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Coll 30/213 'U.S. Desire to Establish Consulate at Bahrein.' [‎134r] (271/491)

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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. .

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Bahrein.
Sir Maurice Peterson recalled that we had made a proposal for the American
consul at Dhahran to visit Bahrein periodically. It was only two hours away and
a launch went daily. At a later meeting Mr. Wallace Murray had emphasised
the needs of the American oil personnel who were now coming to Bahrein, and had
raised the question of how local cases of assault should be dealt with. It appeared
that meanwhile a proposal had been made for American police to go to Behrein
to help deal with the situation.
In the subsequent discussion Mr. Wallace Murray explained that consider
able numbers of oil personnel would come. The existing system had been all right
in pre-war conditions, but did not meet the needs of present conditions. He
thought that British and American ideas of justice went together, and that we
would understand that America wanted to feel they were subject to the juris
diction of one of their own kind.
This led to a discussion of the question of jurisdiction. It was explained to
Mr. Wallace Murray and Mr. Kohler that American citizens in common with all
foreigners were subject to the jurisdiction not of the sheikh but of the Political
Agent. American citizens in common with other foreigners were subject to the
local courts in Persia and Iraq, and doubts were expressed regarding any
suggestion that an American Consular court should be set up in Bahrein.
Mr. Wallace Murray and Mr. Kohler gave it to be understood that the
situation regarding jurisdiction over foreigners had not been clearly understood
in the State Department when they left. Nevertheless they suggested that in
order to cope with thequite exceptional temporary war situation we mightexamine
the idea of having some sort of joint bench to consider the difficult cases that
would be liable to arise. Mr. Peel undertook to consider this.
As regards the police Mr. Kohler expressed doubt whether the American
Government could accept the suggestion made by the American military authorities
in Bahrein that American military police should exercise any jurisdiction oyer
American civilians. He suggested that the best solution would be that the special
company police should be employed under the executive authority of the Political
Acrent for the purpose of keeping order. (In a subsequent conversation after
Mr. Wallace Murray had left, Sir Maurice Peterson and Mr. Peel came to the
conclusion that it would be undesirable to leave the keeping of order among
American personnel and foreigners generally in Bahrein entirely to American
police, and that the need for "strengthening our position by providing British
personnel to superintend and work with any Americans employed under the
jurisdiction of 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. should be considered. Mr. Peel undertook
to go into this question also.)
As regards the American Consul, Mr. Peel explained at length the political
and other difficulties which the appointment of a resident American Consul would
raise from the British point of view. He expressed the strong hope that
Mr. Wallace Murray would accept the proposal for a visiting Consul and would
at any rate give it a trial. Sir Maurice Peterson said that if the system did not
work we would reconsider it with the State Department with a view to finding a
system that did work. He recognised the need for a workable system in practice.
He said that the oil company might put an office at the disposal of the Consul
and possibly also a clerk, and that direct contact might be maintained by the
wireless telephone, for which facilities could no doubt be arranged.
Mr. Wallace Murray objected to the argument that Americans and Persians
should appear to be treated by us on the same footing. Nevertheless he seemed to
accept the system of a visiting Consul, and said we would see how it worked out.
[27379]
D

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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
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Coll 30/213 'U.S. Desire to Establish Consulate at Bahrein.' [‎134r] (271/491), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3956, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100080300618.0x000048> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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