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'File 3/8 Affairs of Sh. Khaz`als sons.' [‎195v] (390/508)

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The record is made up of 1 file (252 folios). It was created in 15 Mar 1942-17 Aug 1948. It was written in English and Arabic. 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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in divesting themselves of all future responsibility under the
assurances in so far as they related to Persia; ^ ^
(b) it was true that the assurances spoke of the Sheikh’s successors, but
there was no successor to the Sheikh in the position which he held
when the assurances were given;
(c) the assurances referred to the nomination of successors by the Sheikh,
and consultation with and approval by His Majesty’s Government
was provided for : but so far as was known, the Sheikh did not
nominate a successor and there was certainly no consultation with
His Majesty’s Government in the matter;
(d) if Sheikh Chassib, as the eldest son, regarded himself as the successor,
he could hardly say that he had been guided by the advice of His
Majesty’s Government and had maintained an attitude satisfactory
to that Government.
Mr. Lascelles was therefore told that, in any dealings with Sheikh Chassib,
His Majesty’s Legation should act on the assumption that His Majesty’s Govern
ment were no longer bound by any assurances in respect of Sheikh Khazal himself
or his family; this would not preclude His Majesty’s Legation from using their
good offices on behalf of the family when this might appear desirable or expedient,
but it should be understood by all concerned that any action taken in this sense
would be as a matter of grace and not of obligation.
HUGH K. GREY.
Foreign Office, October 1946.
ANNEX.
Texts of British Assurances to the Sheikh of Mohammerah, 1902-14.
No. 1.
Sir A . Hurdinge to the Sheikh.
(After compliments.) 7th December, 1902.
I write to inform you, my honoured friend, of my return to Tehran from
Europe and to enquire after your health.
It was a great disappointment to me that I was unable to visit you this
spring, but, as you know, I was obliged to go to England instead. I hope, however,
that it may be possible for me at no distant date to have the pleasure of making
your personal acquaintance.
I was very glad to hear from Hajji Reis-ut-Tujjar of the satisfactory
arrangement concluded between you and the Department of Customs. On general
grounds of policy it is very desirable that differences should as far as possible
be avoided between the Persian authorities and the Arab tribes under your rule.
The relations between the British and Persian Governments are of a friendly
character, and the preservation of the integrity and independence of the Persian
monarchy has for many years been one of the great objects of British policy in
this part of the world. Disturbances of a nature to imperil that object would
be a serious evil, and you would gain little and might endanger much by throwing
off the sovereignty of the Shah. I am convinced that, under the present circum
stances, the Arabs, and yourself as their ruler, have every interest in cultivating
good and loyal relations with the Government of Tehran, and that the latter has
no desire to oppress you or curtail your authority. For this reason I think you
acted wisely in giving up all idea of forcible resistance to the establishment of a
custom-house, and in seeking rather to come, as I have from the first urged you to
do, to a friendly understanding on the subject with the Customs Administration.
Hajji Reis-ut-Tujjar asked me on your behalf to what extent you might rely
on the protection of the British Government, and I told him that so long as you
behaved to us, as you have done in the past, in a friendly manner, our influence
would be exerted here to maintain you and your tribes in the enjoyment of your
hereditary rights and customs, and to dissuade the Government of Tehran from
any endeavour to diminish or interfere with them. Hajji Reis thereupon said
that you were not afraid of the Persian Government itself, nor of attack by

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Content

This file relates to the heirs of Shaikh Khaz‘al [Khaz‘al bin Jabir bin Merdaw Āl Ka‘bī], the late Arab Shaikh of Mohommerah [Khorramshahr], and their requests for British assistance.

The first few items of correspondence concern Shaikh Khaz‘al's eldest son, Shaikh Chassib bin Khaz‘al [Shaikh Chassib bin Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī], who is now living in Iraq and who is reported to have requested permission from the British Embassy at Baghdad to enter Iran (most of the correspondence in this file refers to Iran as Persia), for the purpose of personally pressing his claims to property belonging to his father, which had been sequestered by the late Shah [Reza Shah Pahlavi].

The remainder of the file relates to Shaikh Chassib's brother, Shaikh Abdullah bin Khaz‘al [Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Khaz‘al Āl Ka‘bī], and his wish to return to live in Persia, apparently peacefully, which is treated with suspicion by British officials. Much of the correspondence discusses whether Shaikh Abdullah, who has taken refuge in Kuwait after an unsuccessful attempt to return to live in Persia, should be given a British pension or an allowance, in order to prevent him from attempting to return to Persia, since it is deemed unlikely that he will receive any compensation from the Persian Government for the loss of his father's property.

Also included in the file are a copy of a document from the Combined Intelligence Centre, Iraq, entitled 'The Sheikhdom of Mohammerah A Short History' and a Foreign Office report entitled 'British Relations with Khazal, Sheikh of Mohammerah'.

The principal correspondents are the following: 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. , Kuwait; 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. ; the British Consul, Khorramshahr; 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 Secretary of State for India; the Foreign Office; His Majesty's Ambassador, Tehran; His Majesty's Ambassador, Baghdad; the Ruler of Kuwait, Shaikh Ahmed al Jabir As-Subah [Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ]; Shaikh Abdullah bin Khaz‘al.

Extent and format
1 file (252 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Circled serial numbers (red for received correspondence; blue/black for issued correspondence) refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the volume.

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 254; 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. Additional foliation sequences, one of which is written in pencil and not circled (between ff 3-131 and ff 143-224), and one of which is written in pencil and circled (between ff 1-253), have been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 3/8 Affairs of Sh. Khaz`als sons.' [‎195v] (390/508), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/5/178, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100030262304.0x0000bf> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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