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File 4722/1918 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration of policy and situation' [60v] (129/687)
The record is made up of 1 volume (326 folios). It was created in 23 Oct 1918-2 Nov 1919. It was written in English, French and Arabic. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
The following are summaries of opinions expressed by leading
citizens of Basrah :—
AHMAD CHELEBI ‘ABD AL WAHID.
Mosul with Kirkuk and Aleppo, to which it ought to be joined, forms ones
vast country which to my mind has little in common with Baghdad and Basrah,
although its population is Arab. I therefore think it ought to form a separate
state distinct from ‘Iraq. If it should be under British rule so much the
better, but I must limit myself to Baghdad and Basrah for I do not know
much about Mosul.
Arabs cannot at present govern themselves. That is as evident to me as
it is to you. They must have a Government from outside. The Turkish Gov
ernment has gone and you have replaced ft. You are much richer and more
powerful than they are. You are also more diplomatic and have more
Siyasah (i.e., are more politic). You have brought peace amongst our unruly
tribes which they failed to do, and therefore, whether I personally like you
or not, I must admit you are best suited to govern ‘Iraq.
Therefore, you have a duty to perform by us. You cannot leave us to go
to the dogs, and in order to do that you must have a British Government
throughout. Have a certain number of Arab officials, but keep an eve on
them, because fair play and fair dealing are strange to us. As education
spreads conditions will change, and you will then be able to call upon us to
take a more important part in the administration of our country. British
supervision, however, will have to be a fixture.
It would be leading us to suicide to appoint an Amir even under veiled
“ T s srr§aZ:, h er had a taste ° f the raie of Arab « a,
Khaz al is my brother-in-law, but he is quite unsuitable. If you insist
be m accIpteble. 1Ct SUPer ™ i011 “ ^ Part WiU be ^
SHAIKH SA‘UD AL SABBAH.
Mosul should certainly be included in ‘Iraq. I make no bones about m-tr
opinion as to the form of Government you should set up in this country Y
The British must govern the country themselves: there is no shadow of
doubt m my mind about that. Appoint, if you like
but keep an eye on them. 5 3 5 11111101 Arab “Scials,
The Arabs, ourselves, are hopelessly below the „ • •,
i "and tofcare^bK’ pufli^aUarg^ He^wBl
Z n t that they^ay'be^qiiiteTncompetent! 1 Wative P ° sts Respective of the
.nrutySrbe^ and the
rate L^OOokeakYh^ieZfmay bkopeSaga^ “ 1 ’ 00 ° yearS ’ At
I spring from^a greatTndYoMe^familWand’you kiT re “ ember tIlat
tmder which I am living at Zain) and T Jrmld f / t > W tlle r-'r'-umstances
post of Amir of ‘Iraq. 8 But to have an Amir 88 8 c8ndidate ^ the
would be fatal. an Amir > eltller “yrelf or any other,
every Political OfflcerYtmairMajHs*’comp™ ed of C y ntry let , there be with
chosen by Government, to meet say 0 n oe P monk “1, “t? rC A h f. U . ei ff ht “» d
and discuss matters or offer any si,r ! ‘'’i * 16 P “ htloal Officer
that would be tying a mill-stoneho yTur “S: " 0t have a lar S e Majlia:
belongings within^f houki kmU the^nHemam 1 Cle8r 0llt witb a11 my
wanted either bt faik^rok bykribing thefr officiall^b Tk *“ what we
failed was m allowing people like Saivid Talih }? S ’q ) u A wbere tbe Turks
Khaz al to get the whiphand of them Then was’ 16 S& duns . aild Shaikh
was in his heat, and I tell you before you came I emTlT 11 ! U11 ^ rid & ed - Zain
(freehold property) my own, nor evek wT 1 C0Uld not cal1 ^
forcing rny own fauiL'if kf htlf therfkhil h 80 ), 8 '''? ■l bul Khasit i Nahyah
hardly master in my own estfte the “ sel ™s his tribesmen, so that /am
to Shaikh Khaz'afand define hfslurisdlhfon Md 1 ); GoV , e f nm ™ t here, get on
outside his own territory. ' 1 d keep him from interfering •
About this item
- Content
The volume contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, telegrams and minutes regarding the administration of, and situation in, Mesopotamia [Iraq] following the Asia Minor Agreement of 1916, more commonly known as the Sykes-Picot Agreement, between the French and British governments, and the Anglo-French Declaration of November 1918. The volume also concerns the subject of self-determination in Persia [Iran].
The papers notably cover:
- Discussion of advance interpretations of the 1916 Agreement
- The Anglo-French Declaration of November 1918, which publicised their intentions and policy in the former Ottoman territories of Syria and Iraq
- Presentation of the 1918 Declaration to the President of the United States of America by the French Ambassador to the US, Jean Adrien Antoine Jules Jusserand
- Disagreement between the British and French visions of the future administration of Mesopotamia
- The situation in southern Kurdistan
- The 1919 Paris Peace Conference
- Apprehensions of the Baghdad Jewish community about the tenor of the Anglo-French Declaration, including a petition to the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, requesting to be made subjects of the British Crown
- Reaction to the Declaration from the across the Arab world
- Disagreement among the British over the form that Britain’s control in Mesopotamia should take
- The views of the principal sheikhs [shaikhs] of Mesopotamia on the 1918 Agreement
- Discussion among British officials of the benefits of control over Mesopotamia and the view of the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, Arnold Talbot Wilson, on the situation in Mesopotamia
- Discussion of the potential candidates for the head of the new state of Iraq
- Reports on consultations with political and religious leaders and inhabitants from across Iraq on the future Government of Iraq
- The views of Sir Percy Cox and Arnold Wilson on the situation in Mesopotamia
- The question of the future political status of Mesopotamia, including the views of British officers serving in Syria and the Hejaz
- Discussion of the question of Iraqi self-determination.
Notable documents in this volume include:
- Text by Sir Percy Cox regarding ‘The Future of Mesopotamia’ (ff 308-310 and ff 270-272)
- Extracts from The Times , 26 November 1819, including a series of articles under the title ‘The Arab Campaign’ (ff 230-232)
- The statutes for the independence of Iraq (ff 127-130)
- A memorandum by Major W H Young regarding the future of Mesopotamia (ff 99-112)
- Copies of ‘Self-determination in Iraq’ in Arabic (ff 75-97) and English (ff 57-73).
The principal correspondents are: the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , Political Department; the Governor-General of India; the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad; the Military Governor and Political Officer, Baghdad; Government of India, Military Department, the French Ambassador to the United States; and the British Embassy, Paris.
The volume includes a divider, which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (326 folios)
- Arrangement
The contents of the volume are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.
The subject 4722 (Mesopotamia) consists of ten volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/755-764. The volumes are divided into twelve parts, with parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12 comprising one volume each. Part 10 is missing. Part 7, entitled ‘Mesopotamia: Sir A. Wilson’s invitation to Syrian Baghdadis’, was transferred to File 5268/20 Parts 1 and 2 (see IOR/L/PS/10/913).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 334; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Multiple intermittent additional mixed foliation/pagination sequences are also present. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. The sequence contains two anomalies: f 181a and f 181b.
- Written in
- English, French and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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File 4722/1918 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration of policy and situation' [60v] (129/687), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/755, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100188328445.0x00000b> [accessed 19 June 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/755
- Title
- File 4722/1918 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration of policy and situation'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1r:127v, 128ar, 128r:175v, 176ar, 176r:181v, 181ar:181av, 181cr, 181br:181bv, 182r:182v, 186r:229v, 232v:325v, 327r:334v, ii-r:ii-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence