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Coll 17/10(4) 'Internal: political situation; relations with HMG' [‎163r] (325/1031)

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The record is made up of 1 file (515 folios). It was created in 10 Apr 1941-19 Mar 1947. 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

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[This telegram is of particular secrecy and should be retained
by the authorised recipient and not passed on.]
[Cypher]
MAR CABINET DISTRIBUTION
FROM: IRAQ
FROM BAGDAD TO FOREIGN OFFICE
/Y
Mr, Thompson
No.1128.
7th November, 1942.
D. 5.10 p.m, 7th November, 1942.
R, 9.50 p.m. 7th November, 1942.
Repeated to Minister of State, Cairo No^Sf.
Government of India S aving.
p-e&(!i£Uuu4 2o<+'<&
[][][]
My telegram No.1121,
b‘|u.
As mpatience over persistent deadlock in the Cabinet is
now rapidly growing and might very soon lead to resignations
of Ministers not directly concerned. I have informed the Prime
Minister that unless an immediate solution can be found
through the departure of Abdul Mahdi and Tabs in Ali we may be
confronted with the downfall of the Government which would react
adversely upon British and Iraqi interests. I have asked him
to represent these views to the Regent.
2. It is difficult to understand Nuri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. 's hesitations
over this issue but, whatever their cause, they are certainly
doing him harm. The Minister of Justice called this morning and
expressed his concern over the situation. He hinted that the
Prime Minister was n tlred fi (actually he is looking extremely
well). In the course of a long and frank conversation I took
the line that a major crisis was to bo avoided at the present
time when it is so important for the Minister of Finance to tackle
the economic problem which daily grows more acute.
3. I have the impression from Baud's observations and from
what I hear from other sources that if the administration should
collapse Nuri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. might not find it easy to form another
Cabinet. If the resulting confusion led to nothing worse it
would inevitably entail further useless bickering and lack of
confidence. So, I feel, in the hope of ensuring some breathing
space - if only a month or two - there is every advantage in
pressing both the Prime Minister and the Regent to grasp the
nettle of ridding themselves of both Ministers of Education and
Communications.
[Copies sent to Mr, Armstrong].
C4

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Content

This file is a continuation of IOR/L/PS/12/2862. It contains correspondence and memoranda regarding relations between HM Government ( HMG Her or His Majesty’s Government in London. ) and the Government of Iraq, and documents the reaction of 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 Foreign Office to political developments within Iraq. The file opens with descriptions of the situation following the coup d'état of Rashid Ali al-Gaylani, and documents the build-up to the Anglo-Iraqi War (2-31 May 1941), including the arrival of British and Indian troops in Basra (under rights granted in the Anglo-Iraq Treaty of 1930), arrangements to evacuate the Regent 'Abd al-Illah, British attempts to shore up support from the Turkish and Egyptian authorities, and Axis propaganda in Iraq. The papers then contain communications regarding the progress of the war, including reports on troop movements, the dispatch of war materials, the actions of Germany, Italy, France and Turkey, and Indian public opinion regarding the conflict. These papers consist of dispatches sent by the British Ambassador to Iraq (Sir Kinahan Cornwallis) to the Foreign Office, as well as numerous copy communications between the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , the Commander in Chief of the East Indies Section, 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. Kuwait, the Viceroy of India, and HM Ambassador to the United States.

From the end of the war the file consists primarily of dispatches from Cornwallis to the Foreign Office, reporting on the return of the Regent, the pogrom against the Jewish community, the breaking of diplomatic relations with Vichy France and Japan, the trial of the coup supporters, the Iraqi declaration of war against Germany, Italy and Japan, the possibility of Iraqi membership of the United Nations, and the release of political prisoners from the Ammara [̔Amāra] concentration camp. The regular dispatches also contain details of various cabinet crises, and details of the domestic economic and military situation. The file contains a small amount of material for the years 1944-1946, including annual reports submitted by Cornwallis and his successor, Sir Hugh Stonehewer-Bird.

The file includes dividers which give lists of correspondence references found in the file by year. These are placed at the end of the correspondence (folios 2-4).

Extent and format
1 file (515 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in rough chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 515; 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-514; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

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English in Latin script
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Coll 17/10(4) 'Internal: political situation; relations with HMG' [‎163r] (325/1031), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2863, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100041979750.0x000080> [accessed 4 January 2025]

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