IOR/L/PS/10/897C

The volume mostly consists of monthly reports (also titled political diaries) by political officers in the territories of Iraq under British occupation, for the month of March 1920, forwarded by the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, to the Under-Secretary of State for India.

It includes:

• Reports from divisional political officers for the following divisions: Baghdad; Samarra; Diyalah [Diyala]; Diwaniyah; Shamiyah [Al-Shamiya]; Hillah; Basrah [Basra]; Kut; Mosul; Sulaimania [Sulaymaniyah]; Kirkuk; Arbil [Erbil] and Rawan [Rawanduz]
• Reports from district assistant political officers for the following districts: Eastern Shamiyah; Western Shamiyah; Kufah [Kufa]-Najaf; Basrah; Qurnah [Al-Qurna]; Amarah [Amara] Municipality; Northern District, Amarah; Qalat-Sikar [Qalat Sukkar]; Suq Al Shuyukh [Suq Al-Shoyokh] and Hammar; Shatrah [Al-Shatrah]; Nasiriyah; Zakho; Dohuk; Tel Afar; Aqra [Aqrah or Akre]; and Koi Sanjaq [Koysinjaq or Koy Sanjaq].

The reports are divided into sections on different subjects under headings such as: tribal [affairs]; law and order and condition of district; gendarmes; levies; police; agriculture; weather; revenue; municipal [affairs]; tapu [relating to land privately held by the title deed system]; waqf [relating to land allocated for religious or charitable endowment]; education; hospitals and dispensaries; tours of political officers and assistant political officers; frontier questions; irrigation and bunds [embankments]; and questions affecting military authorities.

The report from the Military Governor and Political Officer, Baghdad, includes appended reports of the Acting Medical Officer of Health, Baghdad, and the Land Settlement Officer, Baghdad, for the month of March 1920.

The report by the Assistant Political Officer (Town), Amarah, is followed by the diary of the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Amarah, for the Month of March 1920.

The reports from the Assistant Political Officers for Basrah and Qurnah are enclosed in the report of the Military Governor and Political Officer, Basrah, along with reports for the month of March from the following:

• The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Basrah (this report covers February and March)
• The Municipal Commissioner, Basrah
• The Officiating Executive Engineer, Civil Works Division
• The First Class Magistrate, Basrah
• The Civil Transport Officer, Basrah
• The Superintendent, Civil Jail, Basrah
• The Civil Base Depot, Basrah.

The volume includes an index to monthly reports of Political Officers for March 1920 on folio 6; however, there are not separate reports included in the volume for every division and district listed.