Skip to item: of 491
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

Coll 30/213 'U.S. Desire to Establish Consulate at Bahrein.' [‎35v] (74/491)

This item is part of

The record is made up of 1 file (243 folios). It was created in 8 Feb 1943-9 Jan 1948. 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.

Apply page layout

trW
uk-
please refer to the submission at Ext.1927/45*
From the replies received from 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.
and the Government of India (their telegrams 851 end 4205
respectively) it will be seen that while they are generally
in agreement with the proposed reply to the U.S*J3nbassy,
they consider that it would be better to make no mention
of Koweit. Kuwait is not mentioned in the U.S.anbassy's
letter of the 22nd March and, in fact, all we have had
from the Americans is the mention by the Vice Consul,
Dhahran,in conversation with 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. , Bahrein,
that Koweit was within the sphere of the U.S.Consul at
Basra . There is thus no particular reason why we need
mention Koweit to Embassy in replying, except
that the point will have to be cleared up sooner
or later. It is perhaps better that this should be later
rather than sooner, since there is still the grant of an oil
concession covering the Sheikh of Koweit's rights in the
Koweit neutral zone* to be decided. It will be remembered that
Ibn Saud and the Sheikh of Koweit enjoy equal rights in this
zone until such time as further agreement is made between the
two rulers. The Arabian American Oil Company have a concession
covering Ibn Saud*s rights in the zone but the Sheikh of Koweit
has consistently refused to discuss the question of his rights
in the neutral zone, probably because he hopes that on Ibn
Saud* s death he will be able to implement his claim to the
whole of the area. It is possible that if we raise the question
of their informal consular jurisdiction with the Americans this
may encourage them to take a renewed interest in oil rights
in the neutral zone, and this we would wish to avoid so long
as possible. On the whole, therefore, it may perhaps be better
not to mention Koweit to the Americans on the present occasion.
As regards the last paragraph but one of the Foreign
Office’s letter of 23rd April,it will be remembered that we
have already sent 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. sane instructions as
regards his attitude to the United States Vice Consul (our
letter of the 10th January, Ext.5914/44)* I have asked the
Foreign Office whether they want us to send something further
and they are looking into the point.
^ .
/u <t^ rL ~
Draft letter to the Foreign Office is submitted,

About this item

Content

The file concerns a request from the Government of the United States of America (US, USA) to the British Government in 1943 to be allowed to open a consulate at Bahrain, in view of the construction of additional oil refining facilities at Bahrain, and a consequent increase in the numbers of American personnel and shipping there (folio 241). However, the British Government rejected the approach (Foreign Office letter, folios 239-240), and saw 'difficulties and dangers' in allowing foreign consular representation at Bahrain ( 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. minute, folios 195-196). Later papers, dated 1944-48, show the reaction of the British Government to attempts by the US Government to extend the influence of the US vice-consulate at Dhahran (and the vice-consulate at Basra) to the Gulf states. The papers show that there was a dichotomy between the attitude of 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 Foreign Office towards American influence in Bahrain (e.g. folio 59).

The papers cover: correspondence from 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 Government of India, 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. , Bahrain; the attitude of the Ruler of Bahrain; British agreement to the establishment of a US consulate at Dhahran, February-March 1944; the issue of the extension of the US Consul's exequatur to Bahrain, March - April 1944; clarification for the US Government of the issue of jurisdiction over foreigners in Bahrain; the issue of policing in Bahrain; reports of discussions between representatives of the British Government and the US representative Wallace Murray, 1944; British Government correspondence concerning the actual numbers of US citizens resident in Bahrain (e.g. folio 123); a US demand that an American citizen act as a Bahrain judge in all criminal cases in which the defendant was an American citizen (folio 119); correspondence concerning the activities of the US Vice-Consul, Dhahran, October-December 1944; the decision over whether to issue visas to the US Vice-Consul at Dhahran to visit Qatar and the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. , December 1944; US relations with Muscat, March 1945; the visit of the US Vice-Consul at Basrah [Basra] to Kuwait, in July 1945 (report dated August 1945); the issue of competing British and US interests in the Middle East (e.g. folio 14); and Foreign Office stress on the need to reduce friction between British officials and American citizens, whether officials or private individuals, November 1947 (folio 12).

The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 file (243 folios)
Arrangement

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

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 243; 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. The file contains one foliation anomaly, f 158A.

Written in
English in Latin script
View the complete information for this record

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

Coll 30/213 'U.S. Desire to Establish Consulate at Bahrein.' [‎35v] (74/491), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3956, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100080300617.0x00004b> [accessed 18 April 2024]

Link to this item
Embed this item

Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100080300617.0x00004b">Coll 30/213 'U.S. Desire to Establish Consulate at Bahrein.' [&lrm;35v] (74/491)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100080300617.0x00004b">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000648.0x00020f/IOR_L_PS_12_3956_0074.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000648.0x00020f/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image