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'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports' [‎160r] (319/432)

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The record is made up of 1 file (214 folios). It was created in 20 Jan 1941-31 Dec 1942. It was written in English. 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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deportation from the island. They have therefore been adopting
the less dangerous and only slightly less profitable plan of ^
selling sovereigns to Kuwaiti brokers and merchants in Bahrain
(which is> of course, no offence), and the latter take the risk
of smuggling the gold out of the island. The Political ^Agent’s
recent order will enable some kind of a check to be kept on
local movements of gold, and the activities of Kuwaitis purchas
ing gold will, in future, be watched closely by the police.
It is not expected that the order now passed will
finally put an end to the smuggling of gold from Bahrain; but
it will make smuggling more difficult, and to this extent it
constitutes a useful move in the game of financial fox and
geese which the Political authorities have for many months been
playing with Kuwaiti, Basrawi and Bahraini bullion brokers.
The greater skill of the brokers in playing this game is
balanced by the authority which Political Agents have to alter
the rules 5 and so far neither side has scored a decisive
advantage.
(ii) Reference para 133 (iii) (b) of Intelligence Summary
No.13 of 1942 in which it was reported that Saudi Riyals in
Qatif were at a premium of Rs 50-60 per thousand.
The premium has now risen to Rs 85 per thousand riyals.
The supply of riyals is short, and the demand from Iraq and
Kuwait continues. The shortage of supply is believed to be due
largely to hoarding which, actuated primarily by the desire to
hold wealth in tangible form, has recently been stimulated by
rumours that the Saudi Government are contemplating the issue
of currency notes.
(iii) Reference para 118(ii) of Intelligence Summary No.12
of 1942. , . ..
Currency notes at Dubai and Sharjah are now at a dis
count of only 2j%. The reduction in the premium on rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. is
due to the arrival of further consignments of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. from India.
150. Alarms .
On the evening of July 19th information was received
of the presence in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. of a suspicious ship. The
Naval and Air Force authorities took requisite precautionary
measures, and the Defence Officer made appropriate dispositions
of all available troops, guns and guards. The ship which had
roused suspicion was located off Bahrain on the morning of
July 20th. After its bona fides had been established troops
and guards returned to their normal stations. The arrange
ments set in train by the Defence Officer worked smoothly, and
Bahrain Petroleum Company officials gave ready co-operation.
151. Excursions.
ft
Mirza bin Barkat, the picaroon and slave trader to
whom reference was made in para 120 of Intelligence Summary
No.12 of 1942, is again on the move. Having been turned out
of Fujairah he made his way via Kalba, where he received only
a cold welcome, to the Batinah Coast. 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. ,
Muscat, now reports that Mirza is on his way back to Kalba ana
Fujairah as the people of Liwa and Shinas, acting under pressure
from the Nftiscat Government, refused to allow him to establish
himself among them. Steps are being taken which will, it is
hoped, deter him from staying long at either Kalba or Fujairah.
.52. Slave Traffic .
Reference para 119 of Intelligence Summary No.12 of
1942 in which it was reported that Dohah, the capital of Qatar,
was being used as an entrepot in the slave traffic.
/ Information

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Content

The file contains fortnightly intelligence summaries produced by the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. at Bahrain for the years 1941-42. The reports, marked as secret, were sent to the Government of India, 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. , and numerous diplomatic, political, and military offices in the Middle East. Most of the reports cover a two week period, though due to holidays, tours, and work pressures some cover an entire month.

The reports are divided into short sections that relate to a particular subject, often closely connected to the Second World War. Contained within the file is intelligence on the following:

Folios 57-61 are correspondence relating to the alleged sinking of an Iranian dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. by a British man-of-war in March 1941.

Folios 85-88 is a list of prominent individuals in Bahrain, compiled by 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 Bahrain, Reginald Alban, and submitted to the Political 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. at Bushire.

Folio 122 is the statement of thirteen Qatari sailors who were aboard a dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. sunk by a Japanese submarine on 12 April 1942.

Folio 176 is a telegram from the Government of India in New Delhi requesting that intelligence summaries differentiate between truly confidential content and that which can be distributed more widely.

Folio 190 is a letter, dated 15 October 1942, from Charles Geoffrey Prior, 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. , to Edward Birkbeck Wakefield, 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 Bahrain, regarding the risk of including information about the revival of the slave trade in the Gulf in his diaries due to their wide readership.

Included in the file is correspondence between 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. and the Naval Officer in Charge at Basrah regarding prominent people of the region and events of the war.

On the inside of the front cover is the distribution list for the summaries.

Extent and format
1 file (214 folios)
Arrangement

The file is arranged chronologically.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 216; 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 in Latin script
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'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports' [‎160r] (319/432), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/314, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100025549536.0x000078> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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