IOR/R/15/5/317

The file contains correspondence relating to American consular posts in the Persian Gulf. This largely consists of: correspondence between the Political Agent, Kuwait, and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; correspondence between the Political Agent, Kuwait, and the British Ambassador, Baghdad; copies of correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the India Office, and between the Political Resident and the Political Agents at Bahrain and Muscat; copies of correspondence between the India Office and the Foreign Office; and copies of correspondence between the Foreign Office and the United States Embassy, London.

This correspondence mainly relates to the following subjects:

• the informal inclusion of Oman (Muscat), Qatar, and the Trucial Coast within the district of the United States Consul at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and the activities of the United States Vice-Consul at Dhahran
• the proposed agreement between the United Kingdom and the US for the reciprocal grant of certain financial privileges for officials other than diplomatic and consular personnel
• the report of the Political Agent, Kuwait, on the visit to Kuwait from 13 to 16 July 1945 of the US Vice-Consul at Basrah [Basra]
• the visit to Kuwait of the US Ambassador to Iraq as a guest of the Kuwait Oil Company on 28 March 1947 for two nights
• enquiries made by the US Vice-Consul at Basra to the Political Agent, Kuwait, about Farsi Island and the Kuwait Order-in-Council and ‘extra-territoriality’
• the establishment of an American Consulate at Kuwait
• American consular ‘infiltration’ into Kuwait and the saluting by gun of American consular officers during the visit of units of the US Navy