'File 7/4 Aviation and Air Force Matters' [‎95r] (196/506)

arrangements for petrol and oil and seem to manage It without
difficulty. No officer ia needed for this.
|b) The coastal reconnaissance will presumably be made
from the air, and would therefore probably be done by Howe.
The work will not take long, as most of the coastline is a he
howling desert, and much of it has already been surveyed.
If any reconnaissance is required at Jubail, qatif or Ojair
I trust that it will be done in conjunction with myself.
|c) I dont want a liaison officer, and the last thing
we want is another brand of British Official to dtract the
attention of the Shaikhs from the officers of the Department.
Already people like Thomas and the Uayy are better known
between Sur and Sila thai we are, and another year or two of
this coupled with an R.A.p. invasion and we shall heco™ com
plete ciphers. To give you an idea the position we have now
reached I will quote a remark made quite unconsciously by
one of ngr recent guests. He said ' The Command pt - of ths
has just had to fine the Shaikh of ( I think he said Shargah)
Shargah two thousand rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. .' I inquired why, but he did
not know and seemd to think that it was quite within his pre
rogative to do so if he wished to. • You will also find in
the appropriate file at Sabzabad a reproof Col.Prideaux had
to admin-'iter the S.N, 0. for acknowle dging the succeBainn
of a .'rucial Chief without a reference to the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. , in
fact I believe it was you who drew his attention to it.
i.d) I am confidTent that I could revise the Handbook of
Arabia as far my area ig concerned. The Gazetteer has been
revised by Major Hoel I believe.
le) Matters between the 3.H.0. and the R.A.ff. are
always ' ettled in direct coramunication by Baghdad or Ba»rah
and I am certain a junior officer in Bahrein would have lit
tle to do with it. The Navy seldom come here, and in any
case desire to have as little liaison with the R.A.F. as
possible.
4. As regards Mr, remark that his tour would require