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'File 53/83 I (D 99) Kuwait-Iraq Smuggling' [‎91r] (196/716)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (355 folios). It was created in 11 Jan 1933-29 May 1934. 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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anything at all going out from Kuwait into his dominions,
but without real success; Iraq is threatening to act in simi
lar maifcer, by asking Kuwait to agree to impossible conditions
such as her posting of guard ships off the Shatt al Arab etc.
What is Kuwait's answer? She merely asks both Bin 8aud and
in the present case Iraq to do as other nations of the world
do, and not interfere with her trade with the interior, but
place a sufficiency of customs posts on or near the frontier
line to ensure that customs duty is paid. But one cannot
help feeling that Iraq, like Saudiyeh, does not want such an
arrangement: The object of both being to kill Kuwait and not
to collect customs.
12, It may be of interest to know that from certain
underground sources at my disposal, I learn that smuggling
into Iraq has greatly decreased of late, and that far the
greater quantity of contraband i s today going into Nejd. This
is due, in the main, to the rumours of war between S^udiyeh
and Yemen and the consequent lessening of control which has
resulted.
13 # Another point of interest is that several caravans
at present small, have recently left Kuwait for the Hanran
district of Damascus.
I have the honour to be.
Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
Lt.-Colonel,
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. , Kuwait.

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Content

This file contains correspondence regarding alleged smuggling activities from Kuwait into Iraq. Primarily, the file contains internal correspondence between British officials but it also includes correspondence between British officials (primarily Harold Richard Patrick Dickson, the British 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. in Kuwait) and Shaikh Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ, the ruler of Kuwait as well as correspondence between British officials and the Government of Iraq.

The majority of the correspondence discusses two incidents, in April and October 1933 respectively, in which Iraqi Customs Authorities attacked Kuwaiti sailing vessels, both of the incidents resulted in the death and injury of Kuwaiti subjects.

The file contains the following maps:

  • Rough sketch of Kuwait-Iraq maritime frontier to illustrate the October 1933 incident (f 121)
  • Two rough sketch maps showing Iraq's territorial water boundary (f 148 + f 149)
  • Two rough sketch maps showing the official frontier lines of Kuwait (f 312 + f 320A)
  • Copy of a tracing of Warba Island and its vicinity made by HMS Sphynx in 1903 (f 321).

The file contains a detailed note entitled 'On the contraband problem of Iraq with her neighbours, and in particular how it affects Kuwait' (ff 45-55) and a report on the supply of drinking water in Kuwait (ff 140-148) both of which were written by Dickson, 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. in Kuwait.

Extent and format
1 volume (355 folios)
Arrangement

File is arranged in chronological order, from earliest at beginning of the file to most recent at end.

Serial numbers in red crayon refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.

Physical characteristics

Condition: A bound correspondence volume.

Foliation: The file's foliation is written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio. The foliation sequence, which should be used for referencing, begins with the first item of correspondence, on number 1, and ends on the last folio with text, on number 349.

The file contains the following foliation errors: f 147 is followed by f 147A; f 320 is followed by f 320A and the following omissions: ff 252-256. Note: f 148 and f 149 are stored in an envelope which is attached to f 147A; f 320A and f 321 are stored in an envelope which is attached to f 320.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'File 53/83 I (D 99) Kuwait-Iraq Smuggling' [‎91r] (196/716), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/531, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023510122.0x0000c5> [accessed 1 April 2025]

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