Coll 35/2 'Persia and Persian Gulf: steamer arrangements in the Persian Gulf; including arrangements for the carriage and delivery of consular and diplomatic mails to posts in Persia' [‎30r] (60/1171)

c
g/aa>
Office of 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. ,
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
Camp, Bahrain.
E XT
26th October 1046.
/
Will you -|tli*fli&A5er to this Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. endorsement
No. 873-S, dated the 17^0^6^^1946, regarding the refusal
of the fcuw.T., Basra, to divert the "Barala” to Muscat#
2. The last mail steamer that called at Doth Bushire
and Muscat on the inward voyage was the "Bar^ora" which
called at Bushire on the 26th tiepteraber and at Muscat about
the beginning of October. Subsequently the "Tsinan" called
at Bushire on the 9th October without calling at Muscat, and
the "Barala" on the 17th also without calling at Muscat#
3. Cn arriving et Bahrain on the 21st October I
discovered that the "Grade11" from Basra had called at Bahrain
on the 16th October en route for Muscat and Bombay.
4# Consequent on the withdrawal of the "Resang" in 1944
the M.W.T. assured us that they would give us every assistance
with regular B.I. ships, and asked us to keep them advised of
our requirements (Basra Consulate telegram No. 25, dated the
l^th June 1344 - copy enclosed). In their telegram No.
121007/S, dated the 12th July 1944, the L.VY.T. informed us
that all vessels calling at Bushire would also call at Bahrain
inward, and as recently as August of this year we had occasion
to remind the* of this undertaking when the M.Vf.T. informed us • a
that the "Barjora" calling at bushire, was unlikely to call at
Bahrain (it event.-ally did).
It will be seen that the M. 7.T.
(a) did not inform us that the "Orac^el!" was
not calling at Bushire, although they must have
known this during the exchange of telegrams
referred to in paragraph 1 above.
(b) refused to divert the "Barala" to Muscat
although they knew that the "Tsinan" had not
called there and that the "Grade11" had missed
out Bushire; and must have known that there
was no likelihood of another inward itinerary
including both Bushire and Muscat for a consider
-able period. (As we have not yet heard of the
departure from Karachi of the next outward mail
steamer, ifc Is unlikely to reach Muscat - if
Indeed it is routed thero - on the return voyage
before end of November).
6# The foregoing sufficiently illustrates, I think, the
lack of co-operation displayed by the M.W.X#, Basra, and their
indifference to the maintenance of communications in the Gulf.
I trust the Government of India will take up the natter strongly.
7# I am sending a copy of this letter and the connected
correspondence to Donaldson. ^
V
Yours sincerely
3d/- A.^. Galloway.
Lt*— Col. R.R. Burnett, C.X.b., O.B.b.,
Secretary to the Government of India ,
in the External Affairs Department,
Ney Delhi.