IOR/L/PS/10/242

The volume comprises copies of printed correspondence, typewritten correspondence, handwritten notes and other papers. These papers relate to the operation of British and Turkish post offices in Turkish Arabia (Iraq), and British and Persian post offices in Persia and the ports and towns of the wider Persian Gulf. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Zachariah Cox); Foreign Office officials (Secretary, Sir Edward Grey; Assistant Under-Secretary, Sir Louis du Pan Mallet); India Office officials (including Permanent Under-Secretary of State for India, Thomas William Holderness).

The volume covers the following subjects:

• communications between British and Turkish Government officials over a Turkish Government proposal to abolish foreign (including British) post offices in Ottoman territory, including: British acceptance of the proposal, with caveats, Turkish demands for the closure of foreign post offices on 1 October 1914 (f 5, f 8), arrangements for the closure of British post offices, including those at Basra and Baghdad, discussion between British Government and Government of India officials over proposed future arrangements for the transmission of mail from between India and Turkish Arabia;
• British Government correspondence relating to the Turkish Government’s plans to introduce its own mail system between Baghdad/Basra and India;
• the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf’s outline of the history of the British postal system in the Persian Gulf, and his proposals for improvements, which include the opening of new branches at Henjam [Jazīreh-ye Hengām], Charbar [Chābahār] and Ahwaz [Ahvāz], a change of hours to the post office at Bushire, and changes to the service at Fao [Al-Fāw]) as a means of countering the Persian Government expansion of postal operations in the Persian Gulf (ff 187-190, ff 178-179), and the Persian Government’s subsequent protestations at the opening of British post office concessions at Henjam and Charbar;
• attempts by the Persian Government, under the direction of its Belgian Director-General of Post (Camille Molitor), to open post offices within the concessionary areas operated by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) at Abadan, and within Britain’s own post office concession at Henjam.

Each part includes a divider which gives the subject and part numbers, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained in that part by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.