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Coll 17/10(4) 'Internal: political situation; relations with HMG' [‎281v] (562/1031)

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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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iff
initiative, rather than that General-Nuri should approach him or that we
should merely convey a message from General Nuri.
3. If Ion Saud should react unfavourably to the suggestion of a
declaration of war, or should put forward unacceptable conditions, we
could always fall back on course "C" in my telegram No.5 to Jedda
/of 4th January/.
4. As regards the further suggestion that the two countries should
accede to the Twentysix Power Pact, I cannot interpret a multilaters^C
pact of this kind without consulting the other signatories and canno^
therefore .give a definite answer to General huri's enquiry whether under
the Pact Iraq would oe expected to do more than is laid down in .rt-i-cle
4 of the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty. The Pact lays down that the signatories
snail employ their full resources, military or economic, against those
members of the Tripartite Pact with whom they are at -war. Iraq cannot
accede conditionally. ' At the same time it is obvious that many of
the signatories will not do more than Iraq is bound to do under the Treaty
of Alliance, and it is clearly the intention of all concerned that the
obligations of the various signatories shall be interpreted reasonably.
5. My conclusion, which is sufficiently, in agreement with Paragraph 7
of C e iro telegram No.308, is that v/e must handle Ibn Saud first and
independently. This does not preclude a simultaneous declaration by
Saudi i-m-abia and Iraq if such a step on the part of the latter can be^
justified on its merits and not in relation to it-s eiieccs on the Arab
world which will, iu my opinion, be sms.ll, or ^o the neeci icr
rehabilitating Iraq whicn is a secondary eonsideratron. In the meanti—
Nuri must be held off and position of Egypt in itself seems to give good
ground for our doin 0 so. In an v . case you mast make it plain to Nuri
that on this question v/e must begin with Ibn Saud: and while I cannot
prevent Nuri from communicating with latter I should prefer him not to do
so and must in any event ask him not to imply that he does so after
consultation with us.
*

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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' [‎281v] (562/1031), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2863, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100041979751.0x0000a5> [accessed 20 January 2025]

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