IOR/L/PS/12/3729

This file contains correspondence between British officials regarding complications around the payment of transit fees to Bahrain (sometimes written as Bahrein in the file) by Saudi Arabia. The correspondence also discusses relations between the two countries generally and the role of Britain. A large proportion of the correspondence in the file relates to the wording and content of an Exchange of Notes between Britain and Saudi Arabia that was agreed in November 1935. Issues concerning Bahrain's sovereignty and Iran's claims to the island are also discussed briefly towards the end of the file.

The correspondence is between officials at the India Office, Foreign Office, Board of Trade, British Legation in Jeddah, Political Residency in the Persian Gulf and the Political Agency in Bahrain. A limited amount of correspondence is also contained with non-British individuals including the Ruler of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, and Fuad Bey Hamza of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In addition to correspondence, the file contains occasional extracts from Intelligence Reports compiled by the Political Agency in Bahrain and the following documents:

• 'Treaty Series No. 7 (1936) Exchange of Notes between His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom and the Government of Saudi Arabia regarding Transit Dues at Bahrein, Jedda, November 16, 1935' in both English and Arabic (folios 51-54)
• 'Record of First Part of Fifth Meeting with Fuad Bey Hamza at the Foreign Office on July 15, 1935' (folio 191)
• 'Bahrein Transit Dues' a note written by J G Laithwaite of the India Office, 1934 (folios 371-374)
• 'Record of a meeting held at the Foreign Office on Monday October 8th [1934], Regarding Relations Between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain' (folios 378-389).

The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.