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'File 2/2 IV Kuwait-Iraq Smuggling' [‎104r] (212/542)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (267 folios). It was created in 23 May 1935-13 Jun 1936. It was written in English and Arabic. 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

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be changed to meet any new moves made by the contrabandists,
but if the Prime Minister sticks to this job with the ruthless
persistence that has characterised his efforts to establish
firm rule elsewhere In Iraq, the smuggler’s lo t will mot be
a happy one.
7. It is satisfactory to record that, ao far, I have
heard of no steps by the Iraqi Government calculated to
interfere with the water supply of Kuwait.
8 . There is one aspect of this sorry business which is
in danger of being overlooked. Yasin Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. and, indeed,
all the members of the Iraqi Government who have to do with
it, have not been slow co mark that the Shaikh has openly
flouted the earnest and considered advice of his protectors.
I do not know what effect, if any, this is likely to have
on British prestige in the Gulf, but the i mpression produced
in B a gdad was one of surprise and incredulity^, and'it is
possible that we have not heard the last of it.
9. Since writing the above, I have read paragraph 176
of Intelligence Summary No.15 from Kuwait and have noted
the Political Agent’s comment on the inner meaning of the
lachroymose loyalty expressed by the Shaikh’s devoted subjects
on his return. I can only repeat that, so far as I can
judge, the ’’dire and immediate" peril of annexation by Iraq,
which is discerned in Kuwait, remains a complete myth.
There may, moreover, be room for two opinions on the question
whether bolldshed has been averted by the Shaikh’s persistant
refusla to collaborate with the Iraqi Government.
1G. I am sending copies of this despatch to the Government of
India, His Majesty’s Minister at Tehran and the Politic 1
Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. .
I have the honour to be with the
highest respect, Sir,
Your most obedient humble servant,
Sd. 0.H. BATSMAN

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Content

The volume contains correspondence related to Kuwait-Iraq smuggling. British officials stood as mediators between the Iraqi Government and the Shaikh of Kuwait to try and solve the smuggling issue. They discussed possible ways to persuade the Shaikh of Kuwait to agree to a friendly arrangement for cooperation for checking smuggling on the lines which had been contemplated. British Government officials also suggested various methods to control smuggling such as a system of manifests, trade control posts, as well as the appointment of a British Director of Customs at Kuwait.

The volume includes minutes of a meeting held in London discussing the question of Kuwait-Iraq smuggling with the Shaikh of Kuwait, a list of regulations of the Customs Code in Iraq issued by the King of Iraq and published in the official gazette, correspondence related to a number of cases of violation of Kuwaiti territorial waters by Iraq Customs launches, as well as the arrest and detention of Kuwaiti nationals.

The Shaikh raised his complaints to the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. who in turn shared the Shaikh’s concerns with other British officials. On the other hand, complaints were also raised by the Iraqi Ministry for Foreign Affairs regarding the Kuwaiti Government’s lack of control of its border lines.

Lists of violation incidents are also included in the volume. Each list includes the following information: date and place of occurrence by whom, a summary of the incident, date of report to the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. and the Iraqi Government’s reply. The volume also includes summary lists of Iraqi newspaper articles which discuss Iraq-Kuwait related issues including smuggling, and the annexation of Kuwait by Iraq.

Extent and format
1 volume (267 folios)
Arrangement

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

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 269; 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 and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 2/2 IV Kuwait-Iraq Smuggling' [‎104r] (212/542), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/5/131, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100045050705.0x00000d> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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