IOR/R/15/2/39

This file contains correspondence between British officials at Bahrain, Bushire, Baghdad, Kuwait, the India Office and the Government of India, as well as with ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Sa‘ūd) and Sālim al-Mubārak Āl Ṣabāḥ of Kuwait.

These correspondence concerns relations between Britain, Ibn Sa‘ūd and Kuwait. Issues covered in this file include Ibn Sa‘ūd's boycott of the port of Kuwait in favour of the ports on the Eastern coast of Arabia; raids on Kuwait by the Ikhwān Movement (folios 6-14); relations between Ibn Rashīd, Ibn Sa‘ūd and the Āl Ṣabāḥ family of Kuwait; and defining the boundaries of Kuwait via-à-vis the territories held by Ibn Sa‘ūd (folios 41-44, 109 and 124).

The latter part of the file (folio 126 onwards) concerns the Battle of al-Jahrā’ in October 1920, when the Ikhwan Movement, under the leadership of Fayṣal al-Dawīsh, laid siege to the Red Fort (Qaṣr al-Aḥmar) in the town of al-Jahrā’, Kuwait. There is correspondence concerning the extent to which Ibn Sa‘ūd had control over Fayṣal al-Dawīsh and the Ikhwan forces (folio 148); copies of Arabic letters (with translations) between Ibn Sa‘ūd and Fayṣal al-Dawīsh (folios 246-263); and correspondence detailing British intervention on the basis of Anglo-Kuwaiti Treaty of 1899, including the provision of military assistance by sea and air (folios 160-63 and 170-71).