Iraq

Country

Iraq; officially the Republic of Iraq (جمهورية العراق Ǧumhūriyyat l-ʿIrāq, Kurdish: كؤماری عێراق, Komara Îraqê is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert. Iraq is bordered by Jordan to the west, Syria to the northwest, Turkey ...

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Documents about Iraq

Monday 8th January 1940

Analysis of German Propaganda, December 1-15, 1939.

extract Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax presents an analysis of the main themes in Nazi propaganda at the beginning of December
person E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax
place South Africa
place Great Britain
place Finland
place Slovakia
place Russian Empire
place Egypt
place Iraq
place Europe
place Syria
organisation Labour Party (UK)
 

Friday 23rd February 1940

Hostilities with Russia: Attitude of Iran.

extract Iranian government proposes co-ordinating offensive plans with UK for war against Russia
place Iraq
place Iran
 

Thursday 7th March 1940

Meeting minutes

extract Lord Chatfield meets junior ministers. Italy “more menacing”. “On balance little advantage in going to war with Russia”
place Finland
place Egypt
place Iraq
place Turkey
place Syria
place Iran
organisation Luftwaffe
 

Military implications of hostilities with Russia in 1940.

extract Chiefs of Staff report on "military implications of hostilities with Russia in 1940"
place Great Britain
place Afghanistan
place Murmansk
place Finland
place Russian Empire
place Egypt
place Iraq
place Narvik
place Turkey
place Basra
place Syria
place West Germany
place Iran
organisation Air Force F.C.
organisation Foreign Office (Germany)
organisation Minister of Economic Warfare
 

Withdrawal of two R.A.F. Bomber Squadrons from Singapore to India.

extract Chiefs of Staff urge moving two bomber squadrons from Singapore to India as war with Russia now more likely than Japan
place Egypt
place Iraq
place Singapore
 

Meeting minutes

extract Dutch Foreign Minister rejects discussions with UK government over arrangements to resist German invasion of Netherlands
extract USSR offers to reopen trade talks with UK. Ambassador Maisky denies military alliance with Germany
person Harold Wilson
person Neville Chamberlain
place Athens
place Ankara
place Russian Empire
place Iraq
place Turkey
place Rome
organisation Home Office
organisation New Zealand Treasury
organisation RAF Coastal Command
 

Thursday 4th April 1940

Meeting minutes

extract PM meets junior ministers. Offered Attlee coalition, again refused. Nazi war alliance would cause Mussolini's overthrow
person Samuel Hoare
person Kingsley Wood
person Frederick Marquis, 1st Earl of Woolton
person Paul Reynaud
place Lancaster, Lancashire
place Russian Empire
place Iraq
place Turkey
place Iran
organisation Labour Party (UK)
 

Saturday 25th May 1940

British strategy in a certain eventuality.

extract Without “full economic and financial support” from USA. Chiefs of Staff cannot see “any chance of success” in war effort
extract Chiefs of Staff circulate UK strategy for next phase of conflict. Paper assumes defeat of France, failure to evacuate BEF
place Portugal
place Russian Empire
place Egypt
place Iraq
place Eyre Peninsula
place Singapore
place Turkey
place Malta
place Europe
place Gibraltar
place Alexandria
place Africa
place Libya
organisation Air Force F.C.
organisation Minister of Economic Warfare
organisation Scapa
organisation United States Army
 

Friday 14th June 1940

Internal security in Iraq.

extract Chiefs of Staff express unease over security situation in Iraq. Suggest propaganda broadcasts and stress "power of gold"
place Baghdad
place Iraq
place Syria
 

Meeting minutes

extract General Dill: "No confirmation" of report of Soviet forces massing on the frontier of East Prussia
extract Report Swiss government to capitulate to military coup, allowing German troops free passage. Halifax: "A wild story"
extract BEF no longer under overall French command. "Grave risk" if French agree Armistice force "involved and unable to escape"
extract General Brooke reports that organised resistance in France has "come to an end". French army "disintegrating"
extract Roosevelt says his message "in no sense" promised US military action. PM: "Nothing short" of this will sustain France
person Alexander Cadogan
person Edward Bridges, 1st Baron Bridges
person William Patrick Stuart-Houston
person Franklin D. Roosevelt
person Adolf Hitler
place Iraq
place Turkey
place Malta
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
place Libya
organisation RAF Coastal Command
organisation Foreign Office (Germany)
organisation United States Congress
 

Plans to meet a certain eventuality: French Colonial Empire and Mandated Territories.

extract Chiefs of Staff circulate suggested strategies to encourage French overseas territories to continue assistance to Britain
person Chiang Kai-shek
place Freetown
place Aruba
place New Caledonia
place Somaliland
place Madagascar
place Iraq
place Caribbean
place Singapore
place Turkey
place Europe
place Gibraltar
place Dakar
place Beirut
place Morocco
place Syria
place Africa
place Newfoundland, Kentucky
place Burma
organisation Minister of Economic Warfare
organisation United States Congress
 

Despatch of Troops to Iraq.

extract Chiefs of Staff propose UK force in Iraq or "we may be faced with the need of occupying the country in strength later on"
place Iraq
place Basra
 

Monday 1st July 1940

Meeting minutes

extract War Cabinet approves despatch of troops from India to Iraq. Colonial Secretary: Early introduction of force "essential"
extract PM: Growth in scheme to evacuate children abroad "defeatist", must be "sternly discouraged". Entry to scheme to be closed
extract General Dill: De Gaulle has been addressing French troops in UK. 1,900 volunteers have been assembled at White City
extract Admiralty reports ten Italian submarines have been sunk in three weeks since Italy joined war
person Anthony Eden
person Alexander Cadogan
person Edward Bridges, 1st Baron Bridges
person John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley
person Charles de Gaulle
person Clive Anderson
person Robert Craigie (diplomat)
person Leo Amery
place Great Britain
place Halifax Peninsula
place Madagascar
place Iraq
place Hong Kong
place British Cameroons
place North America
place Nigeria
place Syria
place Burma
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
organisation Home Office
organisation House of Commons of the United Kingdom
organisation French Foreign Legion
 

Comments on the recent conversation between His Majesty's Ambassador at Moscow and M. Stalin.

extract Halifax circulates progress of Cripps negotiations with Marshall Stalin. “Soviet-German co-operation is to continue”
person Adolf Hitler
place Great Britain
place Russian Empire
place East Germany
place Iraq
place Moscow
place Turkey
place Europe
place Istanbul
 

Propaganda for the future.

extract Information Minister Duff Cooper developing propaganda strategy to respond to German "peace offensive"
place Great Britain
place Egypt
place Iraq
place Europe
place Gibraltar
 

Preparation of more Troops in India for Service Overseas.

extract Army Chiefs warn they require more troops from India than planned. UK fighting "as far apart" as Iceland and West Indies
place Afghanistan
place Iraq
place Iceland
place Caribbean
place Burma
 

Wednesday 21st August 1940

Gold and Exchange Resources. Summary of Position.

extract Chancellor "seriously perturbed" at UK's gold and foreign exchange reserves. Britain "out of gold by the end of December"
person William Patrick Stuart-Houston
person Kingsley Wood
place South Africa
place New York, Lincolnshire
place Egypt
place Iraq
place North America
place Sudan
place South America
place Newfoundland, Kentucky
place Burma
organisation Ministry of Supply
organisation New Zealand Treasury
organisation Bank of England
 

Tuesday 3rd September 1940

The Munitions Situation.

extract PM: By devising new weapons and above all by scientific leadership we shall best cope with enemy's superior strength
extract PM circulates his views on UK's munitions position: "The Navy can lose us the war but only the Air Force can win it"
person Winston Churchill
place Egypt
place Iraq
place Turkey
place Sudan
place Europe
place Syria
place Iran
organisation Air Force F.C.
organisation United States Navy
 

Thursday 24th October 1940

Meeting minutes

extract General Dill: "No confirmation" of this morning's Press report UK inflicted 400 losses on Italian forces in the Sudan
extract Air Chief: Enemy activity yesterday "on a reduced scale". Attacks mostly from Norway where weather conditions were better
extract Cabinet directs War Secretary to decline invitation to Iraq on security grounds. Foreign Office will blame lack of time
extract PM proposes new Supreme War Council including Dominions, Free France, Holland, Belgium, Norway, Poland and Czechoslovakia
person Alexander Cadogan
person Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay
person Edward Bridges, 1st Baron Bridges
person John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley
person Herbert Morrison
person Stafford Cripps
person Maxime Weygand
person Kingsley Wood
place Egypt
place Cranborne
place Halifax Peninsula
place Iraq
place Madrid
place Sudan
place Khartoum
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
place Czechoslovakia
organisation Royal Air Force
organisation House of Commons of the United Kingdom
organisation Hopatcong High School
organisation Parliament of the United Kingdom
organisation Foreign and Commonwealth Office
organisation Government of Canada
 

Friday 1st November 1940

An advance by the enemy through the Balkans and Syria to the Middle East.

extract Chiefs of Staff recommend more support for Turks, occupation of Iraq and Syria. Stress force unavailable till Spring 1941
place Greece
place Egypt
place Baghdad
place Iraq
place Turkey
place Syria
 

Overseas Air Communications.

extract Air Minister asks for resources to improve Empire communications links. "Reasonably quick air-mail" will boost morale
place Athens
place Egypt
place Iraq
place Hong Kong
place Cairo
place North America
place Europe
place South America
place Khartoum
place Africa
place Lisbon, New York
place Burma
place Rome
organisation Royal Air Force
organisation Foreign and Commonwealth Office
organisation Minister of Economic Warfare
organisation United States Army
 

Monday 3rd February 1941

Meeting minutes

extract Cabinet approves construction of Burma-China railway if border agreed. Secretary of State to inform Burmese government
extract Eden: Resignation of Iraq government "not to be regretted". New one "not very satisfactory but might be only a stop-gap"
extract General Wavell reports enemy making "determined stand in difficult country" in Eritrea. Rapid progress "unlikely"
extract General Heywood: Greek First Corps "in good heart". Few casualties suffered from the enemy, but many from frost bite
extract Admiralty: Swordfish bombers attacked dam in Sardinia. Met heavy anti-aircraft fire, claimed 3 hits on dam with torpedoes
extract Air Chief: Enemy aircraft have dropped bombs and mines in the Suez Canal. A number of the mines have now been detonated
person Anthony Eden
person Alexander Cadogan
person Edward Bridges, 1st Baron Bridges
person Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
person John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley
person Herbert Morrison
person Rashid Ali al-Gaylani
person Kingsley Wood
person Ernest Brown
person Clement Attlee
person John Dill
place Greece
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Eritrea
place Washington
place Morocco
place Africa
place Burma
organisation Home Office
 

Meeting minutes

extract Cadogan: President Roosevelt had "frank talk" with Japanese Ambassador. Tension in the Far East seems to have lessened
extract General Dill: Greeks again taking offensive in Albania, apparently with success, but so far only 400 prisoners confirmed
extract General Dill: "Not yet known what success, if any" achieved in Operation Colossus before our parachutists taken prisoner
extract Air Chief: 3 lost enemy aircraft have landed or tried to land at UK aerodromes. One captured intact with crew
person Alexander Cadogan
person George Cadogan, 3rd Earl Cadogan
person John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley
person Herbert Morrison
person Francisco Franco
place Greece
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Turkey
place Europe
place Kismayo
place Albania
place Thailand
place Africa
place Bulgaria
place Libya
organisation Home Office
 

Monday 7th April 1941

Meeting minutes

extract Cadogan: Looks as though a "show of force" might be necessary before the position in Iraq can be redressed
extract Cadogan: Our Ambassador at Budapest "told to leave as soon as possible". Yugoslav government has left Belgrade
extract General Haining: Germans moving into Yugoslavia advanced towards Skoplje and Stip yesterday against slight resistance
person Alexander Cadogan
person Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
person George Cadogan, 3rd Earl Cadogan
person Stafford Cripps
person William Patrick Stuart-Houston
place Athens
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Belgrade
place Hungary
place Moscow
place Turkey
place Basra
place Eritrea
place Addis Ababa
place Bulgaria
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
place Libya
 

Meeting minutes

extract Indian Government to send troops to secure Basra in Iraq. General Rashid Ali to be told but force will "land in any case"
extract General Dill: Our force in Greece holding its own against heavy German attack. But enemy has taken Sollum on Egypt border
extract General Dill: Germans have occupied North Yugoslavia. Their advance likely to be by Sarajevo and Mostar to the Adriatic
extract Air Chief: In Libya on April 12th our bombers made 4 attacks and dispersed about 60 enemy tanks drawn up to attack Tobruk
extract Air Chief: In Balkans we have (with severe aircraft losses) inflicted fairly serious damage on advancing German troops
person John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley
person Rashid Ali al-Gaylani
place Greece
place Egypt
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Iceland
place Basra
place Eritrea
place Albania
place Addis Ababa
place Libya
organisation RAF Coastal Command
 

Meeting minutes

extract PM: "Navy must be prepared to suffer heavy losses in order to cut the enemy line of communication" from Italy to Libya
extract Telegram from Yugoslav government asking for air evacuation to Athens. Greek government considering evacuation to Crete
extract General Dill: "Most serious news" German mechanised columns moving to cut off Greek army in Albania
person Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
person Rashid Ali al-Gaylani
place Athens
place Greece
place Egypt
place Baghdad
place Iraq
place Basra
place Albania
place Cyprus
place Tripoli, Greece
place Alexandria
place Libya
organisation United States Navy
 

Meeting minutes

extract Morrison: Palace of Westminster "considerably damaged". Damage to Admiralty building, Selfridges, Kidbrooke aerodrome
extract Morrison: Attack on London last night affected 66 boroughs, especially Central and South London. 40 serious fires
person Herbert Morrison
person Duff Cooper
person Telesforo Trinidad
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Madrid
place Basra
place Dublin
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
organisation Home Office
organisation New Zealand Treasury
organisation Parliament of the United Kingdom
 

Meeting minutes

extract PM: Situation in Libya "considerably better" than it appeared a week ago. "Good chance" German thrust can be "liquidated"
extract PM: "Crete must be held in force". We have 59,000 men in Greece. Afraid we shall lose most of our artillery and tanks
extract PM: Clear implication the Greek Army "might be unable to continue the struggle". "We should fall in with their views"
extract PM: General Papagos has announced a withdrawal to the Thermopylae position and has suggested we re-embark our forces
person Rashid Ali al-Gaylani
place Athens
place Greece
place Egypt
place Iraq
place Basra
place Tripoli, Greece
place Libya
place Tripoli
organisation Air Force F.C.
organisation British Army
organisation Parliament of the United Kingdom
 

Meeting minutes

extract Eden: "We should try to open up discussions with the Soviet Union", although I am "not very sanguine of good results"
extract Air Chief: In my view our bombers are "flying too low over Germany". Issuing orders to deal with this
person Stafford Cripps
person Francisco Franco
place East Germany
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Madrid
place Moscow
place Turkey
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
organisation Home Office
organisation RAF Coastal Command
 

Meeting minutes

extract War Cabinet approves publication of "Beating the Invader" leaflet to all householders
extract Morrison: Plymouth main target for the last 3 nights. Overnight 4 oil tanks set alight. Fires not yet under control
extract Air Chief: Bombardment of Tripoli harbour "far more satisfactory" than first appeared. Several ships sunk, others damaged
extract Air Chief: Aircraft losses in last 72 hours in home and overseas theatres; Enemy 31 (+15 probable), Our Own 14
person Edward Bridges, 1st Baron Bridges
person Herbert Morrison
place Plymouth
place Fiji
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Ethiopia
place Eritrea
place Kenya
place Tripoli, Greece
place Africa
place Addis Ababa
place Libya
place Tripoli
organisation Home Office
organisation Royal Navy
 

Policy towards Turkey.

extract Eden: "Most we can hope for" from Turks "benevolent neutrality". In our interest to supply and support their armed forces
person Anthony Eden
place Great Britain
place Greece
place Egypt
place Iraq
place Turkey
place Basra
place Europe
place Istanbul
place Cyprus
place Alexandria
place Syria
place Bulgaria
 

Thursday 1st May 1941

Meeting minutes

extract PM Churchill pays tribute to Prime Minister Menzies who is attending his final meeting of the War Cabinet "on this visit"
extract Eden: Iraqi Army has taken up positions on hills surrounding our aerodrome at Habbaniya. RAF will be used if need be
extract Morrison: Plymouth has suffered air attack 5 nights running. Report of unofficial nightly exodus to surrounding districts
extract General Dill: Evacuation operations from Greece now complete. Total Army personnel got away about 43,000 (out of 55,000)
person Herbert Morrison
person Duff Cooper
place Greece
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
organisation Home Office
organisation House of Commons of the United Kingdom
organisation Hopatcong High School
 

Meeting minutes

extract Eden: Iraqi Ambassador told if matters continue his country will "be at war with the whole of the British Empire"
extract Morrison: Other places attacked during the last four nights include Portsmouth, Tyneside, Barrow-in-Furness and Belfast
extract Morrison: Merseyside has suffered air attacks for 4 nights. Repeated attacks on towns "present many difficult problems"
extract General Dill: We are holding perimeter of Tobruk except part of west side. Germans using flamethrowers for first time
person Alexander Cadogan
person Herbert Morrison
person E. F. L. Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax
place Ankara
place Baghdad
place Iraq
place Jamaica
place Gibraltar
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
place Libya
place Portsmouth
organisation Home Office
organisation United States Department of State
 

Meeting minutes

extract Minister of Labour suggests "further consideration" of the possibility of conscription being applied to Northern Ireland
extract PM: Operation "TIGER" successfully completed. Result will be greatly to increase General Wavell's strength in heavy tanks
extract Air Chief: Enemy concentrated larger part of attack against our bomber aerodromes overnight. Practically no damage done
person Alexander Cadogan
person Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Basra
place Syria
place Northern Ireland
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
organisation Parliament of the United Kingdom
organisation United States Navy
 

Meeting minutes

extract War Secretary directed to announce Ethiopia under temporary "military guidance". PM: No need to concern ourselves unduly
extract Minister of Information to "give guidance" to Press on Hess's "bloody" record. Coverage has been "almost laudatory"
extract PM: Rudolf Hess will be held as a prisoner of war. He is also a prisoner of State and should be kept in isolation
person Alexander Cadogan
person Edward Bridges, 1st Baron Bridges
person Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
place Greece
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Caribbean
place Ethiopia
place Africa
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
organisation Home Office
organisation RAF Coastal Command
organisation House of Commons of the United Kingdom
organisation Foreign and Commonwealth Office
 

Meeting minutes

extract Home Secretary to inform Northern Ireland PM War Cabinet "disposed to apply conscription" and seek view of NI government
extract General Dill: All objectives taken in recent Libya operations but Capuzzo afterwards lost to a counter-attack
extract PM Churchill to bring the shipping position in the Central Atlantic "to the notice of President Roosevelt"
person Alexander Cadogan
person George Cadogan, 3rd Earl Cadogan
person James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Turkey
place Tobruk
place Syria
place Northern Ireland
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
place Libya
organisation Home Office
organisation House of Commons of the United Kingdom
 

Meeting minutes

extract Chiefs of Staff asking local commanders to improvise largest possible force to move into Syria at earliest possible date
extract PM: Give French last chance to stop passage of Luftwaffe through Syria, otherwise we should proclaim Syria independent
extract Eden: Germans in "strong diplomatic offensive" on Turkey. Turks "treating us in a frank way", asking our plans in Syria
person Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
place Iraq
place Turkey
place Syria
 

Lord Hankey's Committee on Preventing Oil from reaching Enemy Powers. Seventh Report.

extract Petroleum Secretary again urges heavy bombing attacks on German oil resources. "Impact of events" so far preventing these
person Geoffrey Lloyd, Baron Geoffrey-Lloyd
place Finland
place Russian Empire
place Iraq
place Europe
place Albania
place West Germany
organisation Air Force F.C.
organisation German Army
organisation Luftwaffe
organisation United States Navy
 

Our Arab Policy.

extract Eden outlines UK "Arab Policy". "No change" in Palestine, establish friendly Iraq government, "bring Syria over to us"
person Anthony Eden
place Iraq
place Turkey
place Syria
 

Monday 2nd June 1941

Meeting minutes

extract General Dill: 17,000 of our troops evacuated from Crete. Our losses 7-8,000, German losses considerably higher
extract Air Chief: Estimated 25% of German Air Force employed against Crete. Enemy might have lost 400 aircraft in the operations
person Edward Bridges, 1st Baron Bridges
person George Cadogan, 3rd Earl Cadogan
person Walter Hines Page
person William Patrick Stuart-Houston
person Rashid Ali al-Gaylani
place Greece
place Russian Empire
place Manchester
place Cranborne
place Iraq
place Cyprus
place Syria
place Dublin
place Greenwood, Nova Scotia
place Iran
organisation Air Force F.C.
organisation Luftwaffe
organisation Foreign and Commonwealth Office
 

Reports for Month of May 1941 for the Dominions, India, Burma, and the Colonies, Protectorates and Mandated Territories.

extract Dominions Secretary: Germany has expressed regret for "accidental" bombing of Dublin in May. Offered compensation
person Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook
place Greece
place Iraq
place Iceland
place Malta
place Gibraltar
place Cyprus
place Syria
place Africa
place Northern Ireland
place Burma
organisation New Zealand Treasury
organisation Labour Party (UK)