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Coll 17/16(1) 'Iraq. The Assyrian Crisis' [‎488r] (986/1036)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (514 folios). It was created in 17 Jun 1933-31 Aug 1933. 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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68
(51/120/33)
Sir,
British Embassy,
Bagdad*
7th June, 19^3.
With reference to the aecond paragraph of **y
’i\yC : deapetch Ko. 544 o f Jfey 3lBt, the * f *r himun on that date
ad&refc&ed a letter to His Majesty Fin^. alsal, of which I
enclose a cooy. You will observe that while this letter
is mainly a criticism of the *Ire i authorities in Mosul,
His Beatitude concludes with a protestation of loyalty and
on offer of his "utmost Bervice8 ,, to jaakt the Assyrians ‘a
contented, loyal an! helpful subject people w ithin Your
HcjfcstyVs Dominion''.
2. r.uoh hop^s as might have been raised by this
letter were subsequently disappointed by the nature oC his
reply to ti»e eoemualcatlon from the In t a try or the Interior
transmitted to you in sy despetoh un^er relVrenee. I
enclose a copy, together with copies of illr Klnahen
Cornlrallle , covering letter of June oth md of his note to
the MinlaUr of the Interior, in which Sir rintthun endeavours
to make the beet of the Mar ihlmun’a retort to the finister.
Indeed, sir Klnahan informa me that on receipt of the her
Shlmun's reply a special meeting of the Ceblnet was celled
In which the question of legal proceedings against the
Mar >hlwun was seriously considered. Sir Klnahan was
fortunately successful In dissuading the Cabinet from taking
action so 111 advised as to »a*e a martyr or the Assyrian
Patriarch.
3. Major Douglas Thoms n Das n.w arrived In hagdnd.
He called on the V.r hlmun. Khlle he Is neturaliy
disappointed
The Right Honourable
Sir John Simon, 0.0.S.
etc., etc.,
I., K.C.V- 0 -
etc.
»

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Content

The volume contains papers regarding the Assyrian Crisis in Iraq during 1933. It primarily consists of correspondence between HM Ambassador to Iraq (Sir Francis Humphrys), HM Chargé d’Affaires to Iraq (George Ogilvie-Forbes), and the Foreign Office.

The papers document the negotiations between Mar Shimun XXIII Eshai – the Patriarch of the Church of the East – and the Government of Iraq, regarding: the spiritual and temporal authority claimed by the Mar Shimun; the Assyrian Settlement Scheme; areas designated for settlement; and clashes between Assyrians, Iraqis and Kurds.

Ogilvie-Forbes and Humphrys reported on the movement of Assyrians into Syria, requests to the Syrian and French authorities that they be allowed to remain, proposals to disarm the group, and clashes with Iraqi troops when numbers of Assyrians returned to Iraq. The papers also document the proposed arrest or exile of the Mar Shimun by the Government of Iraq, and the volume also contains copies of letters exchanged by the Mar Shimun, the Iraqi Interior Ministry, and King Faisal.

The papers document the worsening crisis, including reports of looting and village burning at Dohuk [Dahūk], the murder of Assyrian prisoners by Iraqi armed forces led by Bakr Sidqi, and the Simele Massacre of August 1933. These papers include reports submitted by the Head of the British Military Mission in Iraq (Major General Rowan Robinson), the Administrative Inspector at Mosul (Colonel R S Stafford), and Major D B Thomson of the Assyrian Settlement Office. The file concludes with reports on the Simele Massacre, arrangements for the arrival of Mar Shimun and his family in Cyprus, the work of the Refugee Relief Commission in Mosul and Dohuk, and the establishment by the League of Nations of a Small Minorities Commission to investigate the crisis.

The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (folio 1).

Extent and format
1 volume (514 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in rough chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 510; 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. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 1-510; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

Written in
English in Latin script
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Coll 17/16(1) 'Iraq. The Assyrian Crisis' [‎488r] (986/1036), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2872, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100086338450.0x0000bb> [accessed 31 January 2025]

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