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Coll 17/10(4) 'Internal: political situation; relations with HMG' [‎200r] (399/1031)

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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. .

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5
he rpmim^ri . P rov ided for in the Frontier Treaty of 1937, should
‘irhdmfo,. ij u ’ m or d er to settle technical disputes on the spot, a British
thp Pm-oio S r^° U a PP°^ n t6d to the joint commission. After a long delay
t ^ t - n , ' 0V€rn p le nt sent an oral reply on the 14th July through their Bagdad
worh Q-nri th f^ thought the moment inopportune to resume this
Tfip V pA> • & herefoi Tfhe question of appointing an arbitrator did not arise.
sians are n °t likely to be moved from this non-co-operative attitude
pnless pressure is applied.
i r Looking back over the period covered by this despatch, I see no
. 6 f 0 ?? 161 ! S Wlthm J h e country or on its borders which need cause us anxiety
a wu e utuie The Government and the people stood up well to the shock
r T e u lin f X P eC i ed y bad news from . Lib y a which P^ceded and followed the fall
u?u ll \ V and reacted w ifL resilient optimism to the eventual stand of the
Pigntn Army at A1 Alamein. The successes achieved by the German offensive
on tne Don caused and continue to cause anxiety amounting in some quarters
to dismay but there are no signs of any growth of public hostility. On the
contrary, thanks in some measure to the work of our Public Relations Department;
tiere is evidence that at last a belief in the rightness of the principles of
democracy m beginning to grow. If a resolute Government can be kept in office
and an adequate distribution of food supplies be maintained, I feel that on
the facts as they are known to us we are justified in feeling confident that,
provided the enemy can be kept from her frontiers, Iraq will now stand true
to her alliance to the end of the war.
24. I am sending copies of this despatch to His Majesty’s Representatives
at Angora, Cairo, Teheran, Jedda and Beirut, the Minister of State, Cairo,
His Majesty’s High Commissioner for Palestine and Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan , the
Governor-General of India, the Commander-in-Chief, India, General Head
quarters, Middle East, the Middle East Intelligence Centre, the Political
Resident in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , 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. , Koweit, and to His Majesty’s
Consuls at Basra and Mosul.
I have, &c.,
KINAHAN CORNWALLIS.

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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' [‎200r] (399/1031), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2863, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100041979751.0x000002> [accessed 4 January 2025]

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