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Coll 6/90 'Syria: Anglo-French relations in the Near East. French policy in Syria.' [‎72r] (143/169)

The record is made up of 1 file (83 folios). It was created in 23 Mar 1939-29 May 1947. 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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Nevertheless, agitation in Iraq is already developing,
and it is to he feared that, if disturbances break out in
Syria, the Iraqi Government may be compelled by public
opinion to take certain steps which might embarrass their
relations, not only with the French Government, but also
eventually with His Majesty : s Government»
14. In normal times, such a situation might be
viewed v/ithout undue disquiet, particularly in view of the
large and efficient forces which the French Government
retain in Syria-, In the present world conditions,
however, His Majesty's Government regard it as essential
for both France and Great Britain to remain on terms of
close friendship with the various Arab States and the
Iraqi Government have already expressed to His Majesty’s
Government their apprehensions regarding the difficulty
which they might have in keeping the people of Iraq loyal
to the alliance in a war in which His Majesty’s Government
were also the allies of a Power v/hich would very likely
be engaged in repressive measures against the Arabs in
Syria.
15. So far as concerns Palestine, which has been
hitherto, and for the moment no doubt remains, a far more
serious cause for dissatisfaction in the Arab world than
Syria, His Majesty’s Government are now risking unfavourable
Jewish reactions in America and elsewhere, which might in
themselves have an appreciable effect upon the
international situation in an emergency, by making a
determined effort to reach a settlement of the Palestine
problem. They trust that this settlement, while safe
guarding the position which the Jews have created for
themselves in Palestine, will be acceptable, if not tf> the
Arabs in Palestine, then at least to the general mass of
opinion

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Content

This file concerns Anglo-French relations in the near East, particularly relating to French policy in Syria.

Much of the correspondence relates to British efforts to obtain information from the French Government regarding the latter's future policy in Syria. The correspondence includes discussion of the following:

  • British concerns in 1939 regarding public support in Iraq for the Syrian Nationalist cause.
  • Differences between the French Mandate in Syria and the British Mandate in Palestine.
  • British misgivings regarding the French Government's decision not to proceed with the ratification of the treaty between France and Syria (the Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence), which was concluded in 1936 and amended in 1938.
  • The reception given to King Faisal II of Iraq upon his visit to Damascus in July 1939.
  • Reactions in the Iraqi press to the suspension of the Syrian Constitution in July 1939.
  • The suspension of the Lebanese Constitution and the dissolution of its Parliament in September 1939, reported as a 'wartime measure'.
  • An increase in the number of French forces in Syria in September 1939.
  • The French Government's concerns in 1946 regarding the activities of the Arab League in North Africa.

The file features the following principal correspondents: His Majesty's Ambassador in Paris (Eric Phipps, succeeded by Ronald Ian Campbell); His Majesty's Ambassador in Bagdad [Baghdad] (Basil Newton); the British Consul, Beirut (Godfrey Thomas Havard); officials of the Foreign Office.

The date range of the file is 1939-47; however, with the exception of three items dating from 1946-47, all of the correspondence dates from 1939.

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 (folio 2).

Extent and format
1 file (83 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 (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 84; 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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Coll 6/90 'Syria: Anglo-French relations in the Near East. French policy in Syria.' [‎72r] (143/169), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2162, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100043035211.0x000092> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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