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File 5876/1920 ‘Mesopotamia:- King for. Question of suitability of Feisul; French protest against Feisul; Feisul proclaimed “King of Iraq”; Treaty with Feisul’ [491r] (995/1003)
The record is made up of 1 volume (497 folios). It was created in 31 Jul 1920-1 Jan 1925. It was written in English and French. 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.
*
MESOPOTAMIA.
I
Appointment o! Sir Percy Cox as High Commissioner : Instructions of
His Majesty’s Government.
{^ A:> ~The two sets of “ Draft instructions ” printed below were approved by the
r inance Committee of the Cabinet, not as formal instructions for publication or
othei wise, but as a general indication, for Sir Percy Cox's personal • guidance, of
me lines upon lohich he is authorised, at his discretion, to give effect to the policy of
His Majesty's Government.)
DRAFT INSTRUCTIONS.
L—Original draft as submitted to the Cabinet, 5th August 1920.
His Majesty’s Government have decided to appoint you as their High Com
missioner for Mesopotamia and desire that you should take up your duties without
delay as soon as a decision has been reached in regard to certain essential factors.
You are aware that a telegram has been received from the Acting Civil
Commissioner in Mesopotamia making the suggestion, which is strongly supported by
the General Officer Commanding, that Sherif Feisal should be offered the Amirate of
Mesopotamia ; and that the idea is favoured by His Majesty’s Government in principle,
provided that—
(i) A spontaneous demand for Feisal is forthcoming from a sufficiently repre
sentative body of public opinion in Mesopotamia ;
(ii) Sherif Feisal is prepared in principle to accept Great Britain as Mandatory
Power and to agree to a form of Mandate on the lines already drafted for
communication to the League of Nations, or such modification of it as His
Majesty’s Government can advisedly approve.
(iii) French susceptibilities can be overcome.
Supposing that the demand is forthcoming, Sherif Feisal accepts in principle,
and the question of French susceptibilities is disposed of, your duty will be to get
forthwith into personal touch with Feisal, either in Haifa, Cairo, or some neutral
town in Europe, and proceed to negotiate with him a document which shall form the
basis of the working relations between himself and His Majesty’s Government. It is
possible that Sherif Feisal, by the light of his experience with the French Government
in regard to Syria, may, while accepting the principle of a Mandate and Great Britain
as Mandatory, press for the expression of its terms in treaty form. Should this prove
the case, His Majesty’s Government will be prepared to entertain the proposal.
Should the negotiations above referred to lead to the desired result, you should
then proceed to Mesopotamia with Feisal, or, failing that, precede him by a short
period in which to prepare the ground for his coming.
As to the form of government which it is proposed to set up, it is common
ground that it is to be predominantly Arab; but, in view' of the change in the
situation arising from our acceptance of Feisal as Head of the Arab State, it is
considered that, subject to the safeguarding of our obligations and interests as
Mandatory, the government must be as completely Arab as possible. I hat is to say,
that it must be composed as far as, or as soon as, practicable, of Arab Ministers for
each Department of State, responsible to the Arab Ruler, each assisted by a British
expert as Secretary, such experts to be considered employes of the Arab Government.
* L It is recognised, however, that for the present special considerations attach to
certain Ministries wffiich cannot be overlooked, e.g., the Ministries of War, Foreign
Affairs Finance and Justice. As regards the Ministry of War, it must be clearly laid
down in our agreement with Feisal that his Minister of War has no connection with or
control over the British garrison in Mesopotamia, wdiich must remain, for the period
of the Mandate, under the direct authority of the British Representative.
The Arab Minister of War vdll simply be concerned for the present with the
organisation and distribution of indigenous formations of a military or semi-military
character calculated, with the assistance of such British instructors as may be
necessary, ultimately and gradually to replace the present Army of Occupation.
o 2179 60 8.20
About this item
- Content
The volume contains correspondence regarding the election of Sherif Feisal [Fayṣal al-Awwal bin al-Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī, also written as Faisal and other variations in the volume] as King of Iraq, and negotiations leading to the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1922. Specific topics discussed include:
- Considerations over supporting Feisal’s candidacy, particularly in the face of significant French opposition, and other possible options for the country’s future government
- Perceived public support for Feisal’s candidacy, and a referendum in which he received 96% of the vote
- Negotiations between Feisal and the High Commissioner, Mesopotamia [Iraq], over which powers he will hold and which will be retained by the British Government
- Feisal’s coronation as King on 23 August 1921
- Negotiations for the Treaty, and its signing on 10 October 1922
- Opposition to the Treaty, including a fatwa issued by Khalisi [Muḥammad bin Muḥammad Mahdī al-Khāliṣī] against participating in the subsequent elections
- An agreement to terminate the terms of the Treaty upon Iraq’s admission to the League of Nations, or within four years of ratification of the peace treaty with Turkey [Treaty of Lausanne]
- Election of the Iraqi Constituent Assembly
- A perceived likelihood that the Assembly will reject ratification of the Treaty, and British considerations of possible subsequent actions
- A vote by the Assembly in favour of ratifying the Treaty on 10 June 1924.
The primary correspondents are the High Commissioner and the Colonial Office. Other correspondents include: the Civil Commissioner, Mesopotamia (prior to the appointment of the High Commissioner); General Headquarters, Mesopotamia; the Ambassador of France to the United Kingdom; HM Ambassador to France; HM Ambassador to Italy; the Foreign Office; 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. ; the War Office; and HM King George V.
Draft copies of the Treaty are on folios 161-63, 187-89, 276-82 and 289-94, and the final text (under the title ‘Treaty with King Feisal’) is included on folios 69-71. Other agreements subsidiary to the Treaty are included on folios 72-91, and draft copies of the Financial Agreement and Military Agreement are on folios 150-52.
The volume includes three items in French, a letter from the French Ambassador (ff 478-81) and two articles from French newspaper L’Écho de Paris (ff 448 and 452).
The volume includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (497 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate 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 492; 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. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 176-186 and ff 204-209; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. The sequence contains one foliation anomaly, f 406a.
- Written in
- English and French in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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File 5876/1920 ‘Mesopotamia:- King for. Question of suitability of Feisul; French protest against Feisul; Feisul proclaimed “King of Iraq”; Treaty with Feisul’ [491r] (995/1003), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/919, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100111367155.0x0000c4> [accessed 13 September 2024]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/919
- Title
- File 5876/1920 ‘Mesopotamia:- King for. Question of suitability of Feisul; French protest against Feisul; Feisul proclaimed “King of Iraq”; Treaty with Feisul’
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:ii-v, 1r:22v, 23v:30v, 32r:68v, 91v:149v, 153r:160v, 164r:171v, 172v:186v, 190r:275v, 276ar, 282v:288v, 294v:378v, 379v:406v, 406ar:406av, 407r:447v, 448v:451v, 452v:477v, 481v:484v, 485v:492v, iii-r:iv-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence