IOR/L/PS/12/3778

This file contains correspondence between British naval and diplomatic officials regarding the arrest of the Government of Persia's Mudir [Head] of Customs at Basidu by British forces stationed there. The Mudir was arrested after claiming Basidu - where Britain operated a coaling station - and its waters as Persian territory. As well as the immediate impact of the incident itself, the correspondence also discusses the broader issue of the status of Basidu and relations between Britain and Persia. In addition to this correspondence, a small selection of press cuttings related to the incident and Anglo-Persian relations more generally are present in the file (including one article in French on folio 71).

The file also contains the following:

• 'Order and Practices for the Office in Charge of Naval Guard - British Basidu' (folios 484-487)
• A small blue print tracing of Basidu (folio 363)
• A detailed account of the Mudir's arrest at Basidu with multiple items of evidence and enclosures (folios 357-376)
• 'Committee of Imperial Defence. Standing Ministerial Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East. Minutes of the Fifth Meeting of the Sub-Committee held in the Room of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at the House of Commons, on Tuesday, November 28th, 1933, at 3.0 p.m.' (folios 157-172).

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.