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File 522/1922 Pt 3 'Bahrein: Persian claim to sovereignty' [‎162r] (326/1291)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (639 folios). It was created in 28 Dec 1922-22 Feb 1929. It was written in English and French. 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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k
SJit
Mkui-officiai letter to the Ho.v’bli tj,e
J oLmcAL Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
dated the 6th November' 1927 . (Confjden-
TI4L.)
l onclHse a rough note giving in potted form
l e DK~ Jff Z7/f, I
j ‘-rr„ yo ^‘ 1 ozczhy 2 ^
"•hat 1 have written is derived d”recfW hn'^' ° £
conversations Ent I . Irect v from our
eo T en f ts -boutthe'
gfave’s tact a^Bahrem n ^ I,a J' lnB a " lan °f Pel-
his P™! tion might do a fot of hlrm “"h ^ in
great h,s capacity otherwise ' howCT «,
ISmfctot^VV B -tt for
, t0 b ? j» s t the sort of man we require U 6 ” 8 r m9
to gree matters their slightly dJerent t„rn° 6
Bahrein has obviously become the keystone of
onrpositmn ln the Gulf. It is likely to gain
rather than lose importance in this respect quite
apart, from its commanding position on anv air
route along the Arab littoral. It is unthinkable
that we should abdnate from 0 ur position as the
paramount protecting power.
n J'/fi^F 00 ? 1 f r S u P cnte in feTOur of an open
nroW fin '? dec ' ,arat10 '* that Bahrein is a British
protectorate are strong.
Siwh i W,der r ' ol ' c - y does Dot permit of
liow If • L‘'“I 1 0ur P ositio “ is impregnable any-
TLi 4 1S b^'loD Treaties which are at once
the conir r i ,U f IC '- They give us our essentials—
the control of foreign affairs and of foreigners.
„ \ be f essentials (low inevitably certain rights
and indeed duties to interfere in internal affairs!
u " mterference goes doubtless beyond
"hat (lows inevitably from our Treaties. Bit no
caty could adequately cover it unless it were a
Treaty extinguishing the Sheikh’s sovereigntv to a
degree less than that possessed by anf Indian
is the'f^tthft f di ® CnTtieS in tbe problem
IS the t a < 1 tfut the reforms we have introduced
and the development schemes we have initiated are
very fine performances in themselves and of great
benefit ^ -Bahrein. It is unthinkable thaf we
should undo our fine work. Nevertheless if i's
of th?s'ituat’on an tb S ’t nOW ff bat W6 haVe taken stock
somewhat different turn OT rS the h °A d h b f T^-n
faU^Wesba!,^^-^-
5. The result would be—
(a) a needless addition to our commitments ;
BeC' cS i 1 axif i Abdulla, Mr.
mi ;S Ve . an( | ^ th ! rd . Ara b os members. This
HiuvhP t0 j ins J l] W-M>rue resolution into
a mo vp 1 2 l e , and b• f - he same time Abdulla
a 1U0le definite participation in it
JdEXYS Bra y,—6-11 -27.
(G an actual loss of power, f , r through the
Sheikh we can do much (e.p. keep
Germans out, as we did recently)
which we could not do on our own
and r
(c) we should present an awful warning to
Aiab Sheikhs of the consequences of
admitting British interference, and
help to set up Bin Sand in their eves
as the one possible champion of Arab
ways against British encroachments.
6. Our aim should be not British efficiency for
with this as our goal we could stop no where'but
to demonstrate that an Arab State can advance on
Western lines under British protection and yet
letain its Arab character. ^
-R.b ?f- IT endeavour to take out the
Jdntisb high-light from the picture and brino- the
Arab rule of the Sheikh more into the foreground
8. British interference is especially over- r/— ^
advertised in the police, a particularly fine
° a T al L Punjab T uhammadans > wi th uniform «£ d
and drill of an Indian regimentf They suggest &wi/<r6 ’
at once foreign rule and make it look as if the 7> O' '
present state of Bahrein depends for its security
? n t.P 1 ia ° bayonets alone. (A striking contrast
n-f n° rded tbe a PP earance °f the Anglo-Persian
Uil Company Persian policemen in the British
Settlement at Abadan.) In this, as in all matters & *
we should cling to essentials and discard the ft / / ^
trimmings. We might, for instance, drop the p
uniform or at any rate simplify it; replace some .
of the Punjabis gradually by some element le«s • fai
foreign (e.y. } Arabs from the Yemen) keeping a
diminishing number of Punjabis as a nucleus.
9. We should aim at cutting down the three
British administrators gradually to one. The
policeman should probably be the first to go, to
he followed in course of time -my the Customs
Superintendent. But if Mr. Belgrave is even
tually to control police and customs he must
of course, be given subordinates (possibly Arab
or Egyptian) to help him and he must be relieved
also of some of his present executive work.
Belief might perhaps be given at once in judicial
matters. If he can't be relieved of judicial work
altogether his work might be confined either to
big cases or appellate work. Speaking generally
the British administrator's work should tend to
become more and more advisory an 1
10. His aim, like our aim generally, should be to
bring the Arab rule of the Sheikh more and more
into the foreground. It is no doubt very difficult
to make the amiable Hamad rule, but it is better
that he should rule and make mistakes than that
should rule and make no mistakes at all.
apparently shows that the more
we
Experience
rj vfC Jl CIl. LA y 0 AACMVJ 5 L i I tLL ullC- lalv/iV/
power within reason that is given to the far more
energetic and influential Abdulla the straighter he
runs and the smoother the administration. If it
is at all in consonance with Arab wavs it would

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Content

Correspondence, minutes, memoranda, and draft papers relating to Persia's claim to sovereignty over Bahrain. The original correspondence is principally between officials at the 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. , Foreign Office, Colonial Office, and Government of India (Foreign and Political Department). Further correspondence, included as enclosures, comes from the British Legation in Tehran, the Political 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Bahrain, the Air Ministry, the Persian Legation in London, the Persian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Sir Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain.

The volume covers the interdepartmental discussion over a number of matters relating to Persia's claim to Bahrain, including Persian representation on the island, changes to passport regulations, the question of establishing a British protectorate, Britain's relations with the Arab Shaikhs in the Gulf, the effort to prevent smuggling from the Persian mainland, Persia's relations with the Soviet Union, and how to respond to the Persians, particularly their appeal to the League of Nations in 1927.

The volume deals with the campaign in the Persian press for their historic claim and against British interference in Bahrain. Extracts and clippings from Persian and British newspapers are included throughout the volume.

Extent and format
1 volume (639 folios)
Arrangement

The volume is arranged in chronological order from the back to the front.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 641; 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.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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File 522/1922 Pt 3 'Bahrein: Persian claim to sovereignty' [‎162r] (326/1291), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1041, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100075192841.0x00007f> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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