'File 28/5 IV Licenses for Export of Oil from Bahrain'

The file comprises papers relating to requests made by the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) for licences to export petroleum products from Bahrain during the Second World War. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Political Agent at Bahrain (Edward Birkbeck Wakefield; Major Tom Hickinbotham; and Captain Michael Dixon as Officiating Political Agent) and representatives for BAPCO (including: Ward P Anderson; R M Brown; J O Fifer). The file is a direct chronological continuation of IOR/R/15/2/681. The file includes:. export licence requests from BAPCO representatives to the Political Agent, detailing: the assignee of the export; the name of the vessel and its place of registration; the date for loading at Bahrain; the quantity and type of petroleum products to be loaded; the destination of the export; the consignee; tonnage of diesel fuel in the ship's bunkers. On some requests the destination and consignee is not specified, and is marked instead as 'sailing under sealed orders'. Some licence requests bear additional handwritten notes by Agency staff, which relate to the specifics of the request; copies of granted export licences, issued by the Political Agent at Bahrain; correspondence between the Political Agent at Bahrain and the India Office in London, relating to specific export licence requests. Cancelled requests are either crossed out and marked in handwriting as 'cancelled', or marked with blue rubber stamp as 'cancelled'

The file's contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The file notes at the end of the file (ff 384-400) mirror the chronological arrangement.

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