Abstract: This file contains correspondence regarding proposed and actual trips abroad that were made by the Ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah.This includes details of plans that were made for trips to Egypt, India, Iraq and England that do not appear to have ultimately materialised, and visits that Shaikh Ahmad made to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, in 1939 and 1949 respectively. The political context of these trips as well as the practicalities and travel arrangements involved are discussed.The majority of the correspondence is between British officials, but the file also contains some correspondence between Shaikh Ahmad and the Political Agency in Kuwait that is in Arabic (accompanied by English translations).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 173; 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 1-172; 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 A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.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 contains correspondence relating to the visit to Kuwait by Shaikh Hamad bin 'Isa al Khalifah [Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah] between 10 and 13 December. The correspondence is between the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf (sometimes aboard HMS
Shoreham), the Political Agent, Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch), Shaikh Hamad himself, and his son, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad al Khalifah [Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah]. The papers concern the Shaikh's passage to Kuwait and back, and his reception upon arrival back in Bahrain.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 18; 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 2-10; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence regarding official and unofficial trips abroad that were made by the Ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah.The correspondence relates to trips Shaikh Ahmad made to Iraq in 1929, 1932 (a detailed account of which is contained on folios 44-47), 1935 and 1937. It also contains details of an official visit he made to England in 1935, as well as a visit to Syria and Palestine in the same year.The majority of the correspondence is between British officials but the file also contains some correspondence between Shaikh Ahmad and the Political Agency in Kuwait that is in Arabic (accompanied by English translations). A limited amount of correspondence with officials of the Government of Iraq is also contained.In addition to correspondence, the file contains the following:Minutes of a meeting held at the India Office regarding smuggling between Iraq and Kuwait and other issues related to Kuwait on 15 July 1935 that was attended by Shaikh Ahmad and officials from both the India Office and Foreign Office (folios 144-152).Translation of an extract from the Syrian newspaper
al-Jezireh[al-Jazirah] published 11 August 1935, which contains an interview with Shaikh Ahmad that took place during his visit to Damascus.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 230; 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. Additional foliation sequences are present in parallel between ff 2-229; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence relating to the visit to the United Kingdom by Shaikh Hamad bin 'Isa al Khalifah [Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah], ruler of Bahrain. The majority of the correspondence is between the Political Agency in Bahrain, the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf at Bushire, the India Office in London, and the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain (Charles Dalrymple Belgrave).The file contains the following:correspondence with the Consul in Basra, Ambassador in Baghdad, and Embassy in Angora [Ankara] regarding arrangements for the Shaikh's passage from Bahrain to London via Basra, Baghdad, Turkey, Paris, and Folkestone, including discussion over appropriate ceremony and permissions for weapons to be carried;correspondence with the India Office, Government Hospitality Fund, and the Foreign Office regarding arrangements and payment for the Shaikh while in Britain, including the programme for his time there (folios 193-96);correspondence with Belgrave and the Council of Regency (Shaikh Abdullah bin Isa Al Khalifah [Shaikh ‘Abdullah bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah] and Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifah [Salmān bin Ḥamad Āl Khalīfah]) regarding the running of the state in the absence of Shaikh Hamad;public notices issued by the Government of Bahrain concerning the trip;coverage of the trip in the regional and international press (folios 78-83, 85, 223-24, and 236);reports on various stages of the trip, including that of W Hendry, Acting Consul in Basra (folios 87-93), and Archibald Clark Kerr, Ambassador in Baghdad (folio 102);correspondence concerning arrangements for the Shaikh's return and arrival in Bahrain;telegrams from the Shaikh himself throughout his trip with brief updates;exchange of letters and telegrams of good wishes, thanks, and appreciation between numerous offices in England, Iraq, Bahrain, and India, including a copy of a letter from the Shaikh to King Edward VIII (folio 189);a copy of 'The Zodiac', Staff Journal of Cable and Wireless, Vol. XXIX, No. 338, September 1936.Folios 237-48 are internal office notes.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 249; 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 4-235; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: Correspondence concerning a visit made by Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] to Kuwait, for discussions with the Ruler of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) in January 1936. Papers cover:Initial rumours, surfacing in early January 1936, of Ibn Saud’s intention to visit Kuwait, and British officials’ attempts to ascertain concrete facts of any such visit, and whether it was to be of a political or personal nature.A report of the visit, prepared by the Political Agent at Kuwait (Captain Gerard Simpson DeGaury), dated 7 February 1936 (ff 41-43).Two telegrams at the end of the file (ff 57-58) relate to a visit by Ibn Saud (referred to as the Amir Saud) to Kuwait in 1940.The file’s principal correspondents are: the Political Agent at Kuwait (Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Richard Patrick Dickson; DeGaury); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch).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 61; 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 3-60; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file is in two sections. The first section contains correspondence and the minutes of a public meeting regarding desecration of British graves at Bushire by some Persians, covering attempts to secure agreement with Persian authorities to respect the sanctity of such things and permission to make repairs to those damaged.The second section pertains to the visit of the Prince-Governor of Farsistan, Sultan Murad Mirza, to Bushire. It covers preparations for the event and a trip taken by the Prince-Governor to Karrack [Kharg] Island aboard the
Semiramis, accompanied by Felix Jones. It also covers the positive results for Anglo-Persian relations that the visit engendered.The correspondents include: Felix Jones, Political Resident at Bushire; Charles Murray (later Henry Rawlinson), British Envoy and Minister at Tehran; Henry Lacon Anderson, Secretary to Government at Bombay; William Doria, British Chargé d'Affaires at Tehran; Prince Sultan Murad Mirza, Prince-Governor of Farsistan; William Balfour, Commander of the Persian Gulf Squadron; Herbert Frederick Disbrowe, Assistant Resident at Bushire.Physical description: Foliation: the numbering 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 inside of the back cover, on number 58. There are the following irregularities: f 12 is followed by f 12A; f 15 is followed by f 15A; f 21 is followed by f 21A; f 22 is followed by f 22A; f 27 is followed by f 27A; f 28 is followed by f 28A.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence between British officials, primarily at the Political Residency and the Political Agency in Kuwait, concerning relations between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.The correspondence in the file focuses on a visit made to Kuwait by the King of Saudi Arabia, 'Abd al'-Aziz bin 'Abd al-Rahman bin Faysal Al Sa'ud (referred to as Ibn Saud in the file), in 1935 and a reciprocal visit to Saudi Arabia made by the Ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, in 1939. A detailed account of Ibn Saud's visit to Kuwait is contained between folios 35 and 42.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 83; 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 relating to visits by the Sultan of Muscat, Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd], to regions of Oman and foreign countries. The correspondence covers travel arrangements, reports of the visits by British officials, and the question of the Sultan's conduct in bypassing the British Government when communicating with foreign powers.The papers cover the following visits:The Batinah Coasts in 1933Dhofar in 1933, 1938, and 1946A world tour including India, Japan, the United States of America, and Europe in 1937-38Further trips to India in 1941 and 1942Egypt, Sudan, Palestine, and Syria in 1944.Also included in the file are the following:clippings from the
Daily Telegraph(dated 22 November 1937) and the
Daily Express(dated 24 November 1937) with photographs of the Sultan in India (folios 170 and 171)a copy of a secret telegram from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf to the Government of India that discusses the idea of purchasing Masarah [Masīrah] Island for the use of the Royal Air Force (folio 43)a transcript of an interview with the Sultan published in
Al Musawwarof Cairo, in which he gives his opinions on the idea of an Arab Federation (folio 25).Correspondents include the Political Agent in Muscat, Political Residency in the Persian Gulf, Government of India, Colonial Office, Foreign Office, Air Ministry, British Embassies in Washington, Paris, Cairo, Tokyo, and Berlin, and Sultan Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd] of Muscat.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 287; 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: Correspondence concerning conversations held or thought likely to be held between British officials and the Sultan of Muscat, Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd] during his visits to India and the United Kingdom in 1937-38. The papers include notes on discussions between the Sultan and the Viceroy of India on 16 November 1937 (folios 67-73), between the Sultan and Sir Aubrey Metcalfe, Secretary of the External Affairs Department, Government of India, on 17 November 1937 (folios 60-66), and between the Sultan and Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, on 6 July 1938 (folios 12-13). These notes were used in preparation for possible subjects of future discussions and responses were prepared, point by point (see folios 37-41 and 49-58). Questions raised include that of the Muscat Arms Subsidy, the Sultan’s intention to visit Italy, the need for a British officer to accompany the Sultan during his visit to the United Kingdom, whether the Sultan will push for closer ties with the Foreign Office, and correct terms of address for the Sultan.Additional correspondence between the Foreign Office and the British Legation in Jedda concerning the Sultan’s direct relations with Saudi Arabia is also included (folios 3-9).Physical description: 1 file (72 folios)
Abstract: Correspondence between officials at the India Office, the Government of India (External Affairs Department), the Government Hospitality Fund, the High Commissioner for India, Lord Linlithgow, Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd], the Sultan of Muscat and Oman, and Gordon Dalyell of the Binns (previously known as Gordon Loch). The correspondence concerns the need for a British Officer to accompany the Sultan of Muscat during his visit to the United Kingdom in March-April 1938 and the deputation of Dalyell for the task. Practical arrangements such as accommodation and pay are dealt with.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 38; 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: Correspondence and minutes concerning the arrangements for the visit of Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd], the Sultan of Muscat, to the United Kingdom in March-April 1938. The principal correspondents include officials at the Political Residency in the Persian Gulf, the Government of India (External Affairs Department), the India Office, the Foreign Office, Buckingham Palace, and the Sultan himself. Practical arrangements for the visit are discussed (party size, itinerary, table plans, guest lists, menus, toast lists, an audience with the King, etc.) as well as the question of whether to receive the Sultan as an official guest of the state. Also contained within the file:Information on previous visits by foreign dignitaries used as reference for the current visitCorrespondence with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) regarding an interview with the Sultan for their BBC Arabic ProgrammeCorrespondence with Rudolph Said-Ruete, a third cousin of the Sultan’s who wishes to be involved in the visitNewspaper cuttings relating to the visitCorrespondence with the Metropolitan Police concerning arrangements for an officer to escort the Sultan when he returns from France in a private capacityMessages of thanks following the success of the visitPhysical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 321; 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 that discusses changes to the East Indies Station Order Book that concern visits by the Sultan of Muscat to British ships. The changes relate to the differentiation between official and informal visits and the protocol to be used for both. The correspondents include Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Vincent Biscoe, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Government of India (Foreign and Political Department), the India Office (Political Department), and the Office of the Naval Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at inside back cover with 11; 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 present between ff 2-10 and is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.