!['File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports' [‎204r] (407/432)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000241.0x000129/IOR_R_15_2_314_0407.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports' [‎204r] (407/432)")
'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports' [204r] (407/432)
The record is made up of 1 file (214 folios). It was created in 20 Jan 1941-31 Dec 1942. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
2 ~
rice f GO oer c^ndy. Examination of merchants’ invoices shows
jcent weeks hnve been mcde ct or bel -w
cricOo Mohammed cl Ii^rzook ? K°r o chi shipoor ^ ho
been niven ° preponderating share of the exoort tr°de to B hra"
th'°t no purchases
th
h s
'Control'
recently sent an invoice showing the purchase price of ’Ambar' ^ric
(a variety of ’Bawli’ rice) as Fs 112/6/- per candy 0 If B^hr^in
merchants do not ppy the price demanded by Karachi shippers they
cannot secure shipment of their orders
have rice - must have rice
to be paid however high they
at any cost
may be«
md
the
sine
pric
(iv) Inflation in Iran has put the pric 2 of d
country beyond the means of outside buyers=^ Even
which are fed to cattle and the price of which was
per bag 5 are now over Es 30/- per bag 0 Inferior
Bahrain dates P formerly fed to animals, are now b
human consumption, and animals are being
India. When the stock of locally grown
increase in rice consumption will be inevitable
Bahrain must
3 charged h n v
! t
tes from th*
date stories 9
formerly I 4/-
gualities of
eing kept for
fed on bran imoorted from
dates is exhausted we
249c Food s upplies - Sau d i .ArfMf«
Reference par 0 238 (ii) of Intelligence nummary Foo2 : - ox
1942 in which it was reported that an .attempt wms being made te
control food prices in Hasao Further information now ^vai °o
shows that maximum prices have been fixed for the sale of ' qu r 'ta
foodstuffs at present in Saudi Arabia 0 ’'Biota’ foodstuffs
arriving in future will be handed over by Messrs „ Gray Macl_emMj
to Saudi Government Customs Officials who will issue them to
merchants who ar e p.ble to pay for them in rials 0 Merchants to
whom such issues are made will be allowed to sell ^o th-j public
at ° price which allows them a profit of 10% o Ko pric j contr d.
will be imposed in respect of sales^of piece goods
merchandise already .stocked in 3audi Arabia 0 The
and general
sale price o
future imports will, however, be fixed
merchants a profit of 20% 0
figure which a 11 ows
250o Currency
During the period under report the price of sover, : - 'ns
rose gradually from Fs 48 to Fs 56 e
P 251c The Ruling Family c
HJIo the Ihm'ikh's two uncles have gone to the^m a inland
on their custom°rv hawking and shooting expeditions o ^h FI. ^
Mohammed bin Isp =.l Kh”.lif".h h^s sont his launch to T '.uwp.it wit:
his servants a.nd baggage while he himself has crossed direct im
the mainlando He is expected to be away about a monuh, ^/c mil
probably visit Kuwait before he returns to B a hr ° i n 0
Abdullah bin Isa al Khalifah has gone on a separate expedition o.
the mainland and will only be away for ten days or a i ortmgh »
P 252o T hp Pearl Mar ke t 0
In the last f qw weeks, as the result of an insistent dpnm l
for pearls from India, the'local price of pearls has risen ey
;.bout 30%! ' Kpkhodps Pnd divers Hpvo "Irerdy disposed of t ie
catch to merchants, and will thereiore deri ve no dir^cx
season' s
benefit from the brisker market
253 o Bahrain J/etrcleum L C ompa ny
Tvres, tubes, spare parts for cars, wire cj ^all kinds
batteries, generators, machine tools ~ in f-^co.
all kinds of
motor or engine accessories - are unobtainable in the loca
market. Since these articles cannot be obtained by ^ honest- me a s,
and since their oossession is essential to the livelihood-
great many persons, high prices are paid to anyone who can sipoo.y
them. The only source of supply is the Bahrain .etroleim n
About this item
- Content
The file contains fortnightly intelligence summaries produced by the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. at Bahrain for the years 1941-42. The reports, marked as secret, were sent to 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 numerous diplomatic, political, and military offices in the Middle East. Most of the reports cover a two week period, though due to holidays, tours, and work pressures some cover an entire month.
The reports are divided into short sections that relate to a particular subject, often closely connected to the Second World War. Contained within the file is intelligence on the following:
- international shipping and the activities of the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and commercial transport companies such as Imperial Airways Limited;
- the movements of British and Foreign subjects, and Arab notables;
- local affairs of Bahrain, as well as news from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Persia [Iran], and the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. ;
- economic matters and food supplies;
- foreign radio broadcasts and press, with a focus on anti-British sentiment;
- the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Fighter Fund;
- defence matters;
- smuggling of gold and arms and the traffic of slaves;
- meteorological data;
- medical matters.
Folios 57-61 are correspondence relating to the alleged sinking of an Iranian dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. by a British man-of-war in March 1941.
Folios 85-88 is a list of prominent individuals in Bahrain, compiled by 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. at Bahrain, Reginald Alban, and submitted to the Political Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. at Bushire.
Folio 122 is the statement of thirteen Qatari sailors who were aboard a dhow A term adopted by British officials to refer to local sailing vessels in the western Indian Ocean. sunk by a Japanese submarine on 12 April 1942.
Folio 176 is a telegram from the Government of India in New Delhi requesting that intelligence summaries differentiate between truly confidential content and that which can be distributed more widely.
Folio 190 is a letter, dated 15 October 1942, from Charles Geoffrey Prior, the 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , to Edward Birkbeck Wakefield, 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. at Bahrain, regarding the risk of including information about the revival of the slave trade in the Gulf in his diaries due to their wide readership.
Included in the file is correspondence between 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. and the Naval Officer in Charge at Basrah regarding prominent people of the region and events of the war.
On the inside of the front cover is the distribution list for the summaries.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (214 folios)
- Arrangement
The file is arranged chronologically.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 216; 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.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports' [204r] (407/432), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/314, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100025549537.0x000008> [accessed 28 March 2025]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100025549537.0x000008
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_100025549537.0x000008">'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports' [‎204r] (407/432)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100025549537.0x000008"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000241.0x000129/IOR_R_15_2_314_0407.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_100000000241.0x000129/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/2/314
- Title
- 'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Reports'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:215v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence