Coll 17/10(4) 'Internal: political situation; relations with HMG' [255r] (509/1031)
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
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
,•
R . ^. P^£. ^ C \U^ ^
OUT WARD-TELEGRAM ^aJl^ ‘
[This Document is th e Property of His Britannic Majesty's Goyernmc^gQ^shouli; be
kept under Lock andiKey.]
T )a r* -i r- ^
yU'VV • >/
? 0 APR
^>''", , '[Thia telegram is of particular secrecyiand should be i
retained by the authorised re;aipija(it and not Passed on].
■ wjth the p -
u
Atur^
/
/. With
2517/190/95 of tbs
: UMeb r>«of ^-'*ry of State
[Cypher],' . s?A&.€ABISLSf'BIOi'SiBUTION
' 1 " , w . -
To: IRAQ
FROM FOREIGN OFFICiil TO BaGDAD
(l. ^
No. 467
April 28th, 1942.
D. 3.50. a.m. 29th April, 1942.
Repeated to Minister of State's Office No. 829 (for Commander-in-
• Chief)
Government of India. ^ Quu-. ^ 4 ^vJt ^
5 5 5 1)1)5
SECRET
You reported in vo ur telegram No. 317 [of the 2 1 st March]
that Prime Minister dief not propose to take any further action
as regards declaration of v/ar until uresent political trials
are finished. This may well mean that a decision is to 5e
postponed indefinitely and in any case offers an opportunity
for stock-taking. I am well aware of the-valuable" results of
your.efforts to bring about a healthier atmosphere in Iraq,
but I am sure that you will agree (and indeed" it is clear from
the very useful appreciation i n your telegram No. 28B_Lof 16th
March]) that the position is still far from satisfactory.
This is no doubt partly due to circumstances outside our control,
in particular to events in the Far East, but it seems worth
considering whether there is anything further, that could and
should be done.
2. Iraqi Army seems to be the most important problem.
You said in your telegram No.288 th at the Prime Minister was
not dissatisfied wlLTi the progress of his purge, but that you
did not yourself trust the Army. I assume that after the
lesson it had last year it is unlikely to cause any serious
trouble in present circumstances, but it seems only too probable
that it would seize first opportunity in the event of an-enemy
attack to secure its revenged Presumably Prime Minister could
not survive any proposal for the total disbandment of the Army,
but it is a.question whether we should not try to secure its
drastic reduction, say to about 10,000 to 15,000 officers and
men (about five Iraqi brigades). I understand that total of
10.000 would be sufficient to cover the roles assigned to it
last:November, i. e. defence of the North-East frontier and of
the' line of communication .Kirkuk-Bagdad-Basra, and additional
5.000 might perhaps be usefully employed In control of the
tribes. If the Army could be reduced .to this extent, it should
be easier for it to be concentrated in places where it could
do us least harm. It .might in particular be possible to
effect substantial reduction in Bagdad garrison, where so much
of the trouble has started in the past.
POL, DwS"
-tMAY1942
INDIA OPWftF
5 ./
About this item
- 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.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2863
- Title
- Coll 17/10(4) 'Internal: political situation; relations with HMG'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:15v, 17r:86v, 90v:105v, 107r:119v, 121r:298v, 300r:304v, 307r:373r, 379r:401v, 405r:515v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence