![Coll 54/1(S) 'Middle East (Official) Committee: Reconstruction' [‎300r] (603/940)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000691.0x0001db/IOR_L_PS_12_4756_0613.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "Coll 54/1(S) 'Middle East (Official) Committee: Reconstruction' [‎300r] (603/940)")
Coll 54/1(S) 'Middle East (Official) Committee: Reconstruction' [300r] (603/940)
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.
kJULiLiLS
<Covering the i>eriod October 1948 tc March 1949)
1, Visit to Lebanon, Syria and Iraq -
14ih to ll9t October 1948, :
ILy visit f^as almost entirely concerned with matters
affecting the Iraq Petroleum Co* including the working
conditions of firms engaged upon contract work for the
Company at Homs, Syria, the formation of a Trade Union of
the Company*s Monthly Rate employees at Tripoli, Lebanon,
Housing accommodation at Tripoli, the hours of work of
their Mechanical Transport Drivers, the application of the
Iraq Labour Law to certain classes of the Company 3 a
employees at Kirkuk and the organisation of the Company’s
Personnel Departments* X assisted the Company in
negotiations with the Syrian and Iraq Governments, I visited
Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, Latakie, Benias and Tartous and was
able to appreciate the extent of proposed oil and other
industrial developments In these areas c
2 0 Visits to the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
-
22 c d tonmry to 30th February 1949 .
My programme covered Bahrain (7 days) Qatar
(4 days) Dhahrsn - Saudi Arabia (1 day) and Kuweit (8 days).
The Oil Companies operating in these areas occupied my main
interest but enquiries relating to the general social
conditions were Included as circumstances oermitted. At
Bahrain, my investigations Included the growth of the
industrial development of the Bahrain Petroleum Co*, its
personnel, the balance between American and British staff,
the differential Salary rates of British and American
employees, reasons for termination of contracts, housing
end amenities of all employees, conditions of employment
and accommodation of Indian and Pakistan labour and Arabs,
transportation problems, industrial relations, education of
Arabs, the Government’s Technical and ordinary schools,
Provident and Thrift Funds. My enquiries at Qatar
(Petroleum Developments (Qatar) Ltd* - subsidiary of Iraq
Petroleum Co*) and at Kuweit (Kuweit Oil Co*) followed
similar lines. The one day v s visit (5 hours) to Dhahrsn
(Arabian - American Oil Co*) was in the nature of courtesy
call in view of the Company being wholly American* I was
shown the amenities provided for the 5,000 Americans
(including families), the new village for the Saudi workers
and their Hospital, the vocational and educational training
arrangements. In addition, I had a talk with the spokesman
of the several hundred Sudanese about whom there had been
many complaints in the early stages. I also enquired about
the 1,500 Italian artisans employed by the Company*
3* Visit to Bagdad -
llth_to J.7th February 1949 ?
This was a follow-up to my survey in June-July
1948 and was mainly concerned with the proposal that the
Iraq Government should appoint a British Labour expert to
undertake the re-organisation of the Labour Department of
the Ministry of Social Affairs. It was encouraging to find
that the new. Minister was of the opinion that a Brltisy
Civil Servant with wide experience in labour administration
was essential to build up the day to day work of the
Directorate and to ensure the practical training of its
officials* He was supported by H.R»H. The Begent and the
Minister of Foreign Affairs. The proposal was to go before
the
OOOO
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
Coll 54/1(S) 'Middle East (Official) Committee: Reconstruction' [300r] (603/940), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/4756, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100043455637.0x000004> [accessed 24 April 2024]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100043455637.0x000004
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_100043455637.0x000004">Coll 54/1(S) 'Middle East (Official) Committee: Reconstruction' [‎300r] (603/940)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100043455637.0x000004"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000691.0x0001db/IOR_L_PS_12_4756_0613.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
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
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/4756
- Title
- Coll 54/1(S) 'Middle East (Official) Committee: Reconstruction'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:42r, 43r:116v, 120r:259v, 261r:294v, 296r:436v, 442r:468v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence