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File 4722/1918 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration of policy and situation' [69v] (147/687)
The record is made up of 1 volume (326 folios). It was created in 23 Oct 1918-2 Nov 1919. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
r
20
No. 10.
KHANIQIN.
10 (7). It is well-known to every one that this poor nation of ‘Iraq
sneered many tortures at the hands of the cruel Turks ; so far so that the
craftsmen had abandoned their crafts; agriculturists, owing to the disturb
ances, had given up agriculture; cultivators, for want of seed, had
forsaken cultivation; merchants, on account of lack of capital, had
been forced to leave trade; all the property and possessions of the people
fell a prey to plunder under the iron rod of the Turks. Worst of all were
the troubles of famine and dearth brought about by the tyrannical actions
of the Turks. So intense were they that most of the people died of hunger,
“ bread ” the last word on their lips. The angels of Heaven certainly wept
tears of blood over the pitiable condition of the wronged people, none of
whom had hope of passing the day or night in security. None knew at what
moment the thread of his life would be cut. But the pen feels shame to lay
in detail before your honour all that happened. God be praised for the
blessing with which He has favoured these poor troubled people by placing
them under the control of the British Government which is just, kind, and
benevolent. Every corner of ‘Iraq has echoed with perfect liberty, happi
ness, thanks and pleasure, and all the corners of the world have resounded
with the happy news. The country of ‘Iraq through the tyrannies of the
Turks had been rendered barren desert, and its inhabitants had fled like owls
from the populated places and taken up their abode in the desert. This short
s pa ce of time has become like paradise; the deserts are well populated; hearts
aie full of pleasure and happiness. The poor have become wealthy and the
penniless well to do; men of learning are held in esteem, educational institu
tions have been re-established and teachers are happy; Takiyahs are well-
favoured and Mosques full of light. _ The doors of trade are opened; indus
tries flourish The people are held in honour and Saiyids are treated with
love and faith; trusts are cared for and dishonesty is extinct; all the mis-
nasT^Tp^Y! be | n 11 ren( ? e f d d T m . b and every comfort is at hand, and all the
past griefs have fallen into oblivion. Tracts of land which were barren and
uncultivated have been covered with green velvet. To one who watches
tllere / S f ne Y a r? ™ se( P mildn ess in the atmosphere and the heaven
JMV'fe. ‘KUS?
King-Emperor George (may His Greatness endure) begs to reonest tLtin
- « ass
enjoy the benevolent nroteetinn nf • i • V and and may always
ment. We sutonirthiTS gracious British Govern-
that it m ar fi nXltanl“n 0 ci behal( ° f 0OT and pray
[& ffne d by about ISO persons, representing all classes of the community.}
the Government oTaraq th in hlr St iand Wh 4 C e !l th to Wl Sl * 0 ’!l <1 haVe tlle reins ° r
should not include Svria and n+ttor. ’ + • t lmb country of ‘Iraq
Mosul to Basrah, should be attached^t^B 168 ] tbe Vilayets, from
division of the Government. There is no Arab wl* ^£ 4 - + bere 7 sbou l d be no
nor do we wish to have any Egvntian or anl J ° ^ t0 r \ lle tlle country.
We therefore, request the British^Government tn 6 e Se - rule tb e country.
aar- »•firaas •azr&stste
[Signed by 12 persons—Shaikhs and other Notsihl**
of Mandali. 1 presenting the peoples
Bated 4th Rabi-us-Sani 37 (January 7th, 1919).
About this item
- Content
The volume contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, telegrams and minutes regarding the administration of, and situation in, Mesopotamia [Iraq] following the Asia Minor Agreement of 1916, more commonly known as the Sykes-Picot Agreement, between the French and British governments, and the Anglo-French Declaration of November 1918. The volume also concerns the subject of self-determination in Persia [Iran].
The papers notably cover:
- Discussion of advance interpretations of the 1916 Agreement
- The Anglo-French Declaration of November 1918, which publicised their intentions and policy in the former Ottoman territories of Syria and Iraq
- Presentation of the 1918 Declaration to the President of the United States of America by the French Ambassador to the US, Jean Adrien Antoine Jules Jusserand
- Disagreement between the British and French visions of the future administration of Mesopotamia
- The situation in southern Kurdistan
- The 1919 Paris Peace Conference
- Apprehensions of the Baghdad Jewish community about the tenor of the Anglo-French Declaration, including a petition to the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, requesting to be made subjects of the British Crown
- Reaction to the Declaration from the across the Arab world
- Disagreement among the British over the form that Britain’s control in Mesopotamia should take
- The views of the principal sheikhs [shaikhs] of Mesopotamia on the 1918 Agreement
- Discussion among British officials of the benefits of control over Mesopotamia and the view of the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, Arnold Talbot Wilson, on the situation in Mesopotamia
- Discussion of the potential candidates for the head of the new state of Iraq
- Reports on consultations with political and religious leaders and inhabitants from across Iraq on the future Government of Iraq
- The views of Sir Percy Cox and Arnold Wilson on the situation in Mesopotamia
- The question of the future political status of Mesopotamia, including the views of British officers serving in Syria and the Hejaz
- Discussion of the question of Iraqi self-determination.
Notable documents in this volume include:
- Text by Sir Percy Cox regarding ‘The Future of Mesopotamia’ (ff 308-310 and ff 270-272)
- Extracts from The Times , 26 November 1819, including a series of articles under the title ‘The Arab Campaign’ (ff 230-232)
- The statutes for the independence of Iraq (ff 127-130)
- A memorandum by Major W H Young regarding the future of Mesopotamia (ff 99-112)
- Copies of ‘Self-determination in Iraq’ in Arabic (ff 75-97) and English (ff 57-73).
The principal correspondents are: 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. , Political Department; the Governor-General of India; the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad; the Military Governor and Political Officer, Baghdad; Government of India, Military Department, the French Ambassador to the United States; and the British Embassy, Paris.
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 back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (326 folios)
- Arrangement
The contents of the volume are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.
The subject 4722 (Mesopotamia) consists of ten volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/755-764. The volumes are divided into twelve parts, with parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12 comprising one volume each. Part 10 is missing. Part 7, entitled ‘Mesopotamia: Sir A. Wilson’s invitation to Syrian Baghdadis’, was transferred to File 5268/20 Parts 1 and 2 (see IOR/L/PS/10/913).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 334; 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. Multiple intermittent additional mixed foliation/pagination sequences are also present. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. The sequence contains two anomalies: f 181a and f 181b.
- Written in
- English, French and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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File 4722/1918 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration of policy and situation' [69v] (147/687), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/755, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100188328444.0x000035> [accessed 12 June 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/755
- Title
- File 4722/1918 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration of policy and situation'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1r:127v, 128ar, 128r:175v, 176ar, 176r:181v, 181ar:181av, 181cr, 181br:181bv, 182r:182v, 186r:229v, 232v:325v, 327r:334v, ii-r:ii-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence