‘File 2/32 ACQUISITION OF PERMANENT AIR FACILITIES’

Content

The file contains correspondence in the form of letters, telegrams and reports related to the negotiation of either the acquisition or lease of a base at Masirah Island. The British Government acquired a base either by the purchase or exchange of Masirah Island for Kuria Muria or the lease of whole or part of the island. The main concern raised by British Officials was on how to approach the Sultan of Muscat and Oman on the issue. They argued that the Sultan will be unlikely to agree to sell or exchange Masirah Island, for the fact that one day the island might prove to contain mineral and/or oil deposits of commercial value.

The file contains correspondence related to the availability of drinking water for the Royal Air Force and native labourers on the island, and the future of the administration of the island after an agreement takes place.

The file also contains correspondence, folios (144-160) related to the incident of a group of Royal Air Force men shooting eleven civilian-owned goats at Masirah Island. The Sultan raised the issue with 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. at Muscat and he suggested that the Royal Air Force men should be kept within their airbase boundaries in order to prevent such incidents.

The main correspondents in the file are: the Government of India, Foreign and Political Department; 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. , London; the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , Muscat; the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. 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. , Bahrain; and the Government of Muscat and Oman.

A large part of the file, folios 2-117, is dated 1944.

Extent and format

1 file (167 folios)

Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Folios 161-168 are file notes.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 169; 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.

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/15/6/110

Former external reference(s)

Subject Files: File 2/32

History of this record

Date(s)

17 Feb 1944-12 Aug 1948 (CE, Gregorian)

Subjects

Air forceAirfieldsOil extraction

Places

Masirah

People & organisations

Sultan of Muscat and Oman, Āl Bū Sa'īd DynastyRoyal Air Force

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‘File 2/32 ACQUISITION OF PERMANENT AIR FACILITIES’, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/6/110, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000000831.0x000316> [accessed 18 April 2024]

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