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Coll 54/1(S) 'Middle East (Official) Committee: Reconstruction' [‎225r] (453/940)

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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. .

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2./
4
CONFIDENTIAL
MIDDLE EAST DEVELOPMENT: IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVES
Previous Papers
A previous Paper approved by the Middle East (Official)
Committee ( M.E.(o)(49) 14 of 10th May) summarised the arguments
in favour of action by His Majesty's Government to assist in the
economic and social development of the Middle East and recommended
certain principles which His Majesty's Government might adopt.
Individual Papers on Iraq, Syria, Egypt and 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
(M.E.(0)(49) 15, 17, 19 and 20 respectively) have since been
prepared as a background and detailed Justification of whatever
specific recommendations it might be decided to put forward. A
Paper on the Lebanon (M.E.(o) (49) 21 ) will be circulated shortly.
These countries (apart from Egypt which is important
because of the Nile Waters Projects) were chosen as the most
urgent in view of their particular relevance to the resettlement
of refugees. Other country studies are being prepared: Persia,
whose development plans are farther advanced than those of any
other Middle East country but are less dependent, at this stage,
on external assistance; the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. States and Saudi
Arabia, where scope for development other than of oil
is limited but whose vast earnings from oil raise most
interesting problems and possibilities; the former Italian
Colonies, where at present the average annual cost to His Majesty's
Government in respect of administration expenses and budgetary
deficits approaches £li million; Ethiopia, whose development
possibilities may be considerable but whose administration is amongst
the least progressive in the Middle East; and the Yemen, the most
primitive of the Arab States.

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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
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Coll 54/1(S) 'Middle East (Official) Committee: Reconstruction' [‎225r] (453/940), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/4756, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100043455636.0x000036> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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