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File 301/1921 'MESOPOTAMIA: INTELLIGENCE REPORTS' [‎76r] (162/586)

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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. .

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but he is a stranger and he speaks from far off; the people of the ‘ Iraq were
waiting tor the familiar tones which they are accustomed to hear from the
Kesidency. The state dinner given to the Amir by the Naqib served as a public
intimation that no opposition need be anticipated from that quarter. The
hJaqib,^ all honour to him, has been an essential factor in smoothing the way to
h aisals success. He has maintained unbroken his assurances of loyalty to the
British Government and when its policy was made clear to him he accepted it
without question. The scene at his official residence opposite the mosque of his
ancestor, Saiyid Abdul Qadir, under the ringed lights of its minarets, was as
impressive as it was touching. The Naqib, walking with difficulty on the arm
of his personal physician, met the Amir at the top of the stair
and after embracing him on both cheeks led him to his seat at the
upper end of the open diwan where the High Commissioner, the Commander-
in-thief and the Arab Ministers and divines were assembled. Faisal has
happily elected to appear on all public occasions in Arab dress; his white robes
and .headdress enhance his personal dignity and his choice of them has favour
ably impressed the tribal shaikhs who are flocking to Baghdad to pay him their
respects.
10. The recognition of the Amir as King of the ‘ Iraq on the part of the
Council on July 11 (see para. 6) sealed with an official impress the popular
tributes which he had received. It was the Naqib who proposed the resolution..
Faisal who from the first had been anxious that his election to the throne should
be brought about by constitutional apparatus, was overjoyed at receiving the
recognition of the provisional Government, but his opinion coincided with that
of the High Commissioner on the subject of confirming the decision of the
Council by a referendum to the nation and of using therefor, as the Council
had suggested, the machinery of the Ministry of the Interior.
11. The impatienoe of his supporters could not, however, be entirely
restrained. On July 12 the Mayor of Mu‘adhdham assembled the leading citi
zens and shaikhs who swore fealty to Faisal without further ado (see Press
Supplement, Al ‘Iraq, July 13, and Lisan al ‘Arab, July 14, where the text of
the declaration is given). Meanwhile a formula somewhat different from that
used at the Mu‘adhdham had been evolved by Naji Suwaidi as a text for a
declaration of allegiance which he and his group proposed to circulate for
signatures throughout the ‘Iraq, and forthwith began to circulate in Baghdad.
The formula was as follows:—
Referendum (Universal Suffrage) to II.H. King Faisal the First,
son of II.M. King Husain the First.
We, the undersigned, from ‘Ulama, Shaikhs, leaders of tribes, Asrafs,
notables and all leaders of middle classes also all tradesmen in general, of
different rites and religious sects, have sworn allegiance to H.H. King Faisal
the First, provided that he will be a constitutional king over the absolutely free
and independent cjountry of ' Iraq, with all its natural boundaries and head of
a constitutional representative Government and provided that the first work
to be engaged on is the election and convention of the general congress which
will draft the Organic Law and other laws which will be adopted. This work
must be achieved in three months’ time commencing from the date of taking
over his official duties.
12. It was felt that an unofficial document of this kind, distributed by
Baghdadis who are by no means favourably regarded by the shaikhs and citizens
of the provinces, would not inspire confidence. The Amir al Rabi‘ah came to
the High Commissioner’s office to protest against it, on the ground that it would
not satisfy public anxiety as to the continuance of British guidance and support,
and after him several leading tribal shaikhs came to enquire whether it were
the wish of the High Commissioner that they should sign. But already ^aissal
had given orders that the unofficial madhbatah should be stopped and the High
Commissioner, after consulting with the Amir, had instructed the Ministry o±
the Interior to form a small committee which included the Adviser to the
Interior Mr Cornwallis, ‘Abdul Majid Shawi, Fakhri Jamil /adah and Naji
Suwaidi’, to draw up an official madhbatah and decide on the best method for
circulating it.
13 The visit to Baghdad of delegations from Mosul, Basrah and other
towns was the occasion for a series of entertainments « i V n G n . h “ n ““
guests by citizens of Baghdad, culminating in a dinner in the house of Fahhii
Iffendi Jamil Zadah. These functions were accompanied by a great deal of
oratory the leading motive of which was the unity of the Iraq. The deput
ations "when they left published in the local papers their almost exaggerate
gratitude for the hospitality they had received. Oratory and parting thanks
Lay have been somewhat highflown, but words, wise or foolish, are
ant in this country to crystallize into lines of conduct, and the a
that Faisal ’s nresence in Baghdad has drawn the notables of the provinces int
S: cIpM iid Sven rSe totfie expression of a number of laudable sentimen*.

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.

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English in Latin script
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File 301/1921 'MESOPOTAMIA: INTELLIGENCE REPORTS' [‎76r] (162/586), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/962, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100111165834.0x0000a3> [accessed 30 October 2024]

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