!['File 73/7 II (D 22) Status of Koweit [Kuwait] - Baghdad railway, Anglo Turkish negotiations' [‎208v] (422/540)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x000248/IOR_R_15_1_611_0422.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "'File 73/7 II (D 22) Status of Koweit [Kuwait] - Baghdad railway, Anglo Turkish negotiations' [‎208v] (422/540)")
'File 73/7 II (D 22) Status of Koweit [Kuwait] - Baghdad railway, Anglo Turkish negotiations' [208v] (422/540)
The record is made up of 1 volume (268 folios). It was created in 24 Oct 1911-26 Dec 1912. 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.
32
important sacrifice made by His Majesty's Government m the matter of British
participation in the Baghdad Eailway, and that they will meet that sacrifice by a
corresponding modification of the views set forth m the Turkish memorandum
of the ISth April.
8. His Maiesty's Government must, in the first instance, protest against the
contention that there is a misunderstanding with regard to the assurance given,
and repeatedly given, to Her Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople, to the ettect
that Turkey did not entertain any intention of obtaining the supremacy over
Bahrain, Maskat, or the independent tribes on the coast of the 1 ersian uult.
9. The original despatches, duly signed and dated, in which these assurances
were reported, have been carefully preserved in the archives of the Foreign O ce,
and they can readily be produced for the inspection of the Turkish Embassy.
10. His Majesty's Government are unable to admit that any of the arguments
adduced in the Turkish memorandum in any way invalidates the statement that
south of Ojeir, in the district of El Katif, there is no trace of Turkish power ever
having been paramount; and they are fully persuaded that El Katr has never been
locally regarded as forming a part of, or indeed as being subject to the innuence
of, the Ottoman Empire.
Attention is invited to the accompanying paper respecting El Katr.
11. His Majesty's Government can only reiterate their opinion that any lasting
settlement between the two Powers must provide for the definite renunciation by
the Ottoman Empire of the whole of the peninsula of El Katr, including El Bidaa.
They have consistently opposed any consolidation of Turkish authority, which
first attempted to assert itself so recently as 1870, and they are bound to continue
that opposition, in the interests of the Shaikh of Bahrain, of the pearl fishery, and
of the successful suppression of the arms traffic.
12. The Turkish memorandum of the 15th April does not afford His Majesty s
Government all the information which they consider essential to a due appreciation
of the attitude of the Turkish Government respecting Kuwait. His Majesty s
Government are concerned to ensure the continuation of the local government of
the Shaikh of Kuwait, which incontestably forms part of the status quo, and, while
they are not prepared to agree to their conventions with the Shaikh being super
seded, they none the less would be willing to agree to their being confirmed by, and
thus to meet the wishes of, the Ottoman Government. Further His Majesty's
Government would be fully prepared to recognise Turkish suzerainty over Kuwait
and indeed to recognise the Shaikh as a Turkish kaimakam, but they attach cardinal
importance to the islands of Warba and Bubiyan being admitted by Turkey to be
within the confines of Kuwait, to the withdrawal of the Turkish military post
from Bubiyan, and to a recognition of the limits of Kuwait in accordance with the
indications contained in the accompany-
Memorandum. ing memorandum.
13. His Majesty's Government regret that they would consider the introduc
tion of divided responsibility for maritime police measures altogether incompatible
with the principles and successful accomplishment of their policy in the Persian
Gulf. This policy consists in the maintenance of the martime peace, and has been
successfully pursued, to the advantage of all concerned, for a century. To modify
the system in these circumstances would be alike unnecessary and unjustifiable.
14. Indeed His Majesty's Government would go further. They consider that
they have acquired by prescription not merely the right but the duty to maintain
peace in the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
; and they have always been opposed to any proposal to
trench upon their prerogative; and it was this attitude which led to the declara
tion made by the Marquess of Lansdowne in the House of Lords on the 5th May,
1903, that " His Majesty's-Government would regard the establishment of a naval
base, or of a fortified port, in the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
by any other Power as a very grave
menace to British interests, and they should certainly resist it with all the means at
their disposal."
About this item
- Content
The volume contains letters, telegrams, and memorandums pertaining to Anglo-Turkish negotiations brought on by the Baghdad Railway and particularly the extension to Basra. Correspondents include: Percy Cox, Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. at Bushire, William Shakespear, 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. at Kuwait, Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Louis Mallet, Assistant Under-secretary of State for Near and Middle Eastern Affairs, Charles Marling, British Ambassador to Persia, Gerard Lowther, British Ambassador to Constantinople, George Buchanan, British Ambassador to Russia, Admiral Edmond Slade, the Board of Trade, the Government of India, 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. , and several private companies, including Trans-Atlantic Trust Company, Anglo-Persian Oil Company, Imperial Ottoman Bank, and Imperial Persian Bank.
The form of the negotiations was a series of memorandums containing proposals and counter-proposals. The issues and subjects discussed are:
- ownership and control of the line;
- custom duty increases in the region;
- navigation of the Shatt al-Arab, including the establishment of a commission to oversee this;
- transport of railway materials by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers;
- delimitation of the Turkish-Persian border;
- status and territorial limit of Kuwait;
- other Gulf matters, including the statuses of Bahrain and Qatar, the suppression of arms traffic, piracy, and slavery, and the protection of pearl fisheries.
Folios 261-262 are a map showing the proposed territorial limits of Kuwait.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (268 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged chronologically. At the beginning (ff. 3-4) is a subject index, in no particular order but grouped under several broad headings. The numbers refer to folio numbers from the secondary, earlier sequence.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers positioned in the top-right corner of each recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. . There are two earlier foliation systems running through parts of the volume. The first uses uncircled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. pages, and the top-left corner of verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. pages. This foliation system numbers pages if they have content on them, which is the case for all rectos and some versos. This foliation system appears intermittently through most of the volume. The other foliation system uses circled blue pencil numbers in the top-right corner of recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. pages, and appears from folios 5 to 42. Numerous printed materials contained in the volume have their own internal pagination systems. The following foliation irregularities occur: 1a, 34a, 51B, 219B, 250B.
- Written in
- English, French and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
'File 73/7 II (D 22) Status of Koweit [Kuwait] - Baghdad railway, Anglo Turkish negotiations' [208v] (422/540), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/611, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023826002.0x000017> [accessed 11 February 2025]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023826002.0x000017
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023826002.0x000017">'File 73/7 II (D 22) Status of Koweit [Kuwait] - Baghdad railway, Anglo Turkish negotiations' [‎208v] (422/540)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023826002.0x000017"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x000248/IOR_R_15_1_611_0422.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x000248/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/1/611
- Title
- 'File 73/7 II (D 22) Status of Koweit [Kuwait] - Baghdad railway, Anglo Turkish negotiations'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 1ar:1av, 2r:5v, 16r:22v, 24r:34v, 34ar:34av, 35r:42v, 44r:49v, 51r:51v, 51br:51bv, 52r:54v, 56r:63v, 66r:67v, 72r:112r, 113r:134v, 136r:168v, 170r:182v, 184r:204r, 205v:213v, 215v, 219br:219bv, 222r:225v, 227r:236v, 238r:250v, 250br:250bv, 251r:261v, 262v:264v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence