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'CONFIDENTIAL 86/30 - II VOL. C.91. WIRELESS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN BAHRAIN AND SAUDI ARABIA' [‎54r] (112/430)

The record is made up of 1 volume (211 folios). It was created in 6 Apr 1942-22 Mar 1946. 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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^ 2 ^ 4641 / 40 .
Extract from letter from R.Peel, Esq. f to
E.P. Donaldson, Esq., dated 8th October, 1940.
5. Cable and Wireless, Limited, as the successors
of the Indo-European Telegraph Department in Bahrein,
do not possess and indeed do not claim to possess,
exclusive telegraph rights. They appeal instead to
H,M,Cr. to support their interests. It is true to
say that no ^rights* of Cable and Wireless would be
infringed by allowing The Oil Company to operate a
private system of wireless communication between
Bahrein and Saudi Arabia, hot extending beyond the
bounds of those two countries and confined to the
legitimate business of the Company. It is also
true, as contended by The Oil Company, that this would
not constitute any encroachment on the traffic which
Cable and Wireless expected to handle when they took
over in Bahrein. On the other hand ohe Political
Resident is certainly right in saying that we should
have objected to the grant of a concession to another
telegraph company so long as the Indo-European Telegraph
Denariment maintained the telegraph office in Bahrein,
Further, we should naturally uphold the interests of
Cable and Wireless against a competing telegraph company
and, notwithstanding the informal nature (vide 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. T s letter of 1st July) of the assurance
claimed to have been given to Cable and lireless in 1. 58
by the local political authorities to the effect that
their position in Bahrein was adequately safeguarded
under the present British control, we should not dispute
the view that the Company have hitherto counted upon and
received our support in Bahrein. The question is
whether it would be consistent with this general
relationship between Cable and Wireless and ourselves
for us to countenance the Oil Company’s proposals.
m
m

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Content

The volume comprises correspondence between 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. (Charles Geoffrey Prior), 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 (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield, Tom Hickinbotham, Cornelius James Pelly, Arnold Crawshaw Galloway), 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. (Roland Tennyson Peel, Francis Anthony Kitchener Harrison), the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) (Ward P Anderson, Hamilton R Ballantyne), and the California Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC), later the Arabian American Oil Company (ARAMCO) (Floyd Ohliger, Charles E Davis) regarding permission for direct radio-telephony communication between Bahrain and Dhahran [Aẓ-Ẓahrān] which could be used to oversee launches and barges moving oil between the two places.

The correspondence includes discussions on the frequencies at which this service could operate, the wartime restrictions that were imposed on conversations, and the need for local authorities in Bahrain to be able to use the service for emergency communications to Dhahran. Later adjustments to the service included the right for the Resident Manager of CASOC at Dhahran to be able to send emergency messages too, the extension of conversations to include matters relating to the new pipeline being constructed, and the introduction of new modern equipment to improve the reliability of the service.

The volume concludes with a request by BAPCO to extend the remit of their direct communication service to cover all business matters and an agreement reached with Cable and Wireless Limited to permit them to do so. Also included are copies of the orders issued by both companies regulating the use of the radio-telephone service between Awali [ʻAwālī] and Dhahran.

Also included in the volume are copies of the notifications issued 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 to 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. each time a request for an emergency transmission is made through the Bahrain to Dhahran radio-telephony service. These emergency transmissions related primarily to forced landings of RAF planes, searches for missing planes, and medical results for employees of CASOC at Dhahran suspected of having Typhoid or other contagious illnesses.

Other matters discussed include:

  • discussion regarding Cable and Wireless rights in relation to Bahrain, which were determined not to be exclusive rights, and a request by Sir Edward Wilshaw, Chairman of Cable and Wireless to negotiate concessions with the rulers of Bahrain and Kuwait, which was postponed until the conclusion of the war;
  • negotiations between BAPCO, CASOC and Cable and Wireless regarding payment of a nominal annual fee to Cable and Wireless in acknowledgement of their permission for the oil companies to operate their direct communication service;
  • a letter intercepted in wartime censorship which alluded to the continuation by CASOC of the practice of sending sea-going vessels out beyond territorial waters to transmit messages directly to the USA and considered what might be done to prevent such a practice from continuing;
  • the possibility of direct communication with CASOC in Dhahran being established and operated by the Air Liaison Officer in Bahrain to reduce the amount of emergency requests having to be sent through BAPCO;
  • list of rates charged by the Indo-European Telegraph Department, Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Section for cables sent to various towns and cities in the United States of America.

A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 197-209.

Extent and format
1 volume (211 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 213; 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 5-194; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

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English in Latin script
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'CONFIDENTIAL 86/30 - II VOL. C.91. WIRELESS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN BAHRAIN AND SAUDI ARABIA' [‎54r] (112/430), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/699, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100025642416.0x000071> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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