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The Arab Gulf States International Relations and Economic Development

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The Arab Gulf States International Relations and Economic Development The Arab Gulf States International Relations and Economic Development British India Office Political and Secret Files, c. 1914-1948 Vital source for the history of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman Many files were previously classified as Secret, Top Secret or Confidential Including Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf Oil exploration and concessions, 1912-1949 Online Finding Aid at www.idc.nl Advisor: Penelope Tuson, Former Curator of Middle East Archives, Oriental & India Office Collections (OIOC, now part of the Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections), British Library The Arab Gulf States The first half of the twentieth century was a period of unprecedented change in the Arab Gulf states. Because of their strategic and geopolitical importance on the route between Europe and Asia, these tiny desert shaikhdoms had for centuries been the focus of international attention. However, the discovery of potentially vast reserves of oil in the 1920s and 1930s began an unprecedented transformation which was eventually to produce the vibrant and powerful modern city states of today. The archives of the Political and Secret Department of the India Office are an outstanding source for the history of this period. Beginning with J.G.Lorimer’s famous Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, this collection consists of confidential reports, maps, handbooks and printed memoranda, as well as policy files, made available in their entirety for the first time, describing the detailed background to diplomatic and economic negotiations and international interests in the region. Historical background British relations with the Gulf States Department papers have now been In 1903 the British Government of India, During this period of economic, social catalogued under the OIOC reference anxious to assert imperial authority in and political change, the British L/PS. From 1902 to 1930 the subject the Gulf, commissioned a exercised unrivalled influence in the files are located under the reference comprehensive Gazetteer of the area. It region and, through their political L/P&S/10. Around 1930/1931 the was compiled by John Gordon Lorimer, representatives and advisers in each department replaced its subject file an official of the political service in state, they observed and reported on all system with a new series of India. Lorimer began his work while aspects of life. Because of their “Collections”, arranged according to accompanying the Viceroy of India, Lord proximity to the Subcontinent, the Arab geographical area. Some of these Curzon, on a tour of the Gulf, also Gulf states were drawn into the collections were bound; others, designed to demonstrate Britain’s administrative sphere of the British particularly in the immediately pre-war dominance and power. Printed for Empire in India. The archives of the and World War II years, were simply government use only, and classified as Political and Secret Department of the placed on tagged files. They are now secret, the Gazetteer was completed in British Government’s India Office are catalogued under the reference 1915 and far exceeded its original terms therefore a vital source for the history of L/P&S/12. Material in this of reference. Generally accepted the Gulf. British relations with the Gulf IDC Publishers’ series is drawn mainly nowadays as one of the greatest works shaikhdoms were conducted locally by a from “Collection” 30 (Persian Gulf) with ever to be produced on the region, British Political Resident who until 1948 some relevant additional material from Lorimer’s Gazetteer, the first item in this was stationed on the Persian side at Collection 5 (Aviation). IDC Publishers’ collection, includes Bushehr. Political Agents and locally detailed geographical, topographical, appointed officials were posted to Contents of files historical and economic information Bahrain, Kuwait, Muscat and Sharjah. The materials in this collection focus on which still provides the starting point for Both Resident and Agents reported the Gulf states in the economic and any research on the Gulf states. directly to the imperial administrations international sphere. IDC Publishers in Bombay, Calcutta or Delhi and, proposes to make available a second Oil exploration in the Gulf began on the ultimately, to the India Office in London, collection in 2005 which will complete Persian side at the beginning of the where the department responsible for the the project with the entire set of Political twentieth century and the importance of conduct and supervision of relations with and Secret files relating to the internal controlling oil supplies was highlighted the Gulf was the Political and Secret affairs and inter-state regional relations by the First World War. After the War, Department. The Political and Secret and boundaries of the Arab Gulf states. the first oil negotiations in the Arab Gulf Department also liaised, and discussed These sets will also complement the shaikhdoms focused the attention of issues of Gulf policy, with other British previously published collections of world industrial powers on both the government departments such as the Political and Secret files on “The potential profits and also the strategic Foreign Office, Colonial Office, War Creation of Iraq” and “The Creation of and economic implications of the oil Office and Air Ministry. Modern Saudi Arabia”, both of which business. At the same time the arrival of include material of interest to the Gulf oil men, negotiators, geologists and Provenance and archival background states. technicians brought in much larger The India Office Political and Secret expatriate communities and contributed Department archives form part of the In this present collection, the first to the development of communications Oriental and India Office Collections section of gazetteers and handbooks and infrastructure projects such as the (OIOC, now part of the Asia, Pacific and includes military, naval and Arabian Gulf coast air route. Meanwhile, Africa Collections) at the British hydrographic reports as well as offshore, parallel negotiations were Library. From 1902 the most important diplomatic treaties. However, the items taking place, sometimes relating to oil of the Political and Secret Department’s also encompass a wide-range of and communications and sometimes correspondence and papers accumulated historical, topographical, social, tribal relating to strategic issues, on the in London were registered, indexed and and biographical information. The question of ownership of the many small bound in files according to subject. At Political and Secret departmental papers islands in the Gulf. When the Second the same time the department also (sections 2-4) consist of policy files and World War started in 1939 the British maintained its own reference library of documents relating to international and were concerned with putting in place confidential handbooks for the restricted regional diplomatic negotiations. They adequate defense measures for each of use of its own officials, as did the include questions of Gulf island the Arab Gulf states and for the Gulf Military and other India Office sovereignty and offshore regional waterways. departments. The Political and Secret boundary disputes; papers on the development and exploitation of oil Organization of the files resources, including signed concession For the present publication the material has been arranged in four groups. and exploration agreements; reports and The first group (BGS-1) comprises printed gazetteers and handbooks now surveys relating to navigation and trade preserved in the departmental library of the Political and Secret Department in the Gulf; and the development and (L/P&S/20) together with a few relevant items from the library of the India exploitation of aviation and the Arabian Office Military Department (L/MIL/17). Gulf air route, together with agreements The other groups (BGS-2 through BGS-4) comprise India Office Political and with local rulers for aerodromes, rest- Secret Department subject files and collections arranged broadly according to houses and landing rights. The files subject. include many documents in Arabic (always with English translations), BGS – 1 Gazetteers and Handbooks, (1820) 1907-1940 notably correspondence and agreements BGS – 2 Oil exploration and oil concessions, 1912-1949 with Gulf state rulers. BGS – 3 Strategic interests in the Gulf, 1914-1951 The economic development of BGS – 4 Trade and communications, 1926-1949 individual states – Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Within the four groups the following information is provided for each item: Oman – and their relations both with Section 1, fiche number; print title; date and place of publication; security each other and with the wider world are classification; number of pages; and OIOC reference number described in the regular and detailed Sections 2-4, fiche number, original file title and, where appropriate, additional reports from British officials. The summary of contents; covering dates; OIOC reference number and (in the case British and international perspective is of files) original P&S registry number; number of pages or folios. set out in minutes of interdepartmental meetings, diplomatic correspondence and inter-governmental discussions. Some of the most perceptive and informative comments are found in the General information typed or, more often, handwritten notes of senior India Office officials. Scope 27,094 exposures/frames Sometimes scribbled in the margins of Number of fiche* 546 documents
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