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193. Coll 30/87(2) Part I 'Qatar: Oil Concession.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file concerns the signing of the agreement between the British Government, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) (later the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company), and the Shaikh of Qatar, Abdullah bin Qasim al Thani [‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī] to award the company an exclusive oil concession in Qatar (also spelled Qatr and Katr). The file also concerns preliminary oil explorations in Qatar, and the subsequent suspension of operations on the orders of the British Government.The papers cover: discussion, drafts and text of the commercial agreement between the Shaikh of Qatar and APOC (signed 17 May 1935); discussion, draft and text of the political agreement between HM Government and APOC (signed 5 June 1935); the use by the Shaikh of modern, Egyptian Arabic to make comments on the draft (folios 624-625); British support for the proposal that disputes between foreign employees of the company and inhabitants of Qatar should not be submitted to the Shara [Sharia] courts (folio 604); intelligence on the activities of the Standard Oil Company [California-Arabia Standard Oil Company] (e.g. folio 443); British emphasis that military protection would be afforded to the Shaikh of Qatar on condition that he awarded the oil concession to APOC, and the assumption by Britain of responsibility for the protection of Qatar (e.g. folios 400-403); the transfer of the concession from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company to Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited (e.g. folios 335-357); the payment of salaries to the Shaikh's representatives (e.g. folios 294-295); water drilling operations by the company (e.g. folios 237-241); references to Qatar's disputed border with Saudi Arabia; reports of preliminary drilling results and first discoveries of oil (1939-41); employment of foreign personnel by Petroleum Concessions Limited in Qatar (folios 180-182); the suspension of drilling operations on the orders of HM Government in 1942 as a result of war conditions, including correspondence on the subject between British officials and the Shaikh of Qatar, 1942-43; note that the suspension had been ordered because the British military authorities were unable to spare sufficient personnel to ensure the destruction of the oil wells, should the military situation demand it (folio 41); correspondence dated 1944 concerning a proposed increase in world oil refining capacity; and further correspondence dated 1944 concerning the boundary between Qatar and Bahrain at Hawar Island.The main correspondents are senior officials at the India Office, representatives of the oil companies concerned, and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf.The Arabic language content of the file consists of approximately 30 folios of correspondence, largely between British officials and the Ruler of Qatar.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 four physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover of volume one (ff 1-161) and terminates at the inside back cover of volume four (ff 486-647); 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.
194. Coll 20/35 'Sultan of Muscat's desire to avoid wireless and press publicity during wartime'
- Description:
- Abstract: Correspondence and minutes concerning the Sultan of Muscat's wish to minimise wireless and press publicity of his country and its relations with Britain during the Second World War. The correspondence is between officials at the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf, Government of India (External Affairs Department), India Office, Ministry of Information, and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The papers cover the discussion over the reasons behind the Sultan's wish and instructions given to the BBC and Ministry of Information to respect it.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio 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.The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers.
195. Coll 28/38 ‘Persia. Trade. Trade Tables 1929/30 to’
- Description:
- Abstract: Copies of correspondence sent by the British Legation at Tehran (including Commercial Secretary F A G Gray, and Envoys Extraordinary & Ministers Plenipotentiary, Horace James Seymour, Reader William Bullard), distributing and providing comment on Persian [Iranian] foreign trade statistics, generally in the form of quarterly returns. Included amongst the correspondence are copies of statistical tables illustrating various aspects of Persian foreign trade, arranged under the headings of imports and exports, and further organised by commodities and trading partners. The papers provide illustration of changes in trading patterns into and out of Persia prior to and during the Second World War.The file includes several copies of a Bulletin Mensuel des Douanes(Monthly Customs Bulletin), published by the Administrator General of Customs in the Government of Iran’s Ministry of Finance. The bulletins, which are written in French, cover the periods July/August 1942 (ff 69-78), October/November 1942 (ff 55-64), November/December 1942 (ff 39-48), December 1942/January 1943 (ff 28-38), January/February 1943 (ff 16-26), and June/July 1943 (ff 5-14).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 241; 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 2-241; these numbers are also written in pencil and are circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
196. Coll 28/44 ‘Persia. Internal. Fars affairs & Shiraz situation’
- Description:
- Abstract: The first part of the file (ff 322-420) contains copies of various reports on the internal situation in the district of Fars, most of which were prepared by the British Consul at Shiraz between 1932 and 1939. These reports describe security, public order, economic conditions and agricultural productivity in Fars. Included in these reports is a detailed summary of events in Fars for the year 1936 (ff 352-370), and a report on the economic conditions in Fars in July 1937 (ff 334-346). These reports were written by the British Consul at Shiraz, Arnold Edwards Watkinson.The second part of the file contains papers dated from August 1941 to July 1944 (ff 5-320). These papers concern the situation in Fars in the wake of the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, and the two Allied powers’ occupation of Iran during the Second World War. These papers concern: the activities of the Qashgai [Qashqai] peoples and their leading representatives, including Muhammad Nasir Khan Qashgai; the Qashgai’s relations and negotiations with the Iranian and British Governments; the general security situation in the Fars district; reports on the whereabouts and activities of German spies believed to be operating in Fars, thought to be seeking influence with the Qashgai; security and defence of the oil refinery at Abadan. The principal correspondents in this part of the file are: the British Consul at Shiraz, Terence Vincent Brenan; HM’s Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Tehran, Reader William Bullard; the Foreign Office.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 421; 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.
197. 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.
198. Coll 5/67 ‘Crashes of British aircraft in neutral countries during the war’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains a small number of papers related to the crashes of Royal Air Force (RAF) machines in neutral countries; the file focuses on neutral countries of interest to the India Office. The vast majority of the papers focus on a single incident in September 1939: the crash landing of an RAF plane near Chahbar [Chabahar] in Iran. Two other incidents briefly mentioned are as follows: a missing Hannibal aircraft lost around the Persian Gulf in March 1940, and the crash of a Blenheim aircraft in Thailand 29 September 1941.The main correspondents are as follows: HM Minister at Tehran, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, and representatives of the External Affairs Department 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 for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 26; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
199. Coll 5/76 ‘Proposed inauguration of a Baghdad-Tehran air service with possible extension to Kabul & Baku; Civil air route between India & Persia (Retention of RAF airfields)’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file is concerned with proposals for the development of civil aviation services connecting Iran (frequently referred to as Persia) with Iraq and India. It therefore includes correspondence related to proposed aerial surveys of possible routes. The question of whether three airfields at Zahidan, Mirjarah, and Kerman – built in consequence of the Anglo-Soviet occupation of Iran – should be retained for future civil use is also addressed by some of the correspondence.Some of the material in the file examines the interest of the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States in Iranian civil aviation.A report titled ‘Air Transport in Persia – 1944 and afterwards’ by Walter Leslie Runciman, Air Attaché at Tehran, has been included: see folios 119-129. An accompanying map illustrating proposed and existing air routes can be found on folio 130. The file also includes a couple of sketch maps: see folios 103 and 143.The most recent correspondence in the file is concerned with the re-establishment of British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) services in 1946 between the United Kingdom (UK) and Tehran.The main correspondents are as follows: HM Ambassador to Iran (Sir Reader William Bullard), officials of the Air Ministry, officials of the Foreign Office, officials of the India Office, and representatives of the External Affairs Department of the Government of India.There is a gap in the file for the years 1942-43 for which no papers have been included.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 182; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
200. Coll 6/70 'Saudi Arabia: Relations with Germany (Dr Grobba)'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file concerns relations between the Kingdom of the Hejaz and Nejd (later Saudi Arabia) and Germany. The material in the file dates from two periods: 1928-30 and 1939-41. Notable correspondents include the following: the British Agent at Jeddah (Herbert George Jakins); the High Commissioner, Egypt (George Ambrose Lloyd, Lord Lloyd); His Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires to Jedda (Cecil Gervase Hope Gill); His Majesty's Ambassador in Cairo (Miles Wedderburn Lampson); His Majesty's Ambassador in Bagdad [Baghdad] (Sir Basil Cochrane Newton); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, Sir Reader William Bullard, and later, Hugh Stonehewer Bird); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Anthony Eden); officials of the Foreign Office.The correspondence includes discussion of the following:The conclusion of a treaty of friendship between Germany and the Kingdom of the Hejaz and Nejd in April 1929.The appointment of a German Consul in the Hejaz in 1931.Anglo-Yemeni relations.Reports in 1940 that Mussolini has been approached by Hitler with a request that the Italian Government should ask Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] to allow German diplomatic representative Dr Fritz Konrad Ferdinand Grobba to take residence Jedda.Whether Ibn Saud should be urged by the British to refuse to receive Dr Grobba.Italy's request for Saudi diplomatic representation in Rome.Ibn Saud's requests for financial assistance from the British Government.The reported arrival of eight German officers (in civilian disguise) in Iran, in late 1940.Reports in 1940 of wireless communication between Riyadh and Germany.Reports in November 1941 of pro-German Arabs having attempted to persuade Ibn Saud to call for an Arab congress to be held in Mecca or Medina during the pilgrimage.In addition to correspondence the file includes a copy of an English translation of the aforementioned treaty.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 (folio 2).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio 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. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
201. Coll 6/91 'Saudi Arabia. Policy of H.M.G. Qn. of credits and guarantee of assistance to Ibn Saud.'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file concerns British policy towards Saudi Arabia during the Second World War (the abbreviation 'Qn' in the title stands for 'Question'). The correspondence discusses the question of providing financial or material assistance to Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd], as well as the United States' growing economic and strategic interests in Saudi Arabia.The file features the following principal correspondents: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Reader Bullard, Hugh Stonehewer Bird, and Stanley R Jordan successively); the Secretary of State for India (Leo Amery); the Viceroy of India (Archibald Percival Wavell); the Chancellor of the Exchequer (John Anderson); officials of the Foreign Office, the India Office, the Treasury, the Government of India's Finance and External Affairs Departments, and the United States Embassy in London.Related matters of discussion include the following:The idea (initially discussed in correspondence dating from 1939) of an alliance or a bloc of Arab states (chiefly comprised of Saudi Arabia and the Yemen), which would support the Allied cause.The Italo-German reaction to Ibn Saud's refusal to receive German diplomat Dr Fritz Konrad Ferdinand Grobba, a decision that was applauded by the British.Italian influence in the Middle East.Anglo-French co-operation in the Middle East.Details of the Saudi Government's finances (i.e. expenditure and revenue) during the early war years.Arrangements for loans and payments from the British to the Saudi Government, as well as details of royalties and loans paid to the Saudi Government by the California Arabian Standard Oil Company (Casoc).Proposals for an irrigation and agricultural mission to Saudi Arabia, headed by a United States agricultural expert.Conversations between Ibn Saud and United States General Patrick Hurley during the latter's visit to Riyadh in May 1943.The Government of India's decision in 1942 not to allow pilgrim ships to sail from India to Saudi Arabia, because of a risk of the ships being attacked.Ibn Saud's requests in 1944 for the British Government to send to Saudi Arabia financial and military advisers, preferably Sunni Moslems [Muslims].The proposed appointment of Ibn Saud's requested financial adviser, which is delayed and eventually abandoned, following the United States' suggestion that the position be given to a United States adviser, because of the United States' 'preponderant interest' in the Saudi economy.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 (folio 2).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 339; 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 262-286; 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.
202. Coll 6/92 'SAUDI ARABIA: Activities of H.St.J. Philby (Haji Abdullah) Qn of with-holding pension.'
- Description:
- Abstract: This file concerns the British Government's response to what are described as 'disloyal and defeatist' comments made by Harry St John Bridger Philby to Allied and neutral officials in Saudi Arabia on the subjects of British policy in the Gulf and the Allied forces' war efforts. (The abbreviation 'Qn' in the title stands for 'Question'.)The file includes extensive discussion about whether Philby's Indian Civil Service pension can and should be withheld on the grounds of 'grave misconduct'.The correspondence also covers the following:Whether, as an alternative measure, the British Government should seek to prevent Philby from travelling to territories where his views would be 'an embarrassment to British interests.'Details of Philby's service as Chief British Representative in Transjordan between 1921 and 1924.Ibn Saud's [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] views on Philby.Arrangements for Philby to be arrested upon his arrival in Karachi, under Section 26 (1) (b) of the Defence of India Rules, before being deported to Britain.The findings of a Home Office Advisory Committee on whether Philby's forcible removal from Karachi to Liverpool in August 1940 was lawful (in the correspondence it is acknowledged that Philby was deported without a formal order having been issued under Section 26 (1) (a) of the Defence of India Rules).Philby's release, following the revocation of the detention order made against him.Details of the possessions seized from Philby upon his arrest.The file's principal correspondents are the following: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Hugh Stonehewer Bird); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Hugh Weightman); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior); Harry St John Bridger Philby; officials of the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, the India Office, the Home Office, and the Government of India's External Affairs Department.In addition to correspondence the file includes a copy of Foreign Office instructions for the impoundment of Philby's passport and a copy of Section 26 of the Defence of India Rules, as published in the Gazette of India, 3 September 1939.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 (folio 2).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 123; 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.
203. Coll 28/7(2) ‘Persia Diaries: Khorasan and Zahidan Commercial. Jan 1941 –’
- Description:
- Abstract: Copies of monthly commercial reports for the Khorasan [Khorāsān] district of Iran, submitted by Britain’s Consul-General for Khorasan at Meshed [Mashhad]. The file is a direct chronological continuation of Coll 28/7 ‘Persia. Diaries: Meshed/Khorasan Commercial: Jany 1931–Dec. 1940 (Inclusive.)’ (IOR/L/PS/12/3401).Papers for each monthly report include:Cover sheets, with lists of recipients of copies of each month’s report.The report, containing lists of the chief items of imports and exports with quantities and prices, average wholesale prices at Zahedan for principal commodities (imports and exports), miscellaneous notes on trade, exchange and freight rates, low and high temperatures.Statements of imports into Iran via Zahedan, exports from Iran via Zahedan, and comparative statements of imports of British origin and from foreign sources into Zahedan.The file also includes:A report entitled Annual Report Economic “A”written by the British Vice-Consulate at Zahedan (Major R P Watts), dated 15 June 1942, containing summaries on finances, foreign trade, agriculture, industry, transport, and state undertakings (ff 451-453).A report entitled E conomic Report “A”written by the Consul-General at Khorasan (H A N Barlow, f 450).The reports provide evidence of the impact upon trade in the region of significant contemporary events, including: the Second World War; the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in August 1941; changes to Iranian economic policy; deteriorating relations between Russia and the United States in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War; events in the Punjab and Pakistan in the wake of Indian Independence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 547; 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.
204. Coll 5/81 ‘Facilities for U.S. Air Transport Corps at Bahrein and Sharjah’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains papers related to the provision of facilities for the United States Air Transport Command at both Bahrain and Sharjah. This includes policy and strategy discussions over how best to maintain British control of the Arabian Coast Air Route; British planners feared that the United States might use facilities, built using American personnel and finance, as a lever for post-war concessions in civil aviation. It therefore includes correspondence related to the leasing of land, and the construction of buildings, by the Royal Air Force (RAF) for the use of the United States.A map showing Bahrain Oil Company (BAPCO) establishments in Bahrain can be found on folio 127, and a table showing the facilities required by the United States can be found on folio 102.The main correspondents are as follows: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Tom Hickinbotham), officials of the Air Ministry, officials of the India Office (Roland Tennyson Peel, Francis Anthony Kitchener Harrison, and Dennis Mackrow Cleary), officers of Air Headquarters in Iraq, and representatives of the External Affairs Department 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 for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 145; 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.