IOR/L/PS/12/2200

Correspondence regarding requests from the Shaikh of Qatar ('Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī) to import arms and ammunition, under the terms of his 1916 treaty with Britain.

The correspondence documents attempts to convince the Shaikh to purchase British-manufactured arms and ammunition, on the grounds that, should an emergency situation arise, the Government of India would be in a better position to fulfil Qatari demands for ammunition and spare parts. The correspondence also discusses British concerns that the Shaikh intended to sell the imported arms, that arming Qatar would lead to tensions with Ibn Sa'ūd, and that Germany could increase their commercial and political influence in the region if the Shaikh equipped his army with German munitions. The file also includes a small quantity of correspondence with BSA Guns Limited, regarding orders for arms and ammunition and applications for the requisite export licences.

The primary correspondents are the India Office Political Department, the Government of India Foreign and Political Department, the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent at Bahrain, and the Air Officer Commanding British Forces in Iraq.

The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (folio 2).