Abstract: This file contains documents and correspondence relating to the takeover of Iraq by British forces following the coup d'état in Iraq during 1941. The papers discuss the possibility of an Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, and the domestic political situation in Iraq during and immediately after both the coup and the start of the British invasion. This includes ascertaining the political attitudes of notables, influential tribes, and military forces present in Iraq at the time. A variety of documents in the latter half of the file pertain to the British effort at stabilising the Iraqi Government following the British takeover, including discussions of its international alliances and treaty obligations.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 208; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 2-207, and ff 15-207; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: Correspondence relating to the supply of fresh water at the Political Agency in Bahrain. The file’s principal correspondents are: the Political Agent or Assistant Political Agent at Bahrain (numerous incumbents); the Clerk-in-Charge of the British Naval Base at Jufair [Al Jufayr]; the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf [SNOPG] (Commodore Cosmo Moray Graham); the Commanders of various British vessels in the Persian Gulf Squadron (including HMS
Fowey, HMS
Deptford, HMS
Bideford, HMS
Shoreham).The bulk of the file is letters sent from the Political Agency, approximately on a weekly basis, requesting water from different sources. Between 1935 and 1938 requests were sent to British naval vessels at Bahrain, following an arrangement agreed between the Political Agent and the SNOPG. The naval vessels at Bahrain had on-board distilling plants, enabling them to produce their own drinking water. From 1938, requests for water were sent to the Clerk-in-Charge at the British naval base at Jufair.Wartime correspondence acknowledges anticipated and actual shortages in freshwater supplies. A note by the Political Agent (Hugh Weightman) dated 22 September 1939 details revised quantities and distribution of water at the Agency (f 209). Two pieces of correspondence from the SNOPG to the Political Agent, dated 24 August 1940 and 24 January 1942, note respectively the reduced water distillation capacity of British naval ships, and subsequent inability to continue supplying water to the Agency (f 263, f 304).Other papers in the file relate to:the Commandant of the Bahrain State Police’s displeasure at the use of his sepoys to convey water to the Agency (ff 2-4);requests for increases or decreases in water supply at the Agency, in response to visits by the Political Resident, or absences from the Agency of the Political Agent;water distribution lists for staff at the Agency (for example, f 243).The file notes at the end of the file (ff 307-329) offer further insight into policies and arrangements relating to water supply at the Agency, including distribution lists for Agency staff.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 330; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 2-301, and ff 308-328; 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 comprises correspondence relating to reports about and enquiries made into individuals at Bahrain, or travelling to Bahrain, and allegations of their anti-British activities. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Agent at Bahrain (Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban), and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave).1941 correspondence includes: enquires made by the Political Agent to the Adviser, requesting information or action against individuals alleged to have expressed anti-British views, or listened to Berlin or Bari radio broadcasts (ff 5-8); information from the Middle East Intelligence Centre concerning an individual travelling to Bahrain, who has spent a year in the United States and who is said to have expressed pro-Palestine/Iraq and anti-British sympathies (f 17); the Adviser’s responses to each of these cases (ff 10-12, f 21), providing background information on the named individuals, and advising caution in taking action against any of them without substantive evidence; correspondence from the External Affairs Department at Simla to the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior), dated 14 May 1941, enclosing an extract from Intelligence No. 7 of 1941 for the period 1 to 15 April 1941 (ff 24-25), requesting information on what action has been taken with regard to those points concerning Bahrain, and the Political Agent’s response to these points (ff 28-29).The last item in the file is a letter from the Political Agent (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield) to Major S Hills, DCRE [Deputy Commander of the Royal Engineers] Bahrain, dated 22 June 1942, informing him that three Iraqi masons currently working on the oil refinery protection plan are said to have expressed anti-British sentiments, and would rather destroy than assist in the protection of the refinery oil tanks (f 35).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 36; 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: The file contains correspondence concerning the radio (referred to earlier in the file as the wireless) station, Bahrain. The station was initially run by the Indo-European Telegraph Department (a department of the Government of India), but from 1931 responsibility passed to a public company, Imperial and International Communications Limited (from 1934 known as Cable and Wireless Limited). The main correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain, and the Officer-in-Charge of the radio station. There is also some correspondence from the Government of Bahrain.The papers cover issues such as: interruptions to wireless traffic; complaints about the service; the ownership of wireless sets by individuals; installation of telephone lines; maintenance of the telegraph system; the title deeds for the land on which the radio station was built; the provision of drinking water for employees at the station; recruitment of staff; notices and circulars; arrangements for Christmas and New Year greetings telegrams; and special arrangements caused by the Second World War (1939-45).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 333; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Two additional mixed foliation/pagination sequences are also present in parallel between ff 311-327; these numbers are written in a combination of pencil and blue crayon, but are not circled.
Abstract: This volume contains correspondence between British officials concering military arrangements for the defence of Muscat.Specifically, the correspondence in the volume contains discussions regarding the following: Britain's provision of arms, ammunition and other military supplies to the Muscat Levy Corps; the formation of a Muscat Defence Plan; and the stance of the Sultan of Muscat and Oman towards Britain's war efforts (following the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939). It also contains a limited amount of correspondence regarding arms purchases from France made by the Sultan.The majority of the correspondence in the volume is between the Political Agency in Muscat, the Political Residency in Bushire and the Sultan of Muscat and Oman, Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr]. Most of the correspondence with the Sultan is in Arabic accompanied by English translations.In addition to this correspondence, the volume also contains the following related documents:'Note on the possible re-organisation of the Levies' (folios 5-6)'List of arms and ammunition in possession of the Muscat Levy at Bait-al-Falaj' (folio 14)A memorandum about the Muscat Levy Corps prepared by the Muscat Political Agency (folios 28-32)'Copy of a note by the Chief of the General Staff in India on the subject of the Defence schemes prepared by the Air Officer Commanding, Iraq, for the Arab Gulf States' (folio 37)'Muscat Defence Plan. Force Available' (folios 90-100).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 162; 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 between ff 105-162, 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 leading and ending flyleaves.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence and reports relating to the expansion of oil exploration and export operations in the Middle East. The file's papers are particularly concerned with the wartime Anglo-American efforts to secure sufficient crude oil supplies for the war effort and subsequent years. Of note are press clippings (ff 40-44) from the British press on the proceedings of these diplomatic efforts, and projections on the importance of Middle Eastern sources of oil into the post-war era for the Allies.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 155; 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 contains correspondence and other papers related to anti-British and pro-German propaganda being disseminated at Sharjah, and specifically that being allegedly spread by the Ruler of Sharjah’s Secretary, Abdullah bin Faris. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman; Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban) and the Residency Agent at Sharjah (Khan Sahib Saiyid ‘Abd al-Razzaq).The file includes:the Residency Agent’s reports on propaganda activities at Sharjah, dated July 1940, including anti-British statements made by the Ruler of Sharjah’s secretary, Abdullah bin Faris, and one report enclosing a number of poems (in Arabic original and English translation), two of which are pro-British in tone (ff 10-11, ff 13-14), and another, apparently written by the Ruler of Sharjah, Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī, which is pro-German in tone (f 12, f 15);a petition, signed by forty-eight inhabitants of Sharjah who are of Arabic, Iranian and Indian origin (Arabic original f 40, English translation ff 23-24) affirming that the Abdullah bin Faris is ‘the greatest supporter’ of the British Government;further correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain, the Residency Agent at Sharjah, and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior), concerning reports that the signatures on the petition supporting Abdullah bin Faris were obtained by misrepresentation, and a circular, sent to those British (Indian) subjects at Sharjah who signed the petition, dated 16 October 1940, ensuring that they were fully aware of what they had signed (ff 38-39);letters sent by the Political Agent at Bahrain to the Ruler of Sharjah, Shaikh Sultan bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī, warning him against the spread of anti-British propaganda in Sharjah, with replies from Shaikh Sultan (ff 21-24, ff 44-45).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 50; 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 mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 3-48; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file comprises correspondence exchanged between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman), the British Government’s representative at Jedda, and officials at the Government of India and India Office in London, in tracking a journey made by Harry St John Bridger Philby from Saudi Arabia, via Dhahran, Bahrain and Karachi, to Bombay. The correspondence focuses on when might be an appropriate moment to apprehend Philby, so that he may be deported back to Britain. Proposals to apprehend Philby, who is believed to be carrying letters and articles of an anti-British bent in his luggage, in Bahrain, are abandoned due to uncertainty over whether the Persian Gulf Defence Regulation contained sufficient legal power to enable the deportation (f 11). Correspondence from the Foreign Department of the Government of India reports Philby’s detention upon his arrival at Karachi (f 16). Included in the file is a notice from J W Stafford, Chief Passport Officer in the Passport Office of the Foreign Office, dated 27 June 1940, which contains details of Philby’s appearance, his background, and instruction to impound his passport (f 20).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 22; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-20; 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 comprises correspondence relating to the presence on board the tanker
Helka, sailing from Aden to Bahrain, of an Italian, whom British officials instruct should not be allowed to land at Bahrain. The principal correspondents are: the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman), the Chief Secretary at Aden; and the Chief Local Representative of the Bahrain Petroleum Company BAPCO (R A Kennedy).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-6; 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 comprises correspondence relating to the drawing up of: a) an Emergency Order in Council, with Defence Regulations, and b) proclamations by the Rulers of Bahrain and Qatar, for issue in the event of war with Germany. The principal correspondents in the file are the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle; Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior) and the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman).The file includes:letters from the Political Resident, dated 8 April 1939, enclosing draft copies of the Persian Gulf States (Emergency) Order in Council, with Draft Defence Regulations (ff 2-14);correspondence, chiefly exchanged between the Political Resident and Political Agent at Bahrain, between April and June 1939, relating to the preparation of an
alan(proclamation) to be issued by the Rulers of Bahrain and Qatar in the event of war, including: draft copies of the proclamation in English (ff 18-21) and Arabic (ff 38-39), and correspondence relating to the Ruler of Qatar, Shaikh Abdullah bin Qasim’s [‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī] refusal to sign the proclamation, though still guaranteeing his co-operation (ff 30-32, ff 36-37, ff 43-44, f 46);correspondence from September 1939, concerning the publication of the Persian Gulf States (Emergency) Order in Council and Draft Defence Regulations, with instruction from the Political Resident, dated 6 September 1939 (f 59) for the Rulers of Kuwait and Bahrain to issue their proclamations. The file includes a number of copies of the draft Persian Gulf States (Emergency) Order in Council (ff 5-9, ff 81-85) and Draft Defence Regulations (ff 10-14, ff 64-68, ff 71-74 with Arabic translation, ff 86-90), in addition to printed copies of the announcements made by the King’s Most Excellent Majesty in Council, issuing the Emergency Order in Council on 5 September 1939 (ff 94-95), and with amendments on 23 November 1939 (ff 96-97). A letter from the Government of India’s Foreign Department, dated 8 October 1939 states that the Order in Council will be published in the
Gazette of Indiaon 14 October 1939 (f 101).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 104; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-101; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence relating to censorship restrictions on telegrams in the Persian Gulf, during the Second World War.The correspondence discusses:The Bahrain (also spelled Bahrein in the file) branch of Cable and Wireless receiving orders from Head Office not to send or accept telegrams in Arabic between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and the Political Agent at Bahrain and the India Office seeking the removal of this banAn enquiry from the Political Agent at Bahrain regarding whether Imperial Airways are allowed by the censor to use the International Air Traffic Association code for cables to their stations on British Empire routesThe Postmaster, Kuwait (also spelled Koweit in the file), receiving instructions to accept telegrams for Germany and Italy for despatch via Persia [Iran], and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf expressing the view that such telegrams should not be sent to enemy territory from Kuwait, and that the Iraqi Government should be asked to withdraw the instructionsCable and Wireless receiving an enquiry from the Sheik [Shaikh] of Kuwait and the Political Agent at Kuwait regarding the possibility of accepting and transmitting telegrams in Arabic at Kuwait for countries in the Middle East including Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt and IraqThe Bahrain Petroleum Company requesting permission to exchange telegrams with their Head Office in New York in a secret company codeA proposal from the Political Agent, Kuwait, for the establishment of a temporary direct wireless circuit between Kuwait and Riyadh (also spelled this Ryad in the file) during the tour of a special mission to Kuwait from Riyadh.The correspondence consists of telegrams, letters, India Office draft copies of telegrams and letters, and India Office internal notes.The principal correspondent is the India Office. Other correspondents include: the Postal and Telegraph Censorship Department; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Political Agent, Kuwait; the Political Agent, Bahrain; the General Post Office Telecommunications Department; HM Ambassador, Bagdad [Baghdad], Sir Basil Newton; HM Consul General, New York; Cable and Wireless Limited; Persia and Iraq Command (PAIC); and the War 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 last folio with 91; 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 papers relate mainly to a discussion held in July 1940 by the War Cabinet Official Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East on the neutrality of Saudi Arabia under Ibn Saud [Ibn Sa‘ūd, or ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] during the Second World War. The main issue discussed is how the ‘benevolent neutrality’ of the King of Saudi Arabia, Ibn Saud might be maintained. Notable within the file (folio 2) is a telegram dated 28 February 1945 from the Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs informing the governments of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Africa that Ibn Saud will be declaring war on Germany and Japan from 1 March 1945. The principal correspondents are the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and HM Ambassador to Iraq.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 30; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.