'Muscat-Omani relations' [‎71r] (149/412)

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Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. & H .B .M's Consulate,
Muscat, the 17th March,1941.
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To
Major T. Hickiribotham,
Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. & H .B.M 's Consul,
Muscat,
The Hon'ble the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency.
in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
Camp Bahrain.
confidsktul records'
Sir,
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I have the honour to refer to my letter No. C/161, dated
the 8th February, 1941, and to our conversation at the Secretariat,
New Delhi on Monday March the 4th when I made a verbal report on
my interview with the Sultan on March 1st in Bombay.
2. There has been no radical change in the situation in the
Ibri area since the report contained in my letter under reference•
The Sultan has received a communication from Sheikh Isa bin Sal eh
al Harthi acquainting him with the Imam's move to Ibri and stating
that the action was taken in response to an invitation ffom
Abdullah bin Rashid al Yakubi who informed the Imam that he was
afraid of his son taking control and saying that if the Imam was
reluctant to aid him then he would be forced to seek the protection
of Ibn Saud. Sheikh Isa bin Saleh seems also to have hinted that
the Sultan had evinced little interest in the area and made no
attempt to preserve law and order in a notoriously lawless district.
Sheikh Isa*s letter, as is usual in his communications, contains a
great deal of truth used to the best advantage to give a plausible
reason for the Imam's action. The Sultan is as adept as Sheikh Isa
at this form of comriunication and will not find the letter hard to
answer.
3. The Sultan has no intention of permitting the Imam to
remain in possession of Ibri but he does not intend to take any
action until he returns to Muscat early next month unless the Imam
endeavours to enlarge his present sphere of influence. On his