IOR/R/15/2/579

The file relates to the trial, conviction, imprisonment, and release of Charles Elwood Minnick, an American citizen, who was sentenced to a year's imprisonment in Bahrain [also appears in the spelling Bahrein] in 1945 for the theft of tyres from the stores of the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO). The papers include correspondence from the Political Agent, Bahrain; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Government of Bombay; the Government of India; other British officials; and United States consular officials. The file includes:

• papers concerning Minnick's trial and conviction, June-July 1945;
• papers concerning the question of his imprisonment in India, and request to serve his sentence in the United States, July 1945;
• papers relating to Minnick's transfer from Bahrain to a prison in India, and the question of whether the Government of Bahrain was liable for the cost of his transfer, August-September 1945;
• papers concerning complaints by Minnick about the conditions of his detention in Bahrain and his appeal against conviction, October 1945 - March 1946;
• correspondence and receipts relating to the costs of Minnick's maintenance in Bahrain and transfer to India, October 1947 - August 1948.

The covering dates of the correspondence in this file (the main body of papers) are 17 June 1945 - 6 January 1948. The closing date in the overall date range is supplied by an entry in the notes at the rear of the file.