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File 4722/1918 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration of policy and situation' [60r] (128/687)
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.
m
«
No. 1.
BASRAH.
Telegram—Ordinary.
From Political, Basrah.
To Civil Commissioner, Baghdad.
No. 536.
Bated 21-12-18.
Mel T a ^ Um 2 ™°> of November 30th, calls for the views of the
people of my division on the subject of the future government of Traq
Basrah is a town of complex character in the Political sphere, composed as it
m of Shi ahs, Sunnis, Jews, Christians of all sects, men of every local interest
and limited outlook and men m trade relationship with India and Europe and
| )n + its borders we have a highly respectable landlord class,
men of gentility but little education, an ignorant but settled peasantry and
men oi the desert The Jews and Christians, the refugee population which
has been added to that of normal times being still in considerable force, must
be m numbers about two-fifths of the total inhabitants of the town. They are
unanimously m favour of the administration of ‘Iraq by a strong government,
borne who have been influenced by French education would ask for French
mle, but the majority wish for the privilege of British citizenship. They
would have a British protectorate—a fair measure of home rule under the
firm guidance of the British Government. They would view with alarm the
creation of an autonomous Arab Government. They wnnt no Amir.
rr , Ti i e A r f b s are of mixed mind. Generally, the idea of the return of the
lurks banished, I believe the majority hope for an independent Traq, regard
as out of the question and almost ludicrous the selection of an Amir from the
family of the Sharif, regard the idea of an Amir not with disfavour but as an
impossibility, there being no family and no man in Traq suitable and selection
from without being distasteful. The general idea of the Traq State is
inclusive of Mosul, and some suggest an Amir over each vilayet as a scheme
more possible of execution than that of a single Amir. The' Muhammadans of
note recognise the need for political training and for wise guidance and
strong control during the period of training and they feel that the British
Government is the power which can and should meet these requirements.
There are some Muhammadans who would have an out-and-out British Ad
ministration here, and there are men who detest the idea of a <c Kafir ”
government. The first are perhaps wanting in that sense of nationality which
is destined to spread under just rule, while the latter are fanatics, fanatics in
religious sentiment or in the fear of just government which will put an end
to the robbery and corruption which suited the genius of particular persons.
There can be no question that the great body of Moslems of good counsel who
have the interests of the country at heart advocate the formation of an Traq
State under the protection and control of Britain which will lead her to
political maturity and to eventual independence, within or without the British
Empire, as the changes of the future may show r to be expedient. They desire
to see the continuance of the present civil British administration modified to
suit peace conditions, natives of Traq being employed to the fullest extent
compatible with good government.
Taking the average sense of the mixed feelings of the various sects and
races in Basrah we have a demand for the continuance of British administra
tion liberal to native sentiment, under a British High Commissioner and
without a native Amir, the Traq State inclusive of the Mosul vilayet. Only
in this way can the conflicting religious and racial interests be brought to
work for the common good.
Political.
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' [60r] (128/687), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/755, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100188328447.0x000003> [accessed 23 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