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13. ‘File 15/44 Defence Savings Provident Fund’
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains mainly Government of India circular letters, memoranda and notices from the Finance Department and the Office of the Accountant-General, Central Revenues, New Delhi about the Defence Savings Provident Fund. The circulars contain instructions and guidance about Fund rules and procedures as follows:Creation and constitution of the Fund, 1940;Arrangements for Government of India employees wishing to subscribe to the Fund, 1940;The Defence Savings Provident Fund Rules, 1940 as published in the Government of India Finance Department Notification dated 10 August 1940;Fund rule amendments, 1941-1944;Eligibility of a government servant who is re-employed after retirement, to continue to subscribe to the Fund, 1944-1945;Following the end of the Second World War (1939-1945), provision of a temporary period during which no subscriptions would be payable and Fund subscribers would have the option to convert their Fund deposits into National Savings Certificates, 1946.The file also contains:Applications from several clerks employed at the Bahrain Agency, for admission to the Defence Savings Provident Fund, 1943 and 1945;Correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Office of the Accountant-General, Central Revenues, New Delhi about the individual accounts of Fund subscribers employed at the Bahrain Agency, with regard to reductions, increases, non-payment and recovery of arrears of subscriptions, cancellation of subscriptions and withdrawals of Fund deposits on retirement, resignation or transfer to another post, 1946-1948.Physical description: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, and can be found in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Black, blue and red circled index numbers, which are written in a combination of ink and crayon can also be found throughout the file. Foliation errors: 1 and 1A. Foliation omissions: 8, 10, 50, 71, 77, 80 and 82.Condition: a correction slip (folio 9A) is partly stuck down and obscures text on folio 9.
14. 'File 38/3 I, P. C. L. Qatar Concession'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume contains correspondence relating to the work of Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited, a subsidiary of Petroleum Concessions Limited, in Qatar. The correspondence is principally between the Political Agent in Bahrain, the Political Residency in Bushire [Persian Gulf Political Residency], representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited (at their offices in Bahrain and the United Kingdom) and Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited (in the field in Qatar), the Foreign Office, the India Office, the Government of India, the ruler of Qatar, Abdulla bin Qasim al Thani [‘Abdullāh bin Qāsim Āl Thānī], and the ruler of Bahrain, Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah.The papers contained in the volume cover the following matters:the employment of foreign workers within the oil industry in Qatar, particularly that of Americans, Portuguese Goans, and Bahrainis;the expansion of drilling operations during the early stages of the Second World War;plans for a sea terminal on the Qatari coast, and a pipeline to any such port;the striking of oil at a new second well in March 1941;the form and method of payment of the concession royalties to the Shaikh of Qatar by the oil company;measures taken by the Oil Control Board to ensure continuing supplies of oil during the Second World War;the reopening of the Qatar oil fields following a short closure due to war;rates of pay and provision of meals for oil workers.Also within the volume is a report by the Acting Political Resident, William Rupert Hay, on his visit to Qatar on 13 November 1941 (folios 64-66) and a petition to the ruler of Bahrain (folios 148-52) signed by thirty-six Bahraini pearl merchants and boat captains; it complains that higher wages in the Qatar oil industry are attracting essential divers away from the pearling boats (folios 148-52).At the back of the file (folios 224-37) are internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; 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 5-223; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
15. 'File 38/4 Petroleum Concessions Limited Sharjah Concession'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the oil concession in the Sharjah territories. The correspondence is between: the Political Agent at Bahrain; representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited and Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Limited, in London, Bahrain, and the Trucial Coast [United Arab Emirates]; the Residency Agent at Sharjah; the Political Residency at Bushire (later Bahrain) [Persian Gulf Political Residency]; the India Office; Sultan bin Saqr [Sulṭān bin Saqr Āl Qāsimī], the Ruler of Sharjah; and the Government of India.The majority of the file covers an amendment to the 1937 concession agreement between the oil company, Petroleum Concessions Ltd, and Shaikh Sultan that was made in February 1946. This amendment was made in order to extend the permitted drilling period following the Second World War, during which no drilling was carried out. Permission to open negotiations over the matter was sought from the British Government by the company. There is a copy of the agreed amendment on folio 72.Other matters covered by the file include:the desire of Shaikh Sultan to open a bank branch in Sharjah in order to receive royalty payments;confirmation of the initial 1937 concession agreement;the presentation by Petroleum Concessions Limited of a gift of motor vehicles to Shaikh Sultan;payment of the annual concession payment by the company to Shaikh Sultan;the arrival of a geological party in the Trucial Coast in early 1946;the correct channels of communication with the British Government to be used by the company.Folios 19-28 is Memo B 467 of the India Office and includes a copy of the commercial agreement between the company and Shaikh Sultan, a copy of the 'political agreement' between the company and the British Government, and copies of correspondence relating to both.Folios 76-80 are internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover, and terminates at the inside back cover; 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 2-75; these numbers are also written in pencil, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence, but they are not circled.
16. 'File 38/5 P. C. L. Dubai Concession'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to Petroleum Concessions Limited's operations in the territories of Dubai. The correspondence is between the Political Resident at Bushire (later Bahrain) [Persian Gulf Political Residency], the Political Agent at Bahrain, the Political Officer at Sharjah, and E V Packer, Manager of Petroleum Concessions Limited at Bahrain.The papers within the file cover the matter of the suspension of operations in the region during the Second World War and the initiation of drilling in Dubai in 1950.Folio 8 contains internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An addition foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-7; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
17. 'File 38/15 Oil concessions in Arabia and the Gulf (Muscat)'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the oil concession in Muscat, Oman, and Dhofar. The principal correspondents are: the Political Resident at Bushire (later Bahrain) [Persian Gulf Political Residency]; the Political Agent at Bahrain; the Political Agent at Kuwait; the Political Agent at Muscat; the India Office; the Foreign Office, Sultan Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr Āl Sa‘īd], the ruler of Muscat and Oman; and representatives of Petroleum Concessions Limited and its subsidiary, Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Limited.Matters covered by the file include: the ambition of Petroleum Development Concessions for the concession over Rub al-Khali, the desert region that spans the territories of Oman and Saudi Arabia;Standard Oil's interest in the Muscat concession;Lermitte's visit to Muscat in the summer of 1937 to discuss the agreement with the Sultan;the suspension of oil operations during the Second World War;the company's attempts to extend the period within which they have the option to drill by 2-5 years;company plans to begin exploration in Oman during the winter of 1947/48;and Richard Bird's dealings with the Al Bu Shamis tribe in Buraimi in March 1948.Folios 3-7 is a memorandum produced by the Petroleum Department (of the British Government) giving an overview of the current situation regarding oil concessions in Arabia and the Persian Gulf.Folios 9-19 is the record of a meeting between representatives from the Colonial Office, Foreign Office, India Office, Admiralty, Petroleum Department, and Indian Political Service, held at the Colonial Office on 3 May 1933. The meeting covers similar topics to that of the memorandum above.Folios 107-111 are internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; 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 2-91; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
18. ‘M.T. Routes in Persia. Volume 1 – Main Routes. 1942’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume details motor transport (‘M.T.’) routes in Persia [Iran]. The volume, which is numbered I, covers the main routes in Persia, and was produced by the General Staff, India. It was printed by M Abdul Hameed Khan, Manager of the Feroz Printing Works, Lahore, in 1942. An introduction (folio 3) states that the volume has been updated on the basis of reports received in the wake of the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Persia in August 1941.The volume comprises details of sixty-five routes, listed on the contents page, between various towns and cities in Persia. Details given for each route include:an overview (distance, number of stages, references to maps);a general report (classification of route, surface and grading, character of adjacent country, climatic effects, exceptional features, repair and supply facilities, water, fuel, fodder and grazing supplies);a detailed report (villages and other landmarks encountered, road classifications, distances).A handwritten annotation on folio 5 (author unknown) states that ‘distances are somewhat overestimated throughout this report.’ The volume includes a map in a pocket attached to the inside back cover (folio 246).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 247; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: the file also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
19. 'Ext 3265/42 Egypt: position of Allied armed forces, question of removal or repatriation after the war'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence from the Government of India, External Department, the Foreign Office, the Comite National Francais in London, the Ministère des Affaires étrangères de Belgique, the British Embassy in Belgium, the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands Foreign Office, the Polish Embassy in London, the British Embassy in Yugoslavia, and the Ministère des Affaires étrangères du Royaume de Yougoslavie, to secure facilities for the entry into and departure from Egypt of members of the Allied forces. There is correspondence, in English and French, requesting extension of the agreements to French, Belgian, Norwegian, Czechoslovak, Polish and Yugoslav forces.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 28; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
20. 'Ext 5697/42 General Hurley, USA Minister to New Zealand: tour of Middle East, Russia, etc'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file contains correspondence and telegrams from the Government of India, External Department, the Foreign Office, the Secretary of State for India, the British Minister of State in Cairo, and the British Embassy in Washington, regarding a tour conducted by General Hurley (USA Minister to New Zealand) in support of the development of a war strategy for the Pacific. Hurley visited London and subsequently toured Egypt, Syria, Persia, Iraq, and Russia, before travelling to Australia and New Zealand.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 14; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
21. 'CONFIDENTIAL 86/28 - I Vol. D. 173 KUWAIT SULPHUR'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent at Kuwait (Arnold C Galloway, Tom Hickinbotham, Cornelius J Pelly, Gordon N Jackson), the India Office (John Percival Gibson, Roland Tennyson Peel), the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) and the Gulf Oil Company (Ralph O Rhoades, William Smellie, A E Angus) regarding negotiation for a sulphur concession in Kuwait. The concession was granted to the newly formed Eastern Gulf Oil Company in June 1942. A copy of the concession agreement in Arabic and English can be found at folios 118-138 and the political agreement at folios 149-150.Later correspondence discusses the commencement of exploration work in 1944 and the decision taken by the Company in 1945 to discontinue their search as exploration had been unsuccessful.Also discussed within the volume is the value and importance of sulphur both for wartime military requirements and for general trade, along with the need to establish new supplies to meet wartime needs.A request for geological data about the sulphur found in Kuwait made by the External Affairs Department of the Government of India is also included.The volumes also contains correspondence with Major M J Smith of the Middle East Supply Centre in which wartime supplies such as sulphur and sugar are discussed along with the Centre’s desire to understand how trade operated in the Persian Gulf and how decisions such as the imposition of export licences on Iraq and Persia might affect the region.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 202-218. The last folio of the file notes contains a query dated six months after the correspondence in the volume ends, and discusses the question of payments made to the Shaikh of Kuwait under the sulphur concession agreement.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 221; 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.
22. 'CONFIDENTIAL 86/30 - II VOL. C.91. WIRELESS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN BAHRAIN AND SAUDI ARABIA'
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume comprises correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield, Tom Hickinbotham, Cornelius James Pelly, Arnold Crawshaw Galloway), the India office (Roland Tennyson Peel, Francis Anthony Kitchener Harrison), the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) (Ward P Anderson, Hamilton R Ballantyne), and the California Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC), later the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO) (Floyd Ohliger, Charles E Davis) regarding permission for direct radio-telephony communication between Bahrain and Dhahran [Aẓ-Ẓahrān] which could be used to oversee launches and barges moving oil between the two places.The correspondence includes discussions on the frequencies at which this service could operate, the wartime restrictions that were imposed on conversations, and the need for local authorities in Bahrain to be able to use the service for emergency communications to Dhahran. Later adjustments to the service included the right for the Resident Manager of CASOC at Dhahran to be able to send emergency messages too, the extension of conversations to include matters relating to the new pipeline being constructed, and the introduction of new modern equipment to improve the reliability of the service.The volume concludes with a request by BAPCO to extend the remit of their direct communication service to cover all business matters and an agreement reached with Cable and Wireless Limited to permit them to do so. Also included are copies of the orders issued by both companies regulating the use of the radio-telephone service between Awali [ʻAwālī] and Dhahran.Also included in the volume are copies of the notifications issued by the Political Agent at Bahrain to the India Office each time a request for an emergency transmission is made through the Bahrain to Dhahran radio-telephony service. These emergency transmissions related primarily to forced landings of RAF planes, searches for missing planes, and medical results for employees of CASOC at Dhahran suspected of having Typhoid or other contagious illnesses.Other matters discussed include:discussion regarding Cable and Wireless rights in relation to Bahrain, which were determined not to be exclusive rights, and a request by Sir Edward Wilshaw, Chairman of Cable and Wireless to negotiate concessions with the rulers of Bahrain and Kuwait, which was postponed until the conclusion of the war;negotiations between BAPCO, CASOC and Cable and Wireless regarding payment of a nominal annual fee to Cable and Wireless in acknowledgement of their permission for the oil companies to operate their direct communication service;a letter intercepted in wartime censorship which alluded to the continuation by CASOC of the practice of sending sea-going vessels out beyond territorial waters to transmit messages directly to the USA and considered what might be done to prevent such a practice from continuing;the possibility of direct communication with CASOC in Dhahran being established and operated by the Air Liaison Officer in Bahrain to reduce the amount of emergency requests having to be sent through BAPCO;list of rates charged by the Indo-European Telegraph Department, Persian Gulf Section for cables sent to various towns and cities in the United States of America.A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 197-209.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 213; 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 5-194; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
23. ‘Original list of bound confidential files in the confidential office’
- Description:
- Abstract: The volume is an index of the confidential files created by staff in the confidential office of the Persian Gulf Residency. The main lists in the file include columns for the serial number (the confidential subject letter and an incremental number), the file/volume number (derived from the A and B series), the file title, and the date range associated with the file.A typewritten note at the front of the file (folio 2) states that files marked with a red cross were destroyed in September 1939 (the eve of World War Two) on the Political Resident’s orders. The note also states that files marked with a blue pencil ‘B’ have been retained at Bushire (the date of the note, 1 June 1947, coincides with the Residency’s relocation from Bushire to Bahrain. A handwritten addition, dated 18 February 1953, states that files marked ‘FO’ were scheduled for transfer to the Foreign Office.The file lists are typewritten, but include numerous subsequent annotations marked in black, red and blue pencil, and black/blue ink. There are handwritten additions to many of the lists, indicating new files opened after the creation of the index. Other annotations indicate changes in the status of files, including: destruction in 1927, 1939, 1946 and 1953, weeding, intention to transfer certain files to the Foreign Office in 1953, and amendments to file dates.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence is circled in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. It begins on the front cover, on number 1, and ends on the inside of the back cover, on number 98.
24. 'File 1/A/43 II Defence Measures in the Persian Gulf.'
- Description:
- Abstract: The file concerns the implementation of defence measures during the Second World War (1939-45) in the area governed by the Political Residency in Persian Gulf generally, and more specifically in Bahrain.The main correspondents are the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Government of India; and the Foreign Office.The papers cover: correspondence from the Political Resident noting the poor security and deteriorating quality of wireless communication at Bahrain (folios 3-5, 54-56); the publication and distribution at Bahrain of Board of Trade 'Trading with the Enemy' regulations and orders (folios 6-21); copy of Emergency Powers (Defence) general regulations, 1939 (folios 23-38); papers concerning the pre-emption (commandeering) of stocks of Hasa oil at Bahrain (folios 44-45, 53, 57-60); copy of Persian Gulf States defence regulations, 1939 (folios 61-63); correspondence between the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Ruler of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al Khalifah [Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah] concerning the issue by the Government of Bahrain of a public notice ( alan) against Italy, including a copies of the notice in English and Arabic (folios 72-77); correspondence concerning modifications of the Persian Gulf defence regulations in the light of experience gained from their operation (folios 82-92); and copies of Board of Trade 'Trading with the Enemy' regulations, 1939, 1945 (folios 93-126).The Arabic language content of the papers consists of four folios.The date range gives the main covering dates of the papers; however there is one document (a copy of Board of Trade 'Trading with the Enemy' regulations), dated 1945 (folios 113-126).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 141; 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 2-91; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.