IOR/R/15/2/178

The file contains transcripts and reports of press articles on Bahrain and the Persian Gulf, and associated correspondence. Much of the press is critical of the Government of Bahrain and the British administration there. The sources for the press articles are mainly the Arabic and French language press of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Bahrain itself, but there are also articles from German, United States, and Indian publications. The Arabic and French articles are mostly provided by L'Orient Arabe press agency of Cairo, Egypt. The associated correspondence is mostly from Hugh Weightman, Political Agent, Bahrain, Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, and Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, Adviser to the Government of Bahrain. There is also correspondence from other British officials in the Middle East, the India Office, the Foreign Office, and officials of the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO).

The file includes papers relating to articles in the Al Bahrain newspaper of Bahrain, March -May 1939, and September 1939, including letters from Belgrave and British officials expressing criticism of the paper and the need to impose censorship.

The Arabic and French language content of the file consists of letterheads and reports of L'Orient Arabe.

The starting date of the overall date range is provided by the covering letter for the translation of an article that was published on 2 November 1938, and the end date of the overall date range is provided by an entry in the notes at the end of the file.