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'File 4/22 III Umm Qasr' [‎12r] (23/78)

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The record is made up of 1 file (37 folios). It was created in 30 Sep 1943-14 Sep 1949. 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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-
In 1941 the military authorities decided, as
an urgent operational necessity, to construct a
port at Dm Q,asr in territory which was in dispute
between irfa-q and Kuwait. before construction
was begun an attempt was made to delineate the
frontier, but gave rise to such conflicting
claims, that, to obviate delay, the British
Ambassador at Bagdad proposed, and the British
Military Authorities agreed, that the latter
should admin istar the port without the formal
sanction of either the Kuwait or Iraq
Governments. The Iraqi I rime Minister had
agreed unofficially and said that the Iraq
Government wculd leave everything in the hands
of Sir John Ward, their Director-General of forts
and Navigation. The Ambassador contemplated
Sir John Ward’s activities being confined to
buoying, dredging and pilotage. The Ambassador’s
proposals were accepted by all concerned.
2. The British Military Authorities then
produced a plan for the administration of the
Port, They did not consider a Harbour Master
necessary, but contemplated the provision of an
S.T.O. and a K.O.I.C.; and they proposed to con
fine Sir John Ward’s responsil i ty to the navi
gable vaters cf the Xhor Abdtulja and Kbibr Zubair.
3. Going beyond this, however. Sir John Ward
proposed to the Ambassador the issue by the Iraq
Government of an official Gazzette Notification
purporting to empower the Kasra Port Directorate
to inpose Laroour master’s fees and other cues
on all vessels entering the Im qasr.
The Ambassador raised no objection and the
Notification was in cue course issued without
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. or tie Kuwait Government
being consulted.
4. As soon as- it came to their notice the Pol
itical Resident and the Government of India pro
tested and demanded cancellation of the Notifi
cation, on the grounds that it went beyond tne
terns of the agreement by which the British
Military Authorities were to administer the port,
that it ignored Kuwaits rights, and prejudiced
her position. The Ambassador in his reply enlarg
ed the scope of his original proposals concerning
Sir John Ward’s responsibilities to include con
servancy, both of the approaches and the Port
Area itself. He treated the Notification as the
necessary legal authority to empower the rasra
Fort Directorate to collect remuneration, a mere
formmlitv unilateral and not binding on his Maj
esty’s G-oyecninent viho ace to change of Kuwait
interests. The Ambassador was opposed to raising
objections, fearing that Iraqi co-operation would
be adversely affected; and he suggested that as
a matter of political expediency, if an objection
had to be made, the Shaikh of Kuwait saould ini
tiate it for the Ambassador Ika to present on
his behalf.
b. There followed a protracted centres].ondenge
in which 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. ^the Govern
ment of India urged that the military authorities
should collect the port dues, and pressed firstly
for cancellation of the notification and later
for communication tb the Iraq Government of a

About this item

Content

This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding the future of the port facilities that were constructed at Umm Qasr by the British military. Also discussed is the issue of whether or not Umm Qasr and the surrounding area fell within Iraqi or Kuwaiti territory.

In addition to correspondence, the file contains an aide memoire written 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. in Kuwait, Gordon Noel Jackson in August 1944. This note discusses events concerning the development of the port at Umm Qasr from 1941 up until 1944 (folios 12-13).

Extent and format
1 file (37 folios)
Arrangement

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

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 39; 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 20-30; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'File 4/22 III Umm Qasr' [‎12r] (23/78), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/5/210, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100040745901.0x000018> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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