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File 4011/1923 Pt 1 'PERSIAN GULF NEGOTIATIONS 1928-33. BASIDU.' [‎47v] (99/1306)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (649 folios). It was created in 22 Oct 1923-29 Nov 1933. It was written in English, French 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. .

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//A Tplppraoh Agreement between His Majesty s Government and
Muscat of 1804 ~specifieally saves the title of His Majesty’s Govern
ment to Basidu, “that station having been freely granted to the
British Government by my late father .... on behalf of himself, his
heirs and successors. -, 0 po + a -e
(d) The re-lease of Bandar Abbas of 1868 repeats and, if anyth^,
emphasises the articles in the lease of 1855 referred to above.
10 r t i s noteworthy, moreover, that in the period 1823-1928 not only does
it anneir that there was no challenge even in general terms by Persia to our
sneeml position or rights in Basidu. but that we appear in 1905 and again in
1930 to have referred without contradiction to the concession as British territory
-.af to the local Persian customs oflitials.
Conclusion.
14 The general impression left as the result of a close iii\estimation of the
relevant correspondence is that the claims of the Imam of Muscat to have held
Kishm, and so Basidu, in sovereignty at any recent period are probably
ill founded, and that it would be difficult to fight a case on the material at our
disposal; that, on this assumption, the grant to us of the Island of Kishm
(ultimately in practice restricted to the occupation of Basidu) in 1820 was made
by the Imam in his capacity of a tenant of Persia; that, this being the case,
Persia must be regarded as having tacitly confirmed in 1855 and again in 1868
the grant of the concession, though without specifically prejudicing her own
claims in regard to sovereignty; and that, in the circumstances, such rights as
we may possess in the area and such title as we may be able to claim to it must
be based on—
{a) Unchallenged occupation for over a century.
\b) The tacit recognition by Persia of our position constituted by the
phrasing of the Persian leases to Muscat of 1855 and 1868,
articles 2 and 14 of the Treaty of Paris of 1857, article 6 of the
Anglo-Muscat Telegraph Agreement of 1864, and such minor
incidents as the assertions made apparently unchallenged by us from
time to time that the station was British territory and its waters
British territorial waters. It is for the Law Officers to advise, if the
view suggested above as to. the status of British Basidu is accepted as
correct, whether we can decline to evacuate the concession save on our
own terms in view of the length of the period of uninterrupted and
unchallenged occupation, and the degree of recognition of our special
position, which the minor incidents referred to above might be held
to constitute; and to say what, if any, rights we are entitled to
exercise in it, and in particular whether we are justified in regarding
it as British territory and its waters as British territorial waters, so
long as we remain in possession.
J. G. L.
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. , October 18, 1933.
Enclosure 2 in No. 1 .
Paper B.
Basidu : Historical Note, 1720-1928.
Period between 1720 and 1800.
ACCORDING to Lorimer's Gazetteer, the Arabs of the Oman Coast do not
appear to have been much in evidence in the neighbourhood of Bandar Abbas or.
indeed, on the Persian side of the Gulf before the Afghan invasion of P^ sia I
which began in 1720. About 1720 certain islands, including apparently Kisnnt
were seized by the “ Muscateers.” A Persian army under Lutf Ali Khan wa
>ent into the interior of Bandar Abbas, but returned north to Kirman 1

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Content

This volume relates to the British occupation of Basidu, situated on Kishm [Qeshm] Island in the Gulf, close to the south coast of Persia [Iran], and occupied by the British since the early 1820s. It is stated in the correspondence that the site had been used mainly as a coal depot for British naval vessels until 1913, and that since then it has been retained on 'political grounds', as a potential bargaining asset in negotiations with Persia.

The correspondence primarily concerns the British claim (or lack thereof) to Basidu, in the event of the Persian Government questioning Britain's ongoing occupation. It covers the history of Basidu's status and the various existing agreements that relate to it, as part of an attempt by the British to gather documentary evidence to support their claim. Also discussed are a number of reported incidents at Basidu, involving British representatives and the local Persian authorities, mainly regarding customs, taxes, and the presence of the British naval guard. In addition, the correspondence touches on Anglo-Persian relations in general, with occasional references being made to ongoing treaty negotiations between the two countries.

The volume's principal correspondents are as follows: 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. ; the British Minister in Tehran; the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; officials of 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. , the Foreign Office, the Admiralty, and the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department. Other notable but less frequent correspondents include the following: the Foreign Secretary to the Government of India; the Viceroy of India; the Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station; the Law Officers of the Crown.

Included with the correspondence are several related documents, including the following: two sketch maps (f 622); copies (in English and Arabic) of a treaty dated 1856 between Muscat and Persia, in which the Imam of Muscat acknowledges Kishm Island as being part of the Persian Empire (f 179 and ff 221-223); draft and final copies of an 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. memorandum dated 18 October 1933, outlining Britain's understanding of the history of the status of Basidu from 1720 to 1928, including extracts from nineteenth century reports and related correspondence (ff 46-54 and ff 123-159); a submission of reference, prepared by 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. and the Foreign Office, for the Law Officers of the Crown, requesting the latter's legal opinion on the strength of the British claim to Basidu (ff 43-45 and ff 67-83); a copy of a secret report on Basidu, prepared by the Commander-in-Chief at the East Indies Station, containing extracts from the East Indies Station's records and notes from the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (ff 16-38).

The Arabic language material consists of the aforementioned treaty text. The material written in French consists of small extracts from correspondence and treaty articles. It should be noted that there is no material covering the years 1924 and 1925.

The volume includes two dividers, which give a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence (ff 4-5).

Extent and format
1 volume (649 folios)
Arrangement

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

The subject 4011 ( Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Negotiations) consists of two volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/1094-1095. The volumes are divided into two parts, with each part comprising one volume.

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 651; 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, French and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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File 4011/1923 Pt 1 'PERSIAN GULF NEGOTIATIONS 1928-33. BASIDU.' [‎47v] (99/1306), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1094, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100077104051.0x000064> [accessed 25 April 2024]

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