IOR/L/PS/12/3907

The file concerns the disputed ownership of the islands of Libaina (rendered Libainat in the file title) al Saghir and Libaina al Khabir (also referred to as Bain-as-Seghir and Bain-al-Khabir, or jointly as the Bainain), lying between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, which were the subject of territorial claims by both states. The papers also relate to the islands of Fasht al Jarim, Khor Fasht, and Chaschus (1939). The issue of sovereignty arose because the islands lay in the Bahrain Unallotted Area, and were therefore the subject of interest from the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) and other oil companies.

The file contains correspondence from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the Political Agent, Bahrain, the British Legation, Jedda, the Foreign Office, and the Admiralty; India Office minutes; and maps.

The papers cover: discussion of the question of sovereignty over the islands; the attitude of Ibn Saud [Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd]; the issue of territorial waters; proposed lines of demarcation between Bahraini and Saudi spheres of influence; and the attitude of the British Government to a programme of drilling by BAPCO on the reefs of Adala, Fasht al Jarim, Fasht al Ashira, and Fasht Abu Saafa, 1941-42.

The file also contains copies of correspondence dated 1909 (folios 78-83) concerning Turkish sovereignty in the area.

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.