Coll 30/58 'Persian Gulf. Anglo-Persian Relations. Persian insult to British flag at Basidu' [329r] (662/1186)
The record is made up of 1 file (589 folios). It was created in 3 Aug 1933-31 Jan 1934. 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.
SECRET.
FROM
DATE
TO
Senior ffaYal Officer.
H.M.S.»SHOREHAlff«
Arslan Gulf Divi
at Basidu.
sion,
12th AUGUST, 1933.
Mo. 34/423A.
The Honourable the
Political Resident
A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency.
Persian Cmlf.
(Copy to the Coramander-in-Chief,
Station N 0 .142/423A.)*
in the
East Indies
BASIBU nTCIDEU^.
outrage^n%Se "Irtt lrf?l eft^rrito^^t
Is quite Clearly eBtahliehed that a Persian war-
■.m™.,.«»,«). Si'i, .
certain for the following reasons:- Perfectly
* the ? hip 1,88 reported as
* and offlci ^ reported movements
would agree quite naturally with the time and
place of the incident.
(h) The "hearsay* report of All Mn Mohwed that a
the Kudlr of c ^stoias that she was
-he BABh has to he considered.
^ e ^^ ce * Con8u ^*^ 0 ^ lara werah, has confirmed that
BABR has been at Mohammerah or Abadan since he
date of arrival at t&e former olace (on 19th
Kay) •
(d) An unofficial report by a native who was at
Lingeh to the effect that "BAHR* was seen there
on the morning of 31st July. It was too rou^i
to land and she sailed without anchoring. Lingeh
is only 20 miles from Basidu. One ship of a
class Is sometimes taken for another by the
natives. Also, the Captain of the "BABR* might
have been a passenger onboard "PAIANG" which
would account for the statement of a sailor to
Ali bin Moharaed.
The name of the ship is therefore still in doubt, but there
is good reason to believe it was the "UALOTG H .
w iJ? 16 8Tldence of the small but astute boy, Mohamed
bin Mahmood, was particularly well given, and though of
tender age, he was perfectly definite, and could not be
shaken/
About this item
- Content
This file contains correspondence between British diplomatic and naval officials concerning an incident on 31 July 1933 when four Persian naval officers landed at Basidu (a naval station on Qishm island used by Britain) and took down the British flag in the presence of witnesses including an Italian and a Frenchman. Subsequently, a Royal Navy vessel arrived at the station and the British flag was re-hoisted.
The correspondence discusses the details of the incident itself, its aftermath and its impact on Britain's relations with the Government of Iran. It also covers what steps were taken to 'restore British prestige in the eyes of the Gulf Arabs', including details regarding the dispatch of a royal navy flotilla to the region.
In addition to correspondence, the file also contains the following:
- Relevant press cuttings regarding the incident and Britain's response (folios 78, 169, 311 and 364)
- Copy of a circular clarifying the sequence of events in Basidu that was issued by the British authorities in the Gulf (folio 11)
- 'Copy of a note dated the 14th August 1933, from the Head Clerk, H.B.M.'s Consulate, Bandar Abbas, regarding a conversation which recently took place between the Governor of Bandar Abbas and the Consulate Mirza' (folio 255)
- 'Basidu Incident' a summary of events written by J V Creagh, Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (folios 329-331)
- 'Extract from Cabinet Conclusions dated 5th September 1933 - Relations with Persia, Basidu Incident' (folios 370-376)
- 'Legal Status of Basidu' (folios 398-399)
- 'Cabinet: Relations with Persia - Basidu Incident. Memorandum by the First Lord of the Admiralty' (folios 413-415)
- Cabinet Memorandum regarding Basidu Incident (folios 416-417)
- 'Foreign Office Memorandum for submission to the Cabinet on the subject of the Flag Incident at Basidu' (folios 435-440)
- A small sketch map marking the boundaries of 'British Basidu' (folio 536).
The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (589 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate 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 inside back cover with 591; 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.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Coll 30/58 'Persian Gulf. Anglo-Persian Relations. Persian insult to British flag at Basidu' [329r] (662/1186), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3775, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100060481231.0x00003f> [accessed 21 July 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/3775
- Title
- Coll 30/58 'Persian Gulf. Anglo-Persian Relations. Persian insult to British flag at Basidu'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:77v, 79r:168v, 170r:310v, 312r:363v, 365r:590v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence
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