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'File 19/191 III (C 56) Bahrain, Persian Claim To' [‎144r] (306/396)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (184 folios). It was created in 26 Jan 1932-24 Jan 1935. It was written in English and French. 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. .

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' ' , ^' P a . ■ — . •
u f •
THIS POCOMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT
PERSIA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[E 5669/139/34]
I A #4
t H
? »g9-iD€ NCY. J
iiE00Hi>S.
No. 1.
September 10, 1934.
S ection 6.
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. to Foreign Office. — 10.)
(Confidential.) , f
Sir, September 8, 1934.
I AM directed by the Secretary of State for India to acknowledge the receipt
of your letter of the 30th August relative to the possibility of the Persian Govern
ment raising the question of Persia's claim to Bahrein, Tamb and Abu Musa
during the forthcoming sessions of the Council or the Assembly of the League
of Nations.
2. If the Persian delegate should assert these claims in the course of this
year's general discussion before the Assembly, Secretary Sir Samuel Hoare
agrees that it would be sufficient for the United Kingdom delegation to make a
short counter-statement. Such counter-statement should, in his opinion, be quite
brief and summary, in order to avoid giving the Assembly any impression that
His Majesty's Government regard Persia's claims as deserving of serious con
sideration. So far as the Bahrein is concerned a reference to the published
correspondence would probably be sufficient. If the Persian claims to Tamb and
Abu Musa should also have been referred to, he suggests that it would suffice to
state that while the history of these barren islands prior to 1750 is obscure, since
that date authority over them, and such effective occupation as has existed, has
had its origin in the Jowasimi Arabs of the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. of Arabia, that their
representative, the Sheikh of Ras-el-Khaimah and the Sheikh of Shargah on that
coast, who respectively exercise authority over these islands, are independent
rulers in special treaty relations with His Majesty's Government, and that the
Persian claim, which appears to have first been put forward so recently as 1887,
has been repudiated by His Majesty's Government acting on their behalf.
3. If, however, Persia should seek to raise, her claims before the Council
under either article 11 or article 15 of the Covenant, Sir Samuel Hoare has con
siderable hesitation in accepting without qualification Sir John Simon's view
that there is no argument which could be advanced as a valid objection to the
Council's dealing with the merits of the case under either of these articles. He
would have doubted whether either article is strictly relevant. Persia's claim
to Bahrein, for example, is in effect a refusal to recognise the status of Bahrein
as an independent State in special treaty relations with His Majesty's Govern
ment. The most relevant words in article 11 are those which declare it to be the
friendly right of each member of the League to bring to attention "any circum
stance whatever affecting international relations which threatens to disturb
• . . . the good understanding between nations upon which peace depends,"
while article 15 relates to disputes "likely to lead to a rupture."
Sir Samuel Hoare suggests that it would be desirable for the British representa
tive to point out that the independence of Bahrein is not a circumstance which
in any way endangers peace, and that it is not likely to lead to a rupture unless
Persia proposes to attack Bahrein, which His Majesty's Government presume is
not her intention. He suggests that it would be desirable to make this point in
order, from the commencement, to set the matter in its proper light before
members of the Council. But it might perhaps be wise to add that His Majesty's
Government, while doubting whether the articles of the Covenant are in any way
applicable, nevertheless have no desire to prevent the Council being seized of the
question on that account, on the understanding that, whatever might be the result
0 f the proceedings. His Majesty's Government consider that they will not be
precluded thereby from resisting aggression by Persia if the latter should be so
'H-advised as to embark upon such a course.
4. As regards the position which would arise, if, as may be anticipated,
the Council suggested a reference to the Permanent Court of International
Justice, Sir Samuel Hoare has the following observations to offer to
[215 k—6]
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Content

This file contains correspondence between British officials in Bahrain, Bushire, India and London regarding Persian goverment's claim of sovereignty over the territory of Bahrain. The impact of the discovery of oil deposits in Bahrain is discussed as is the broader international reaction to the claim. The file contains translations of several articles published in the Persian press on the topic and a translation of an article that appeared in a Dutch newspaper.

A detailed Historical Memorandum of Bahrain compiled by 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. is contained on ff. 94-118. The memorandum contains a history of Bahrain from the pre-1783 era until 1934 and includes details of the British role in the country, the numerous treaties signed by the Al Khalifa family with the British and a discussion of Turkish (Ottoman) and Persian claims to the territory.

Extent and format
1 volume (184 folios)
Arrangement

File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.

Physical characteristics

A bound correspondence volume. Foliation starts on the first letter page (4th folio in the volume) and finishes on the last letter page (5 folios from end of volume). Pencil number in top right corner of recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. . From f 90, an inconsistent pagination system begins. Only pages with typescript are paginated. When both sides have typescript, pagination numbers are found only on even-numbered pages. There are two foliation errors: between f 14 and f 16 we have f 15A and f 15 B; between f 68 and f 70 we have f 69A and f 69B.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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'File 19/191 III (C 56) Bahrain, Persian Claim To' [‎144r] (306/396), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/358, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023999776.0x00006b> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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