File 4011/1923 Pt 1 'PERSIAN GULF NEGOTIATIONS 1928-33. BASIDU.' [266v] (537/1306)
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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
^ A*
*'4u
and almost without cnaiienge
a lease from the Sultan of Muscat, the Sultan
had granted that lease in his capacity of tenant
hy Persia. A conclusive argument in favour of
this view of the Sultan’s position was contained
/A,‘ia * TZM-SCf-t '
in the Agreement of 185^TTinder which the Persian
Government "entrust the government of Bunder Ahhas
A
the islands of Kishirt. and Ormuz and all their
dependencies that are of the very territories of
the Exalted Government to His Highness.. .the lm«n
of Muscat and Oman. His Highness should act
according to these conditions and not avoid any of
them." Subsequent articles of the j-ra&ty make it
perfectly clear that the territories in question are
regarded as the property of Persia and are merely
leased on terms to the Muscat authorities. Muscat
dM not question the Persian contentions and it would,
1 think, be quite impossible for us, if the matter
ever came to a legal investigation, to contend that
Basidu belongs to Muscat and that we are, therefore,
entitled to retain our naval station there subject
to agreement with the sultan.
3. This view has been upheld by the foreign office
in the letter of 27th July now submitted, in which they
reply to a suggestion by Mr. Hoare that our position
at Basidu is really very much stronger than w e have
hi Jierto imagined. We must, I fear, agree with the
ign Office conclusions. But here, as elsewhere in
the treaty negotiations, they are inclined to put our
own claims^their lowest and to assme that the
weaknesses of our case are fully known to the Persians.
doubt if this is really the case in the present instance
and although we could not resist a Persian claim in the
sort, there is a good deal to be said fdr making
About this item
- 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 View the complete information for this record
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File 4011/1923 Pt 1 'PERSIAN GULF NEGOTIATIONS 1928-33. BASIDU.' [266v] (537/1306), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1094, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100077104053.0x00008a> [accessed 14 July 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/1094
- Title
- File 4011/1923 Pt 1 'PERSIAN GULF NEGOTIATIONS 1928-33. BASIDU.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:43r, 45r:52r, 53v, 55r:56r, 58r:71v, 73r:73v, 75r:75v, 78r:102v, 104r:104v, 107v:151v, 155r:162v, 168r:178v, 180r:198v, 200r:206v, 208r:220v, 224r:240v, 245r:251v, 256r:258v, 260r:302v, 306r:329v, 333r:344v, 346r:596v, 598r:621v, 623r:650v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence
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