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Coll 5/81 ‘Facilities for U.S. Air Transport Corps at Bahrein and Sharjah’ [‎113r] (225/291)

The record is made up of 1 file (144 folios). It was created in 30 Nov 1943-9 Jul 1945. 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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freight and mails between Bahrein and third countries ,
such as Egypt, Italy and Java or even between Bahrein
and British territory such as India or the United Kingdom,
The result of this would be likely to be that the
Americans would be able to drive British aircraft off
the skies, we would be dependant for our comiaunications
with Bahrein upon American air lines and practically
no aircraft except American ones would land at Bahrein,
Ye would I think at the worst be able to insist that the
control of the air port at Bahrein including the radio
and meteorological facilities should remain with us.
The moral of this is that it is important to avoid
any increase in the number of air bases in which the
Americans establish a moral claim to post-war facilities.
3. I should like to emphasise that the vital criterion
is the amount of American money spent on the creation of
the facilities in question. The exaction frcm the
Americans of written safeguards, e,g. specific provision
that the war time grant of facilities carries no post-war
implications. are not worth much. Nor is the description
of the of facilities by American personnel on an
" Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. basis‘'for the R.A.F. much better, if I am right
in interpreting it as simply a form of words without
much reality. If it means that the Americans would be
paid by us for their services, that we provide the
equipment needed or pay the Americans for it in dollars,
that would be all right, but it would be quite contrary
to the principles of mutual aid which govern our
financial relations wi+*» +**«»
safeguard, but not mud Id
be only a small part of the total cost of the facilities,
A. A place like Bahrein^which is not British territory
is more vulnerable to American post-war claims to
facilities for civil aircraft than air ports situated
in British territory, because it is easier to suggest an
^ invasion of the sovereign rights of a small place of
^ indeterminea status than those of H.M. Government.
A. Consequently these American attempts to intrude their
^ influence at Bahrein suggest that it may be desirable to
consider again whether the Sheikhdom should now be
declared a British Protectorate.
that the Sheikh would
5./

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Content

The file contains papers related to the provision of facilities for the United States Air Transport Command at both Bahrain and Sharjah. This includes policy and strategy discussions over how best to maintain British control of the Arabian Coast Air Route; British planners feared that the United States might use facilities, built using American personnel and finance, as a lever for post-war concessions in civil aviation. It therefore includes correspondence related to the leasing of land, and the construction of buildings, by the Royal Air Force (RAF) for the use of the United States.

A map showing Bahrain Oil Company (BAPCO) establishments in Bahrain can be found on folio 127, and a table showing the facilities required by the United States can be found on folio 102.

The main correspondents are as follows: 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 (Tom Hickinbotham), officials of the Air Ministry, officials of 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, and Dennis Mackrow Cleary), officers of Air Headquarters in Iraq, and representatives of the External Affairs Department of the Government of India.

The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 file (144 folios)
Arrangement

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

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 145; 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. 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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Coll 5/81 ‘Facilities for U.S. Air Transport Corps at Bahrein and Sharjah’ [‎113r] (225/291), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2043, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100041295915.0x00001c> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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