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'C-85. 86/30 - I WIRELESS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN BAHRAIN AND SAUDI ARABIA' [‎47r] (98/398)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (195 folios). It was created in 3 Nov 1938-6 Apr 1942. 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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U(^
Copy of a letter No. PA-50 dated the 17th August 1940,
from K. [ .v. Thornburg, 3squire, to 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.
You are aware that vve have applied for permission
to operate a short-wave telephone communication system
between here and our associated Company office in Dharan,
solely as a means of gaining effective coordination of our
closely related operations at these two places.
This letter is to inform you that we do now have
a transmitter and receiver installed in our offices at Awal
for use when and if the requested permission is obtained
and arrangements for censoring are completed; and to
inform you that this set has not been used since we com
pleted our marine exploration work several months ago, and
that it has never been used for communicating with Saudi I
Arabia or any other point outside the limits of our concessi
ion.
then it is used it will be only in connection with
our own internal operations and under strict executive
supervision to insure that no conversations of an undesir
able character are held.
In connection with our application, I invite your
attention to the fact that two days ago we were obliged to
reduce our refinery throughput below its maximum capacity
for the first time since the war began. This was because j
every tank was filled and no ships in to lift our products.
The immediate reason for the shut down, from the operating
viewpoint, was that we have set aside one large tank for
holding Admiralty fuel in readiness to avoid any delay
such as was unfortunately necessary a few weeks ago; and
that we must keep two large tanks in crude service to receiv
crude by tanker from Has Tanura.
Perhaps nothing can be done about the first of theset
but we can make the two crude tanks available by increasing^
the movement of crude by barge from A1 Khobar to Zellaq
by putting lights along the channel for night hauling and ^
generally increasing the capacity of this system to allow i
discontinuance of the tanker haul from Has Tanura to Sitra.
This work was started several days ago and should be comple
ted shortly. It will cost us around $ 30,000 for install
ation and about $ 50,000 a year increased operating cost,
compared to tanker movements, none of which can be justified
if we consult only our own commercial interests. I will
add that the day before yesterday I cabled for and promptly
received authorisation to proceed with the construction
of 227,000 barrels additional storage. This represents
an investment of about % 300,000 which will be without
commercial value to us for a long time to come. This
tankage, however, will not be available for six to ten x
months.
I am most reluctant to proceed with night hauling
from A1 Khobar until we have telephonic communication
established. We have 'already lost four employees’ lives
between here and A1 Khobar directly because of lack of «
c ommunica tion. /- ;

About this item

Content

The volume comprises correspondence regarding applications from the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) and California Arabian Standard Oil Company (CASOC), represented primarily by Hamilton R Ballantyne and Max Weston Thornburg, for permission to install wireless apparatus and operate wireless telegraphy between Dhahran [Aẓ-Ẓahrān] and Awali [ʻAwālī].

The discussion, which is primarily between 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. at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman, Reginald George Evelin Alban), 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. (Trenchard Craven Fowle, Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , 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. (Roland Tennyson peel, John Percival Gibson, Esmond Walter Rawson Lumby), and the Imperial Communications Advisory Committee (William Warren Shaw-Zambra) relates initially to the question of whether Cable and Wireless have a monopoly on international telegraphic communications in Bahrain, and whether therefore such a proposal would infringe on that.

The later correspondence discusses the wartime implications of such a communication service, particularly in regards to the question of censorship, and its possibilities as an advance warning of enemy aircraft from Arabia, which arises following the air raid on CASOC’s facility at Dhahran in 1941.

Also discussed in the volume is a proposal for an agreement between Cable and Wireless and BAPCO whereby Cable and Wireless would operate the services required by BAPCO for a fee, but it was ultimately abandoned owing to restrictions laid down by the Saudi Arab Government that wireless communication between the two companies would only be permitted provided the recipient wireless sets in Bahrain were on BAPCO sites only.Other matters discussed in the volume include:

  • the discovery that CASOC were using wireless sets on board launches and tankers outside of the territorial waters of Saudi Arabia to communicate direct with the USA and whether or not this contravened international laws or regulations;
  • the potential expansion of the Bahrain refinery to accommodate wartime needs, using crude oil shipped from Saudi Arabia;
  • an agreement made in 1935 between the Saudi Government, Sudan Government, Eastern Telegraph Company and Cable and Wireless which granted Cable and Wireless a monopoly in Saudi Arabia;
  • concerns over the Saudi Arabian Mining Syndicate and their lack of awareness and concern over the need for secrecy in wartime.

A series of file notes which were maintained as a record of the correspondence in the volume can be found at folios 186-193.

Extent and format
1 volume (195 folios)
Arrangement

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

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 197; 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 5-185; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'C-85. 86/30 - I WIRELESS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN BAHRAIN AND SAUDI ARABIA' [‎47r] (98/398), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/698, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100086621659.0x000063> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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