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Coll 17/10(4) 'Internal: political situation; relations with HMG' [373r] (745/1031)
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.
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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC
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IRAQ.
With the Complim en t*
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Under Secretary of Stat
CONFIDENTIAL. „ J, OP Foreign Affairs
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[E 1333/1/93]
iSzV Z?. Newton to Mr. Eden.—(Received April 8.)
(No. 101.)
Sir, Bagdad, March 8, 1941.
WITH reference to my despatch No. 91 of th e 6th March informing you of
the debate which took place m the (Jhamber on the programme of the new Govern
ment, I have the honour to transmit to you herewith a summary of the principal
speeches delivered in the Senate during a debate on the same subject which took
place on the 27th February. To simplify reading I have underlined( ! ) the chief
points made by the speakers.
2. The speeches in the Senate were more definite and forceful than those
delivered in the Chamber, and brought out more clearly many of the points which
have been emphasised in private conversations by this embassy. Sharp attacks
were made on the policy of the late Government, and the present Government
were strongly criticised for failing to take proper steps to correct the errors of
their predecessors. Jamil Madfai boldly declared that Iraq’s national existence
depended on her alliance with Great Britain, and turned the tables on those who
had made insinuations of British interference by saying that on the contrary
the interference and propaganda had come from the Axis and should be stopped.
Jalal Baban exposed Rashid Ali’s tergiversations, made a bold attack on the
military clique and condemned the part played by teachers in encouraging the
demonstrations planned as a protest against Rashid Ali’s “ forced ” resignation.
Nuri Said denounced the heresy of thinking that Iraq was a neutral in the
present war.
3. Not a speaker supported Rashid Ali, his foreign policy or his attempt
to browbeat the Regent; in the frankness with which they spoke their minds the
Senators showed a moral courage which has seldom been equalled in the short
history of this country. Nuri Said’s championship of the policy of friendship
with Britain and his call for guidance to public opinion, Ridha Shabib’s bold
demand for a definition of the “ Iraq’s national mission ”—the latest pan-Arab
cliche devised by Rashid Ali and forced by him on his successor—and
Muhsin-al-Shilash’s frank avowal that the British Government had given Iraq
real freedom after her admission into the League of Nations, and that Iraq
herself was therefore alone to blame for all her adversities, were all utterances
which showed a determination to face the truth in a manner which has hitherto
been noticeably rare in public life here.
4. Naji Suwaidi’s speech requires explanation. His remarks about “ the
sudden declarations ” made to the Iraqi Government refer presumably to the
action which I took on the 25th November, 1940, when I informed the Regent
and the Minister for Foreign Affairs that the elimination of Rashid Ali from
the Government was essential if a serious crisis with His Majesty’s Government
was to be avoided, and acquainted them with the dissatisfaction with which His
Majesty’s Government had learned of the resumption of public telegraphic
communication between Iraq and Germany. It had always been known that
Naji Suwaidi was one of the Iraqi politicians who resented this action, and in
his speech in the Chamber he maintained that it provided justification for
Rashid Ali’s allegation that his resignation had been caused by foreign
interference. The Prime Minister himself took up this particular point, and it
is satisfactory to see that he vindicated the action of His Majesty’s Government
in warning the Iraqi Government of “ certain matters which might adversely
affect the interests of the alliance.”
5. I am sending a copy of this despatch to His Majesty’s representatives at
Angora and Jedda, to 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
, to the Government of India and to the Combined Middle East
Intelligence Centre.
I have, &c.
BASIL NEWTON.
[16-34]
P) Printed in italics.
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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