‘File 86/2 XII (C 54) Bahrain Oil’

Content

The volume contains letters, telegrams and memoranda relating to oil production in Bahrain, being undertaken by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (hereafter BAPCO). The volume is a direct continuation of ‘File 86/2 XI (C 53) Bahrain Oil’ (IOR/R/15/1/659). The principal correspondents in the volume are the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle, the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. in Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch, BAPCO’s London representative, Hamilton Ballantyne, and various British Government officials, chiefly Gilbert Laithwaite of 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. .

The subjects covered by the volume are:

• Ongoing negotiations between the British Government and BAPCO over the terms of BAPCO’s mining lease for Bahrain, with particular emphasis in this volume on: amendments to wording related to the termination of the lease; discussion over the definition of the term “uncultivated land” with regard to BAPCO’s selection of land for the mining lease, with particular reference to land owned by the ruling family, and uncultivated land in the urban areas of Manama and Muharraq (folios 103-04, 114-15);
• The preparation of an Arabic translation of the mining lease (folios 83-98), initially prepared by the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Bahrain, reviewed by the Assistant Librarian of 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. in London (folios 147-49), with subsequent changes to the wording proposed (folios 211-15);
• Arrangement for power of attorney for the mining lease, with a copy of the power of attorney (folios 151-56);
• Protest by British officials in Bahrain, and by Shaikh Ḥamad bin ‘Īsá Āl Khalīfah, Ruler of Bahrain (folio 109), over the unauthorised landing of a French aeroplane at Bahrain, carrying the French Chargé D’Affaires from Baghdad, with a copy of the visa rules for Bahrain (folio 112) and an Iraq Government air clearance certificate (folio 113);
• Production of oil in Bahrain, including difficulties encountered by BAPCO in marketing their Bahrain oil, leading to speculation that the Iraq Petroleum Company may become involved in Bahrain production, possibly at BAPCO’s cost (folios 69-72, 143), and reports of the despatch to Bahrain of the Standard Oil tanker Rheem in December 1934, to collect 100,000 barrels (15,000 tons) of oil from Bahrain (folios 194, 204-07).

Extent and format

1 volume (232 folios)

Arrangement

The volume’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The office notes at the end of the volume (ff 121-25) mirror the chronological arrangement. Many items of correspondence in the volume have pencil annotations, which refer to related items of correspondence found within other Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. files. These annotations include the related confidential file number and file’s page number.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The volume is foliated from the title page to the last folio, using pencil numbers written in the top-right corner of each recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. . Index numbers written in red and blue pencil are part of the volume’s original filing system, and correspond to the office notes index at the end of the volume (ff 221-25). The following foliation anomalies occur: 1, 1A, 1B and 1C; 113 and 113A; 136 and 136A; 187 and 187A.

Written in

English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script

Type

Archival file

Access & Reference

Original held at

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.

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

IOR/R/15/1/660

Former external reference(s)

A Series: 86/2 XII Confidential Series: C 54

History of this record

Date(s)

2 Jan 1934-21 Dec 1934 (CE, Gregorian)

Subjects

Petroleum productsConcessions, Oil, Bahrain

Places

BahrainSitrah

People & organisations

Bahrain Petroleum CompanyDistrict Magistrate, Bahrain

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‘File 86/2 XII (C 54) Bahrain Oil’, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/660, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x00027a> [accessed 23 April 2024]

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