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File 4011/1923 Pt 1 'PERSIAN GULF NEGOTIATIONS 1928-33. BASIDU.' [‎362r] (728/1306)

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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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m ust b© supportcu in v/iiting. 11ig oGnior I 18 .V 8 .I Officer considers
this action on the part of the Commanding Officer, K.M. S. "Ormonde"
to have been entirely correct.
5 . Lieutenant Gretton then sent a letter to the Persian
customs official in the following terms(in English and Persian)
I have to inform you that your customs dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. is anchored in the
territorial waters of His Britannic Majesty.
I therefore request that you will cause your dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. to be
moved into Persian waters as soon as this can be done.
This will be effected by moving your dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. about eig*tt
hundred yards to the South Eastward.
60 The letter was delivered at about 1545. The dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. got under
way and left for Lingeh at about 1730. It was ascertained that
the Persian official had completed his work at Persian Basidu.
From this and from the observed movei.iBnts of the dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. it would
therefore appear that
a. He suffered mo inconvenience from the objection made by
Lieutenant Gretton.
b. He did not in fact move the vessel out of British waters
as the immediate result of the action of Lieutenant
Gretton. The immediate cause of the moving of the vessel
was rather that the work at Persian Bassidu was finished.
7. The Senior Naval Officer, while aware that it is objection
able for a customs vessel of one country to anchor in the waters
of another for the sole purpose of carrying out national duty,
is of the opinion that the action taken by Lieutenant Gretton in
this present instance was unfortunate. The limits of Britioh
waters at Basidu are open to argument and it is common x-no..ledge
that the bay in which this vessel was anchored is in general use
by Persian vessels of all descriptions. Furthermore the Persian
official apparently made no attempt to land on British soxl. The
Senior Naval Officer has informed Lieutenant Gretton that his
action was impolitic and regrettable.
8 . £ summary of this report was communicated by telegram
t

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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.' [‎362r] (728/1306), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1094, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100077104054.0x000081> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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