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157. PZ 7629/33 'Persia: Persian armaments'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains papers regarding actual and attemptedpurchases of armaments and military equipment by Persia. The primarycorrespondents are: War Office; India Office; Foreign Office; British Legation,Tehran; Export Credits Guarantee Department.Folios 91-177 cover War Office reports of arms and equipmentordered and received by Persia between 1931 and 1936, and concerns over increasedlevels of Persian armament.Folios 83-90 cover an application by a UK firm for a licenceto export ammunition to Persia, and concerns that the ammunition may be sent onto Spain.Folios 81-82 cover an order placed by Persia for arms andammunition from Czechoslovakia.Folios 58-80 cover attempted arms purchases byPersia during the Second World War, including meetings between Persian andBritish officials, reports of Persian approaches to Germany and Japan, andconsiderations of the potential military threat to Persia from the SovietUnion.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 57, and terminates at f 177, 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.
158. PZ 5749/39(1) 'Propaganda: Articles forwarded to Persian Gulf, Kabul & Katmandu for dissemination'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence, mainly telegrams, relating to British propaganda forwarded to the Persian Gulf for dissemination.It largely consists of weekly telegrams from the Secretary of State for India, London, to the Government of India and others. The telegrams contain Ministry of Information news items about the war in Europe (Second World War) and how to communicate them in press, publicity and public relations work overseas. Recipients include the Government of India’s Bureau of Public Information; the Publicity Officer, Bahrain; and HM Minister, Kabul.The file also includes an extract (in Arabic translation and French original) from the book Redressement économique et Industrialisation de la Nouvelle Turquie, by Orhan Conker and Emile Witmeur, published Paris, 1937. The title is also referred to in English as 'Economic Recovery and Industrialization of New Turkey'.The file includes two dividers, which give a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: The papers are arranged in chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.
159. PZ 287/40 'Deportation from Persia into British Indian territory'
- Description:
- 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.
160. Coll 28/103 ‘Persia. Perso Russian Relations’
- Description:
- Abstract: Correspondence and papers, some marked Most Secret, concerning relations between the Soviet Union and Persia [Iran]. Much of the file concerns the British Government’s concerns about Soviet interference and influence in Persia, particularly at the end and in the aftermath of the Second World War. The file covers: relations between Persia, the Soviet Union and Germany, 1940; the Persian Government’s desire to replace British personnel working in its aviation operations with personnel from the USA, and the proposed use of Persian aerodromes by the Soviet Government, 1940; reports of German infiltration in Persia, 1941; British concerns about an increase in Soviet propaganda in Iran, 1943; the activities of the Anglo-Soviet-Persian Censorship office, 1944; reports that the Soviet Consulate in Ahwaz [Ahvāz] wished to open a ‘propaganda shop’ at Abadan, 1945; notes about the Soviet Union and North Persia, written by the British Ambassador in Tehran, Reader William Bullard (ff 18-22, ff 3-4).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 94; 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.
161. Coll 30/104(2) 'Koweit Oil Concession: Operations of the Koweit Oil Company. (Provision of Motor Vehicles & Spares for Sheik of Koweit)'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file concerns the operations of the Kuwait Oil Company, from its initial explorations and discovery of commercial quantities of oil in Kuwait, to the suspension of the Company's operations during the Second World War (1939-45), and the resumption of its operations after the war.The main correspondents are the Political Agent, Kuwait; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Ministry of Fuel and Power, Petroleum Division; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Foreign Office; and the Kuwait Oil Company.The papers cover: Kuwait Intelligence summaries, dated 1935-36 relating to the opening of the Kuwait Oil Company's first well at Bahra; the discovery of oil at Burgan; the possibility of establishing a refinery in Kuwait (e.g. folio 346); the steps taken by the Company to safeguard the wells against enemy action on the outbreak of war in 1939 (e.g. folios 331-332); discussion of the Company's decision to suspend operations as a result of wartime conditions; the payment of royalties to the Shaikh of Kuwait, Shaikh Sir Ahmed al Jabir Al-Subah [Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ]; the Shaikh's interest in broadcasting (folio 260v); report on radio telephone installation for the Shaikh, June 1940 (folios 258-259); discussion of the possibility of the presentation of a wireless transmitter to the Shaikh, 1941; the presentation of vehicles to the Shaikh (folios 234-235); the Company's post-war plans, 1943-44 (e.g. folios 164-166); further papers concerning the payment of royalties to the Shaikh, 1944 (e.g. folios 150-159); the resumption of drilling operations; the provision of lorries; ceremonies to mark the Kuwait Oil Company's first shipment of oil in 1946 (folios 55-58); further discussion of a wireless transmitter for the Shaikh; plans to increase the Company's operations (folio 40); the spread of 'Tudeh' ideas amongst Company employees (e.g. folio 35); and correspondence dated 1948 concerning the conversion of an ex-Admiralty motor launch into a yacht for the Shaikh (folios 5-9).The Arabic language content of the papers consists of three folios of correspondence (with translations into English) between the Kuwait Oil Company and the Shaikh of Kuwait.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 volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the front cover of part one (ff 1-183) and terminates at the inside back cover of part two (ff 184-377); 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 2-376; these numbers are printed.
162. Coll 28/111 ‘Persia. Kermanshah – Political diaries.’
- Description:
- Abstract: Monthly political diaries submitted by the British Consul at Kermanshah in Persia [Iran]. The diaries cover much of the Second World War and the Anglo-Soviet occupation of Iran. The reports cover Kermanshah Province, and include summaries of: local Persian administration; the activities of local tribes; affairs in [Persian] Kurdistan; political affairs, including the activities of the Tudeh Party of Iran and the local workers’ union; agricultural production, food supply and food shortages; economic and commercial activities; British interests; Soviet interests; British, Soviet, and to a lesser extent German propaganda activities. A small number of items of correspondence are also included in the file. Some of the reports are preceded by note sheets which contain summaries of the reports written by India Office staff.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the front 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 374; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
163. Coll 28/113 ‘Persia. Persian – U.S. Relations. Appointment of United States officials as advisers to the Persian Govt.’
- Description:
- Abstract: Secret correspondence concerning the appointment of a financial adviser, military and police advisers, and relief workers from the USA to Persia [Iran]. Correspondence over the matter was prompted by what the British and United States Governments perceived as economic and political disarray in Iran, and the potential threat this had to Allied operations in the South-East Asian theatre of war during the Second World War. The correspondence covers: the British Government’s request for financial advisers and relief workers from the USA; the US State Department’s attitude towards the request; discussion between the British and US Governments over potential candidates for advisory roles in Persia; the ongoing status of US advisers in Persia during and after the end of the War. The file’s principal correspondents are: HM Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the British Legation in Tehran, Reader William Bullard; the Foreign Office; and HM Ambassador to the United States of America, Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, who is referred to in correspondence as Viscount Halifax.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 89; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
164. Coll 28/114 ‘Persia. Financial affairs:- financial relations with H.M.G. and U.S. Govt.’
- Description:
- Abstract: Correspondence and other papers concerning the financial crisis in Persia [Iran] during the Second World War, and the efforts made by the Governments of Britain and the United States of America to ameliorate the crisis, partly to help maintain military operations in the South-East Asian theatre of the War. The correspondence covers: the Persian currency crisis of 1942, and an agreement between the Governments of Britain and Persia, making provisions for the control of exchange rates between Persia and Britain (f 155); the appointment of Arthur Chester Millspaugh as Director-General of Finance to the Persian Government, in an effort to resolve the country’s financial crisis; Millspaugh’s assessment of the Persian economy, and his recommendations for its stabilisation (ff 71-75); correspondence between Millspaugh and the Financial Counsellor at the British Legation at Tehran, William Angus Boyd Iliff.The file’s principal correspondents are: HM Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Tehran, Reader William Bullard; the Foreign Office; and HM Ambassador to the United States of America, the Earl of Halifax, Edward Frederick Lindley Wood.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 inside back cover with 234; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
165. Coll 28/116 ‘Persia (Iran). Isfahan – Consular situation reports’
- Description:
- Abstract: Fortnightly consular diaries (monthly from November 1945), six-monthly consular reports, and correspondence, submitted by HM Consul at Isfahan, Charles Alexander Gault, who was superseded in 1946 by John William Wall. The papers, which cover much of the Second World War, the Anglo-Soviet occupation of Iran, and the immediate post-war period, include details of: the activities of tribes (chiefly the Bakhtiari) in Isfahan district; activities and movements of Persian consular officials, including the General Officer Commanding Isfahan, and the Governor General of Isfahan; British officials and British interests; municipal affairs, including local politics, elections, and the activities of the Tudeh Party of Iran; food supply and prices; the economic situation, including market activity, the cost of living, municipal finances, and factory and mill production; publicity and propaganda; enemy (i.e. German) activities in the early years of the war; Soviet interests, including a growing Soviet influence in the postwar period; USA interests.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 433; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
166. Coll 28/119 ‘Persia [Iran] Internment & repatriation of enemy nationals in Persia.’
- Description:
- Abstract: Secret correspondence concerning the internment or repatriation of enemy nationals in Persia [Iran] during the Second World War. The correspondence covers: the estimated numbers of enemy nationals in Persia, including Germans, Austrians, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Italians, Romanians, Estonians and Lithuanians; the Government of India’s initial reluctance to take enemy nationals from Persia for internment in India, and eventual agreement to accept a limited number; the discussion of other possible places for internment, including East Africa and the Union of South Africa [Republic of South Africa]; arrangements for repatriation and internment. The file’s principal correspondents are: HM Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the British Legation in Tehran, Reader William Bullard; the External Affairs Department of the Government of India; the Foreign Office; and the Minister of State Resident in the Middle East in Cairo.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 55; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
167. Coll 17/30(1) ‘Iraq. Proposed additional outlet to the sea, in or near Koweit territory. Development of port at Um Qasr.’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains papers relating to the proposed construction of a port in Kuwait (Koweit) Bay, and the construction of a port in Um Qasr Creek.The papers mostly concern the following:The attitude of HM Government towards the proposal of the Government of Iraq for the extension of the Iraqi railway system through Kuwait territory to the coast at Koweit Bay, and the construction there of a port under Iraqi control. This proposed port would provide Iraq with an additional commercial outlet to the sea on the Persian Gulf, as an alternative to the Shatt-al-Arab.The Iraqi Government’s adoption of the alternative recommendation of Um Qasr Creek in the Khor Abdulla as the location for the port, and the Iraqi Government raising the question of territorial concessions from Kuwait in relation to the port.The decision of British military authorities in 1941 to construct a port at Um Qasr as an urgent military necessity, to remain under British military control during the Second World War, and the proposal to improve port facilities in Koweit itself in order to enable troops and stores to be disembarked there.The location of the selected site for the port in Um Qasr Creek in relation to the disputed frontier between Iraq and Kuwait.The papers largely consist of India Office minute papers and internal notes, papers of the Committee of Imperial Defence Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, and correspondence and copy correspondence between the following:The India Office and the Foreign Office.The India Office and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.The India Office and the Government of India External Affairs Department.The Foreign Office and HM Embassy, Baghdad (Maurice Peterson, Sir Basil Cochrane Newton, Sir Kinahan Cornwallis, and W E Houston-Boswall).The Commander in Chief in the Middle East, the Commander in Chief in India, and the War Office.Other correspondents in the file include the Army Council, the Air Council, the Admiralty, the Political Agent at Kuwait (Tom Hickinbotham), and the Ruler of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ).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 535; 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 2-353; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
168. Coll 17/30(2) 'Proposed additional outlet to the sea in or near Kuwait territory. Development of port at Um Qasr.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains papers mainly relating to the port at Um Qasr (Umm Qasr). These papers mostly concern a notification of the schedule of dues and charges to be imposed by the Government of Iraq on vessels navigating to Um Qasr port (printed in the Iraq Government Gazette No. 24 of 14 June 1942); specifically, the response HM Ambassador to Iraq should make to the notification, with regards to the rights of the Sheikh [Shaikh] of Koweit [Kuwait], and the wider question of the disputed frontier between Iraq and Koweit.The file also includes some correspondence relating to HM Government’s decision to dismantle the port installations at Um Qasr in 1945.The papers in the file mainly consist of correspondence, India Office internal notes, India Office minutes, and copies of minutes of an interdepartmental meeting of representatives of the India Office, the Military Sub-Committee, the Admiralty, the War Office, the Foreign Office, and the Port Director at Basra, of 27 August 1943, to discuss Um Qasr.The main correspondents are the following: the India Office, the Foreign Office, the External Affairs Department of the Government of India, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, and HM Ambassador, Baghdad (Sir Kinahan Cornwallis). Other correspondents include the Political Agent at Kuwait, and the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Persia and Iraq Command.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the outside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 144; 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 2-144; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.