Skip to item: of 522
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

Coll 5/85 ‘Airfield at Dharan for U.S.A.A.F.: Proposal to construct new airport at Bahrain (Hamala)’ [‎248r] (496/522)

The record is made up of 1 file (259 folios). It was created in 17 Mar 1944-14 Nov 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. .

Transcription

This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.

Apply page layout

I attended a meeting at the Air Ministry on
this subject this morning.
The Air Ministry explained that the stretch
between Egypt and Karachi was at present a bottle-neck
on the transport route to the Far East, that the position
had recently been v/orsened owing to a^ i*^***^ programme
put forward by the Americans, and that any Improvements
on this stretch designed to ease the flow of aircraft
would be valuable on military grounds. As alternatives
to the construction of an airfield at Dhahran there were
possibilities of improving the airfields at Abadan or
Bahrain. Ite latter was already of adequate size but
the surface was not good enough for very heavy bombers
at the moment and was in course of being improved.
It would probably be quite impossible for us to
undertake the construction of an aerodrome at Dhahran at
present without dislocation of our construction plans
in other parts of the world. It was agreed that if the
present American proposal went through they would have to
be allowed to undertake the complete construction them
selves. I said that from 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. point of view
it was not so objectionable that the Americans should
perforin constructional work on aerodromes in, for example,
Persia or Saudi Arabia, as in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. States.
As regards the latter we thought it most important that
the work should be done by us ourselves.
The Foreign Office said that they v/ould be prepared
to put the proposal to Ibn Saud with K.I. .G.'s support if
the Americans could make out a sufficiently good case,
though Ibn Saud might well be unwilling to agree, if we
were to go by his attitude on the previous occasion.
The Americans might, therefore, be expected to explain to
us in detail the military reasons which they have for
/their

About this item

Content

The file is concerned with proposals for the construction of an airfield – suitable for very heavy bombers – at Dhahran by the United States Army Air Transport Command as a wartime necessity, and applications from the United States to the United Kingdom for the latters support in obtaining permission from Saudi Arabia. See folios 239-241 for a brief on these proposals.

The file also contains papers related to proposals for the post-war civil operation following the construction of the airfield, and the transfer of ownership from the United States to Saudi Arabia. Related papers concern proposals from Trans World Airlines for the development of civil aviation in Saudi Arabia, and counter proposals from the British Government for a civil air mission. This includes the use of Dhahran by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC).

A typed copy of a report by a Ministry of Civil Aviation Technical Survey Party on aerodromes in the Middle East and Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (1947) has also been included: see folios 26-55. The minutes of a subsequent meeting held by the Civil Aviation Planning Committee on 1 April 1947 to discuss the reports findings can be found on folios 18-19.

The main correspondents in the file are as follows: HM Minister at Jeddah (Sir Laurence Grafftey-Smith), officials of the Foreign Office, officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and 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. (Commonwealth Relations Office from August 1947).

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 (259 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 260; 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.

Written in
English in Latin script
View the complete information for this record

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

Coll 5/85 ‘Airfield at Dharan for U.S.A.A.F.: Proposal to construct new airport at Bahrain (Hamala)’ [‎248r] (496/522), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2052, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100043044461.0x000063> [accessed 28 March 2024]

Link to this item
Embed this item

Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100043044461.0x000063">Coll 5/85 ‘Airfield at Dharan for U.S.A.A.F.: Proposal to construct new airport at Bahrain (Hamala)’ [&lrm;248r] (496/522)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100043044461.0x000063">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000555.0x00024e/IOR_L_PS_12_2052_0498.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000555.0x00024e/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image