Coll 17/18(1) 'Smuggling between Kuwait and Iraq' [632r] (1268/1354)
The record is made up of 1 volume (673 folios). It was created in 28 Jul 1932-15 Jun 1935. 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.
- 2 -
as such incidents continue to occur it is difficult for me to
influence the Shaikh in the right direction*
2. As will be seen the Shaikh begins his letter with
the bald statement that -no such smuggling takes place-. This
of course must be taken with a grain, or rather helping, of
salt. There is no doubt that smuggling does take place, and
I imagine that His Excellency’s categorical denial is due to
the lact that he is afraid that any admission on his part of
contraband from his territory would be used in some way
against him by the ’Iraq authorities of whom unfortunately
he is intensely suspicious - not entirely perhaps without
cause* The extent of the smuggling which actually takes
place is certainly a factor in the Kuwait- ? Iraq smuggling
problem. The Director of Customs ( f Iraq) put the figure
of smuggled goods during 1932 as high as £ 60,000/- (vide
paragraph 3 of Colonel Dickson’s letter forming an enclosure
to my Printed letter Ko.258-S of 21st March 1933)* Colonel
Dickson proceeded in his letter to contest this figure, and
as far as I am in a position to judge with some success*
Amongst other arguments Colonel Dickson pointed out (vide
paragraph 5 of his letter) that since the total imports into
Kuwait from all sources did not exceed some £ 180,000/- it was
hardly reasonable to suppose that one-third of these imports
was smuggled across the ’Iraq frontier.
3. The rest of the Shaikh’s letter is merely an
expression of pious intentions, and he avoids a specific
reply to any of the proposals for co-operation with the ’Iraq
authorities, except #ith regard to the placing of a steam
boat/ \
About this item
- Content
The volume contains papers regarding the alleged smuggling of goods from Kuwait to Iraq, and attempts to broker Often a local commercial agent in the Gulf who regularly performed duties of intelligence gathering and political representation. an agreement between the Shaikh of Kuwait (Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ) and the Government of Iraq with regards to importation restrictions, customs appointments and effective frontier controls. It consists of correspondence between the Foreign Office, Colonial Office, 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , 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. at Kuwait, HM High Commissioner (and later Ambassador) at Baghdad, as well as communications received from Al Sabah and representatives of the Government of Iraq.
The file opens with correspondence concerning the activities of Kuwaiti water boats collecting drinking water at various points along the Shatt el-Arab: the Government of Iraq complained that the boats were not stopping at designated calling points, and that the boats were engaged in smuggling, while the Shaikh of Kuwait asked for the calling point requirement to be rescinded as it was causing interruptions to the water supply. The correspondence also documents instances where Iraqi customs barges had fired on Kuwaiti boats, killing and injuring merchants.
The bulk of the correspondence concerns efforts by HM Ambassador at Iraq, 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and 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. at Kuwait, to broker Often a local commercial agent in the Gulf who regularly performed duties of intelligence gathering and political representation. an agreement between the two parties. Several conferences were arranged with a view to discussing the Iraqi proposals, viz: that a British Customs Director be appointed at Kuwait to oversee the importation of certain commodities (principally sugar, tea, matches, coffee, tobacco, cigarettes, and cigarette papers); and that the Shaikh co-operate with Iraqi efforts to institute an effective frontier control and customs cordon.
In addition to correspondence, the volume includes the following minutes and reports:
- Note by Colonel Dickson, 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. at Kuwait, 'the Contraband problem of Iraq with her neighbours, and in particular how it affects Kuwait', ff 600-610.
- Memo by Yasin Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. on the customs position between Iraq and Kuwait, ff 565-567.
- Note by Colonel Dickson on the drinking water available in Kuwait and vicinity, including sketch map, ff 492-500.
- 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. memo 'Smuggling between Koweit and Iraq', ff 349-363.
- Foreign Office figures for goods smuggled from Kuwait to Iraq, ff 214-222.
- Private Foreign Office memo on smuggling in the Gulf region, ff 48-64.
The volume includes dividers which give lists of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. These are placed at the end of the correspondence (folios 4-5).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (673 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in rough chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 675; 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 4-672; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Coll 17/18(1) 'Smuggling between Kuwait and Iraq' [632r] (1268/1354), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2878, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100063011518.0x000045> [accessed 25 April 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2878
- Title
- Coll 17/18(1) 'Smuggling between Kuwait and Iraq'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:222v, 225r:287v, 290r:387v, 389r:419v, 422r:424v, 426r:483v, 487r:522v, 526r:533v, 536r:541v, 543r:549v, 552r:556v, 561r:564v, 568r:578v, 581r:590v, 592r:594v, 597r:622v, 625r:626v, 628r:636v, 639r:659v, 663r:674v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence