IOR/R/15/1/236

The file contains monthly news summaries compiled at the British Residency and Consulate-General, Bushire and signed by, or in most cases initialed on behalf of, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf. The file contains 12 reports, one copy of every summary from No.1 of 1929, entitled Summary of the news from the Arab States for the month of January 1929, dated 20 February 1929 to No.12 of 1931, entitled Summary of the news from the Arab States for the month of December 1931, dated 11 January 1932.

The news summaries use standard subject headings to report the latest developments in the Gulf region, starting with the movements of British officials and non-officials, Arab rulers and notables; the movements and interests of foreigners, especially American missionaries, French and Germans and the territorial interests of King Ibn Saud (also referred to as Bin Saud) of Saudi Arabia.

These are followed by country profiles for Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman and Trucial Oman. The country profiles report on British interests; the activities of rulers; riots and crimes; diplomatic relations; tribal raids, fighting and wars; commerce and trade; trafficking in arms and slaves; oil exploration and pearling; transport and communications; weather conditions; education; and local government. Other subjects regularly reported include aviation, the British Navy and the health of the Arab ports.

The news summaries are typewritten carbon copies or printed, with occasional minor handwritten corrections. Each summary is five to eleven pages long and the last page usually contains a distribution list naming ten to fifteen regular recipients.

At the front of the file are secret and confidential, mainly copy, letters between the Governments of India and Zanzibar, the Local Government of Bombay and the Bushire Political Residency, in response to a request from the Government of Zanzibar for intelligence reports on Gulf Arabs visiting Zanzibar and the spread of communist propaganda under the Bombay Presidency, 21 January 1929 to 18 July 1929 (folios 8-14). It was agreed that the Political Resident at Bushire would send extracts from the Arab States monthly summaries relating to Gulf Arab visitors and the Bombay Government would send the Bombay Presidency Police Secret Abstract of Intelligence, direct to the Zanzibar Government.