailed are the British Indian Government’s concerns regarding national security leading to the arrest and detention of the group. Attributed to this is a belief that Bekerman is German and Jewish, and conflicting reports from Vernon Smith, an American woman who came in contact with the refugees. Also detailed is the Polish Consulate General in India’s wish to facilitate their release, and his assessment of their legitimacy once they had arrived in Bombay, India.Included are statements from the five men; preliminary (folios 3 to 7) and revised (folios 9 to 15) following alleged inconsistencies in the former, and a statement from Chinnova (folios 19 to 21). These contain personal information and include the motivations and circumstances which led to their arrival at the Persian border, and a description of items in their possession.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 54; 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 3-49; these numbers are also written in pencil, and are not circled.
Abstract: This item comprises copies of enclosures to a despatch from the Government of Bombay [Mumbai] Secret Department to the Secret Committee, Number 76 of 1847, dated 31 August 1847. The enclosures are dated 10 May-20 August 1847. There is a note on the abstract stating that enclosures 11 and 12 are ‘Missing. 30 10 1906’.The primary documents are: a report by Major Samuel Hennell, Resident in the Persian Gulf, to Arthur Malet, Secretary to the Government, Bombay; minutes of the Governors in Council; and correspondence between Malet, and Henry Miers Elliot, Secretary to the Government of India with the Governor-General.The subjects covered notably include:Concerns of the Chief of Bahrein [Bahrain], Shaik Mahomed bin Khuleefa [Shaikh Muḥammad bin Khalīfah Āl Khalīfah, Shaikh of Bahrain] about disaffected Uttoobee [ʿUtūb] subjects led by Shaik Essa bin Tareef [Shaikh ‘Īsá bin Ṭarīf] who have settled on the Persian [Iranian] island of Kenn [Kish], his solicitation of British naval assistance should the refugees or the ex-ruler of Bahrein, Shaik Abdoollah bin Ahmed [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Aḥmad Āl Khalīfah], mount an attack on Bahrein; and the Government of Bombay’s authority to Hennell to intervene on behalf of Mahomed bin Khuleefa if the situation warrantsThe Governor-General’s desire that the Bombay Government inform the Home Authorities (in London) of the proceedings of some Turkish [Ottoman] officers at Koweit [Kuwait] and the arrival of a Turkish vessel of war off Bushire [Būshehr].Physical description: There is an abstract of contents of the despatch, numbered 1-12, on folios 425-426. These numbers are repeated for reference on the verso of the last folio of each enclosure. Enclosures 11 and 12 are not present.
Abstract: The file contains papers received or created by the Commonwealth Relations Office (CRO) relating to the Middle East (Official) Committee. It mostly consists of papers circulated to members of the Committee, received by the CRO. The file also includes: a few items of CRO correspondence with the Cabinet Office and the Offices of the United Kingdom High Commissioners in Karachi and Pretoria; and a register of papers relating to the Committee received or sent by the CRO, with internal CRO correspondence relating to the file, at the back of the file.The circulated Committee papers consist of:The agendas for, and minutes of, the Committee meetings of 3 and 17 January 1950, at which was discussed Washington discussions on economic and social development in the Middle East, the utilisation of surplus oil revenues in the Persian Gulf, technical assistance to the Middle East, and possible requirements of Middle East governments for sterling assistance for economic development.Papers prepared by the Working Party of the Committee on economic and social development in Sudan, the Persian Gulf States, and technical assistance to the Middle East.A paper stating the Committee’s general policy regarding the promotion of social progress in the Middle East, entitled ‘The Social and Internal Political Implications of Economic Development in the Middle East’, prepared as a brief for the discussions of the Committee Chairman, Michael Wright, with the United States State Department.A record of discussions between Wright and the State Department, on long-range development in the Middle East, held on 14 and 17 November 1949.Minutes of meetings between Wright, and other Foreign Office and British Embassy representatives, and the International Bank, held on 21, 22 and 23 November 1949, and a joint memorandum summarising the result of the discussions.The final report of the United Nations Economic Survey Mission for the Middle East, entitled ‘An Approach to Economic Development in the Middle East’.The United Nations Resolution of 8 December 1949 to set up a Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East.Other papers relating to technical assistance to the Middle East, and possible requests by Middle East Governments for sterling assistance in connection with their development projects in 1950 and 1951.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 161; 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: Two sets of correspondence relating to refugees and migrants on the border between Persia [Iran] and British Baluchistan:Correspondence dated 1934 exchanged between various British Government officials in Baluchistan and Sind [Sindh] concerning two members of the Baranzai tribe from Baluchistan, who wish to visit Karachi (ff 7-12)Correspondence dated 1937 and 1938 exchanged between the Deputy Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs Department, William Rupert Hay, and HM’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Tehran, Horace James Seymour, concerning a complaint made by the Iranian Government regarding followers of the late ruler of Western Baluchistan [Sistan and Baluchistan], Sardar Mir Dost Mohammad Khan Baloch, reported to be active on the British side of the Baluchistan frontier, and attempting to induce Iranian Baluchis to migrate across the frontier (ff 2-6).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 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: Correspondence concerning tribal unrest on the frontier between Persia [Iran] and British India, more specifically the region of Persia referred to as Persian Baluchistan [Sistan and Baluchistan Province] and Baluchistan Province in modern-day Pakistan, and efforts to control cross-border movements. Subjects covered include:A protest from the Persian Government in early 1934, in response to reports of armed British guards and secret agents crossing into Persian territory at Mashkid. The incident reflected the wider concerns of the Persian Government, of British interference on the Persian side of the border, in fomenting unrest amongst Baluchi tribesmenAn unauthorised visit to Gwadur [Gwadar] by the Persian Passport and Visa Officer at Quetta in May 1934, reportedly to investigate the reasons why Persian Baluchis were quitting Persia. Subsequent correspondence relates to representations made to the Persian Government by the British Government about the visit, including reference to correspondence with the Sultan of Muscat, then sovereign of GwadurArrangements for and reports on a conference at Duzdap [Zahedan] in February 1935, held between the Government of India and Persian Government officials, to discuss Persian grievances about the tribal unrest on the border between the two countries. Printed copies of résumés of the conference sessions are included in the file (ff 302-309, ff 322-324).Continued negotiations between the Governments of India and Persia over control of the frontier, including the drafting of a bilateral agreementFrom 1937, British concerns over an influx of Persian refugees into Mekran [Makran] and Karachi.In 1938, attempts to extradite a Persian ‘rebel’ named Juma khan Ismailzai, along with his followers, from British Baluchistan.The file’s principal correspondents are: HM’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Tehran; the Foreign Office; the Deputy Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs Department, William Rupert Hay; representatives of the Persian Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Mirza Mohamed Ali Khan Feroughi and Muzaffar A’lam.The file contains several items of correspondence exchanged between the British and Persian Governments that are written in French.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 inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 516; 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.