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File 301/1921 'MESOPOTAMIA: INTELLIGENCE REPORTS' [74v] (159/586)
The record is made up of 1 volume (289 folios). It was created in 15 Nov 1920-31 Oct 1921. 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.
He had meantime come down to Baghdad from Tikrit without waiting for the
High Commissioner’s reply to his letter, and had been allowed to remain under
guarantee from the Mutasarrif.
3. At the meeting of July 6 the Ministry of Works proposed to ask for
budget provision of Rs. 2,10,000 for administrative expenditure on the Depart
ment of Surveys. This was agreed to.
4. jThe disposal of the Hillah-Kifi light railway was discussed at the same
meeting. The High Commissioner had informed the Council that it was not
the intention of Government to retain it and asked their opinion as to whether
a private purchaser could be found. The Council were in favour of seeking
some means for carrying out this suggestion and also of continuing the line to
Kufah and Najaf under the same conditions.
5. ‘Abdul Majid al Shawi, president of the Committee of Entertainment,
asked that orders should be passed for further provision of funds required by
the Amir’s Diwan. The matter was referred to a committee which included
Mr. Cornwallis.
6. On July 9th the following letter was received from the Secretary to
the Council:—
Office of the Council of State,
Baghdad, July 8th, 1921.
To—The Secretary to His Excellency the High Commissioner, Baghdad.
Sir,
With reference to my letter dated April 7th, No. 131/S, I am desired by
the President of the Council of State to request you to enquire from His
Excellency the High Commissioner what is the immediate cause of the delay in
the completion of the final draft of the Electoral Law.
1 he President of the Council of State would be glad to learn whether His
Excellency the High Commissioner sees any objection to the Law being com
pleted and promulgated with all possible despatch.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most nbedient servant,
(Sd.) H. A. AFNAN,
Secretary to the Council of the State.
The High Commissioner sent the following reply:
Vyrx IUE UE THE XlIGH COMMISSIONER,
Baghdad, 8th July, 1921.
To Secretary to the Council of State, Baghdad.
Memorandum.
I am desired to reply to your memorandum No. 535/1 dated 8th July.
the re f rets J; hat there has been unavoidable delay in
due to fina raf S lectoral Law - This delay has been solely
cases* o/tL d lSi t | y Tr XP ^ n0ed “ ® n . dln 6 a formula which would cover the
Sevres I the h A ? - comm ™ rtles “ ‘Iraq which, uuder the Treaty of
Stoe wSe mtitS tn n t miSS1 ° n “ la V lready ex P la ined to the Council of
fctate, were entitled to certain special safeguards.
able ^iveramme 1 of W mdnln XiStS llas . 1 been explicated by the fact that a eonsider-
themselves ns to flip mw.' 1 ' pr f7 aib i ^e various Kurdish communities
with reference to the rw P °i P osltlon they should occupy in the future
Ceaty’s 6 High Co^iss^ G0Vernment at BaBMad and His B "
now promuTthe Comid/of^tnt appreciates the cogent reasons which
EkcATEL* and Zdnglgtdto alfS drc,™/" 1 " ° f ^
mulo-ate tho T,nw in i 1 ^ 1 a11 t circunis tances he is ready to pro-
dded that it indeed t^(- a 1- p 1 resented t0 him b y the Co'rnoil of State pro-
particSuafe in tS eWtlf ^ r t dlSh f™ities ™ ‘Iraq shall be at liberty to
each case prefer and also 1 e ' a , ,n . rfan Participation, as they may in
eacn case preter, and also that their participation or non-participation, shall not
About this item
- Content
This volume contains the Intelligence Reports of Sir Percy Cox, High Commissioner for Mesopotamia [also written as Iraq in this volume], based in Baghdad, covering the period 15 November 1920 to 15 September 1921. They largely relate to: the political situation in Mesopotamia and the surrounding region; the formation and proceedings of the provisional government; the events leading up to the creation of Mandatory Iraq [also known as the Kingdom of Iraq under British Administration] and the election and appointment of Faisal [Fayṣal bin Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] as the first King of Iraq [Fayṣal I].
The Intelligence Reports are numbered and appear to have been issued at two-week intervals. This volume contains the reports numbered 1-3, 9-19 and 21. There is no explanation in the volume regarding the reason for the absent reports. The format of the reports is a mixture of printed and copy typescript. Each report is preceded by a covering circular issued by the office of the High Commissioner indicating the British Government departments and the officers and departments in the Middle East to which the report was copied.
Report Nos. 1-3 are preceded by an assessment of the political situation described in the Intelligence Report, written by Major R Marrs.
The reports generally comprise the following sections:
- A summary of the report (from report No. 14 onwards only)
- An account of the proceedings of the Council of Ministers
- Analysis of current public opinion and allegiances, (notably an analysis of public opinion on the Amir [Emir] Faisal and his arrival in Mesopotamia, including a reference to his 'personal magnetism', f 88), in report Nos 16-19
- Notes on provincial affairs
- Notes on the situation at the frontiers
- Extracts of 'Iraq Police Abstracts of Intelligence' (reports No. 9-14 only).
Other subjects notably covered in various reports include:
- Assyrian, Armenian and Urumiyan [Urmian] refugees (report Nos. 2 and 19)
- Perceived foreign influences in Iraq (report Nos. 2 and 3)
- The withdrawal of Saiyid [Sayyid] Talib Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. [Sayyid Ṭālib bin Rajab al-Naqīb] from the Government and Baghdad (report No. 12)
- Kurdistan (report Nos. 12-14)
- Turkish and Kurdish Frontiers (report No. 12)
- Dair al Zor [Deir ez-Zor] (report Nos. 1 and 12)
- Notes on 'Internal Affairs' (Nos. 18 and 19)
- Analysis of the referendum result which confirmed the election of Faisal as Iraq's first monarch (report No. 19)
- The formation of King Faisal's first cabinet (report No. 21).
Appendices are included with some reports, usually comprising copies of the High Commissioner's proclamations or communications 'to the people of Iraq' or documents relevant to the particular report (notably 'Provisional scheme for the re-organisation of the law courts' and 'Report of the committee constituted for studying the irrigation problem in Mesopotamia' in report No. 9).
Each report is concluded with a Supplement or Press Bureau Report, comprising extensive summaries and extracts of newspaper articles published in the local and 'foreign' (local region mainly) press. Notable publications cited are: Al 'Iraq , Al Fallah Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour. , Al Dijlah , and (Syrian publication) Lissan al 'Arab.
The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (front of the volume).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (289 folios)
- Arrangement
The reports are arranged mostly in numerical/chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume. Report No. 18 is followed by Report No. 21 and then Report No. 19 which is the last report in the volume.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 284; 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 foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the two leading and two ending flyleaves. The sequence contains one foliation anomaly: f 267a.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/962
- Title
- File 301/1921 'MESOPOTAMIA: INTELLIGENCE REPORTS'
- Pages
- 220r:222r, 80r, 74v, 58v, 28r:32r
- Author
- Government of Iraq
- Usage terms
- The copyright status is unknown. Please contact [email protected] with any information you have regarding this item.