Skip to item: of 940
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

Coll 54/1(S) 'Middle East (Official) Committee: Reconstruction' [‎59r] (121/940)

This item is part of

The record is made up of 1 file (468 folios). It was created in 20 Mar 1949-13 Dec 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. .

Transcription

This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.

Apply page layout

-*114“
system, including the study of the possibility of the elimination
(by the construction of a tunnel) of the rack and the introduction of
the standard gauge on the Beirut-Damascus line, seems necessary,
(c) Ports . The two main ports are Beirut and Tripoli. The
former has an annual handling capacity of 500,000 tons of foreign
trade and 100,000 tons of local trade. The turn-round of ships is
however slow owing to poor administration particularly in the customs.
Certain minor improvements under consideration t« reduce wave-action
inside the harbour are estimated to cost between £L 6 to 8 million.
Further schemes to expand the port by a third basin at the estimated
cost of £L 25,000,000 (Stage l) and £L45,000,000 (Stage 2) are likely
to be necessary in the near future.
Tripoli is little more than an open roadstand which would be
difficult and costly to improve. The average annual tannage handled
in the eight pre-war years was about 160,000 tons of which 3°^ w& s
represented by exports. Foreign tonnage handled in 1945 and 1946 was
315,000 and 218,000 tons respectively. Seme development of the port
may however take place as a result of the extension of the oil ter
minal and refinery.
Chekka, Saida and Tyre are suitable only for coastal craft and
owing to competition from road transport, their traffic is decreasing.
The development of the Syrian port of Lattaqieh might have a
considerable effect on the activity of Lebanese ports.
(d) Civil Aviation. Internal Air Lines are not necessary in view
of the small size of the country and the excellence of its road system.
The two Lebanese Civil Aviation Companies, the Middle East Air
Lines and La Compagnie Generale des Transports are handicapped by
inefficient administration and lack of funds and have as a result been
only moderately successful. Their traffic is mostly with neighbouring
countries.
A number of landing grounds were built during the war but are not
now in use. The three existing airfields are Beirut, Tripoli and Rayak.
Beirut airport is used by several foreign air lines. The runways are
however too short (four engined planes are unable to use them) and
owing to its proximity to the town the approach is difficult. A new
and larger airfield is now being constructed at Khalde three miles
south of Beirut at an estimate of £3,000,000 sterling. The present
aerodrome will be used as a building site. Whether Khalde will become
an airport of international importance depends largely on competition
from Libya. It was planned by British and American engineers and the
Lebanese Government are alive to the importance of efficient manage
ment and control. Though tperation will probably be a permanent charge
on the Company’s budget, the airport should prove a valuable asset to
the country. Improved air communications are clearly essential for
a development of the tourist industry which depends on visitors not
only from the Middle East countries but also from further afield
particularly Lebanese emigrants from the Americas.
(e) Telephones . The installation of an automatic exchange at
Beirut has been planned and tenders for the contract have been invited.
Telephone communication between Beirut and the provinces and also
external lines are also in need of improvement.
22. Health.
By Middle East standards the Lebanon is a
/healthy

About this item

Content

The file contains papers relating to the Middle East (Official) Committee. It consists of: papers circulated to members of the Committee, received by the External Department of the Commonwealth Relations Office (CRO); a few items of CRO correspondence with the Foreign Office, the Cabinet Office, and Commonwealth governments; and a register of papers received or sent by the CRO relating to the Committee, with internal CRO correspondence (at the back of the file).

The file includes agendas for meetings of the Committee, and minutes of the meetings on 28 April, 5 May, 5 July and 19 July 1949. Matters discussed and recorded in the minutes include: the reconstitution of the Committee; the re-settlement of Arab refugees from Palestine; the report on Economic and Social Development in the Middle East by the Working Party of the Committee; the future work of the Committee; the Conference of HM Representatives in the Middle East to be held in London from 26 to 29 July 1949; United States President Truman’s ‘Fourth Point’ (Truman’s message of 24 June 1949 to the United States House of Representatives, communicating a ‘Recommendation for the Enactment of Legislation to Authorise an Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance for Underdeveloped Areas of the World’); and further studies of the Working Party.

The file also includes the following papers prepared by (or approved by) the Working Party of the Committee: draft, revised and interim versions of the report on Economic and Social Development in the Middle East; papers relating to the economic and social development of Iraq, Syria, Greater Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan , Egypt, the Lebannon, Saudi Arabia, Cyrenaica, Tripolitania, Eritrea and Somalia, and the Colony of Aden and the Aden Protectorate; and a paper on Middle East oil.

In addition, the file includes other papers relating to matters discussed at the meetings, and the following subjects: Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan ; irrigation development in Iraq; Persia’s [Iran’s] Seven Year Plan for development; informal conversations on social and economic affairs in the Middle East between representatives of the Foreign Office, the Treasury, the British Embassy in Washington, and the United States State Department; the work of the Development Division of British Middle East Office; a survey of the oil resources of the Middle East; and economic development in Cyprus in relation to the Middle East.

Extent and format
1 file (468 folios)
Arrangement

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

Numbers in red pen on the top right hand corner of items in the file refer to entries in the register of papers received and sent by the Commonwealth Relations Office at the back of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 468; 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 54/1(S) 'Middle East (Official) Committee: Reconstruction' [‎59r] (121/940), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/4756, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100043455634.0x00007a> [accessed 29 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_100043455634.0x00007a">Coll 54/1(S) 'Middle East (Official) Committee: Reconstruction' [&lrm;59r] (121/940)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100043455634.0x00007a">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000691.0x0001db/IOR_L_PS_12_4756_0121.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_100000000691.0x0001db/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image