'File 28/10-(e) War. St. John Philby'.

The file comprises correspondence exchanged between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman), the British Government's representative at Jedda, and officials at the Government of India and India Office in London, in tracking a journey made by Harry St John Bridger Philby from Saudi Arabia, via Dhahran, Bahrain and Karachi, to Bombay. The correspondence focuses on when might be an appropriate moment to apprehend Philby, so that he may be deported back to Britain. Proposals to apprehend Philby, who is believed to be carrying letters and articles of an anti-British bent in his luggage, in Bahrain, are abandoned due to uncertainty over whether the Persian Gulf Defence Regulation contained sufficient legal power to enable the deportation (f 11). Correspondence from the Foreign Department of the Government of India reports Philby's detention upon his arrival at Karachi (f 16). Included in the file is a notice from J W Stafford, Chief Passport Officer in the Passport Office of the Foreign Office, dated 27 June 1940, which contains details of Philby's appearance, his background, and instruction to impound his passport (f 20).

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 (f 21) mirror the chronological arrangement.

Unrestricted