![File 4722/1918 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration of policy and situation' [‎18r] (44/687)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x000289/IOR_L_PS_10_755_0046.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg "File 4722/1918 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration of policy and situation' [‎18r] (44/687)")
File 4722/1918 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration of policy and situation' [18r] (44/687)
The record is made up of 1 volume (326 folios). It was created in 23 Oct 1918-2 Nov 1919. It was written in English, French and Arabic. 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.
that anyone^ desfred^nything^ufa hTw SeCr i et “p 1,81 ™ ” declaring
unbeliever. ^ I n view of this pronounces ^ G( l veril ment was an
ers of opinion hesitated to commit their vi?w 111( + Pal 1 ?;^ downers and lead-
verbally reiterated to the Assistant PoliticSer ™ws ll^rTporlel
timiance of the present regime tui,a/ I t t faf 1 a^;, J ' 1 1 l C1Uand<::d “ wrifin S a con-
emissaries of' extremis^plrty 6 ^ Baghdad T lsit 1 of activ . e intrigues by
and personal pride of certaiif Shaikhs of the diS ? layed °. n religious feelings
— to a document asking f or an tbem to ^
Shaikhs, however, have made this declaration nr-tpf i? ritlSl1 P rotec tion.
adding that until progress 1ms beeTt o?m prac t lcall y meaningless by
present form of Government. TownspeonlTand l^r eSne r a oontinuanoe of
substantially maintained views reported In
14th, adding that whilst approvinrin the 0rv of of ^oomber
know no one who would be acceptible for the post. ^ d6a an Amir tlle y
Shiah 1 dtifJTMam! to^pfes/rnnhlT/^ Ea ^im Yazdi the leading
intervention in c Iraa He ^ U dlc 0 P mi011 unfavourable to alien
has allowed it To be £own thaThis^thr^tn ttoit Sde'. 0 S ° ^
my telegranfrfDTemrr lid^tv^r
Amir, there is a section of educated Mulmnnnnrl 1 ltlS1 ad X LlllltQ ’ trat i°n and no
establishment of an Arab Go"!! " ^r an Amff °T,m 0U , r
partly as a matter of religious dutv and r A ■ 1 hold thls Vlew
~ ; ' <r y.-Bistear’gi;
in favour of union^Sh^Baghdad^undlr^BriS Moon 0 ™ ft D f e, ? ber 1 26ih .
da e ere S n T t e c y omS 1 lit. CUment8 taTe been received to Thif^tTifl Th^
united to Baghdad and P Basrah. S u “‘ uumousl - v 1,1 favour of Mosul, being
mak^ condition 8 that he^i^notXominateT'for^t ^east° hve^years^^
Opinion overwhelming against son of Sharif.
Sadun element favour one of themselves.
Mercantile community and tribes dead against a Sunni election.
(6) /iut Division .—Practically same as para. 5 above but there are
a considerable number of leading men who do not want an Amir at any price.
oeri/mt alilTSV^n 11 is Predominantly Sunni, and has had bitter ex-
pencnce alike of Turkish and Persian misrule, has forwarded document
and^Indowner 7 oru a t Mu ^ ammadan > Christian and Jewish merchant
chang^irA^Lir 0 * 6 ’ ^ Pr-ent regime and no
. , Dan
dak
System of postal communication used in Moghul India and later by the East India Company.
—Which is mainly Turkish and Sunni, has asked for Gran
to include Mosul. No Amir but British High Commissioner. q
wicd/fL f. u ^ )ah Division.—Tribes who largely predominate in district
vish for continuance present regime and no Amir.
T S Wn n? e °i Ple i° f Ba ^bah town who have been extensively canvassed
from Baghdad ask somewhat diffidently for titular Arab head to rule from
meTii BaSral \ Cpmmn is divided as to who should fill the post, but a
majority appear to favour the son of the Sharif. Inhabitants of all other
^ e l ln dl T- S10n d ° n0t Wlsh for an Amir ’ but llave Presented written re-
quest tor continuance present regime.
(10) Kirkuk Maj’ority ask for ‘Iraq State to include Mosul and to
remain under British protection with no Amir.
A small majority favour an Amir but are completely unable to name an
acceptable candidate. Kirkuk is largely Turkish with an admixture of
Jvurds, Arabs, Christians and Jews.
About this item
- Content
The volume contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, telegrams and minutes regarding the administration of, and situation in, Mesopotamia [Iraq] following the Asia Minor Agreement of 1916, more commonly known as the Sykes-Picot Agreement, between the French and British governments, and the Anglo-French Declaration of November 1918. The volume also concerns the subject of self-determination in Persia [Iran].
The papers notably cover:
- Discussion of advance interpretations of the 1916 Agreement
- The Anglo-French Declaration of November 1918, which publicised their intentions and policy in the former Ottoman territories of Syria and Iraq
- Presentation of the 1918 Declaration to the President of the United States of America by the French Ambassador to the US, Jean Adrien Antoine Jules Jusserand
- Disagreement between the British and French visions of the future administration of Mesopotamia
- The situation in southern Kurdistan
- The 1919 Paris Peace Conference
- Apprehensions of the Baghdad Jewish community about the tenor of the Anglo-French Declaration, including a petition to the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, requesting to be made subjects of the British Crown
- Reaction to the Declaration from the across the Arab world
- Disagreement among the British over the form that Britain’s control in Mesopotamia should take
- The views of the principal sheikhs [shaikhs] of Mesopotamia on the 1918 Agreement
- Discussion among British officials of the benefits of control over Mesopotamia and the view of the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, Arnold Talbot Wilson, on the situation in Mesopotamia
- Discussion of the potential candidates for the head of the new state of Iraq
- Reports on consultations with political and religious leaders and inhabitants from across Iraq on the future Government of Iraq
- The views of Sir Percy Cox and Arnold Wilson on the situation in Mesopotamia
- The question of the future political status of Mesopotamia, including the views of British officers serving in Syria and the Hejaz
- Discussion of the question of Iraqi self-determination.
Notable documents in this volume include:
- Text by Sir Percy Cox regarding ‘The Future of Mesopotamia’ (ff 308-310 and ff 270-272)
- Extracts from The Times , 26 November 1819, including a series of articles under the title ‘The Arab Campaign’ (ff 230-232)
- The statutes for the independence of Iraq (ff 127-130)
- A memorandum by Major W H Young regarding the future of Mesopotamia (ff 99-112)
- Copies of ‘Self-determination in Iraq’ in Arabic (ff 75-97) and English (ff 57-73).
The principal correspondents are: 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. , Political Department; the Governor-General of India; the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad; the Military Governor and Political Officer, Baghdad; Government of India, Military Department, the French Ambassador to the United States; and the British Embassy, Paris.
The volume includes a divider, which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (326 folios)
- Arrangement
The contents of the volume are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.
The subject 4722 (Mesopotamia) consists of ten volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/755-764. The volumes are divided into twelve parts, with parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12 comprising one volume each. Part 10 is missing. Part 7, entitled ‘Mesopotamia: Sir A. Wilson’s invitation to Syrian Baghdadis’, was transferred to File 5268/20 Parts 1 and 2 (see IOR/L/PS/10/913).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 334; 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. Multiple intermittent additional mixed foliation/pagination sequences are also present. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. The sequence contains two anomalies: f 181a and f 181b.
- Written in
- English, French and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
File 4722/1918 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration of policy and situation' [18r] (44/687), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/755, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100188328444.0x000001> [accessed 7 June 2026]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100188328444.0x000001
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100188328444.0x000001">File 4722/1918 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration of policy and situation' [‎18r] (44/687)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100188328444.0x000001"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x000289/IOR_L_PS_10_755_0046.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000419.0x000289/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/755
- Title
- File 4722/1918 Pt 1 'Mesopotamia: administration of policy and situation'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:i-v, 1r:127v, 128ar, 128r:175v, 176ar, 176r:181v, 181ar:181av, 181cr, 181br:181bv, 182r:182v, 186r:229v, 232v:325v, 327r:334v, ii-r:ii-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence