Coll 20/40 'Muscat: Sultan's request for appointment of a British Officer as Adviser to undertake improvements at Gwadur' [‎11r] (22/379)

Conf i dential-
D.O*No*C.149-8/95.
Bear Sir Rupert,
•Ik
•/
Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. ,
Muscat,
11th March 1948^
' NDEXEI i awW 5 ^.
Please refer to your D.O .No .360-S dated the 10th
February 1948 on the subject of a Minister for Foreign Affairs^/z
for Muscat. v.7
2. During an interview I had with the Sultan on March 10th,
I asked him whether he would be agreeable to accept a candidate
without a knowledge of Arabic, and explained that we were exper-
iencing some difiiculty in finding a suitable person who already
knew the language. He replied insisting that a knowledge of
Arabic was absolutely essential. I then told him that the
Commonwealth Relations Office was trying to get in touch with
Colonel Northfield and said we would let him know the result in
due course. The Sultan urged the necessity of getting somebody
soon, and said that he was most unhappy about the present position
where he had nobody he could rely on to control the administration
ana see that his orders were carried out, or even suggest to
him improvements in the administration. At the moment, he said,
all ideas had to come from him personally and even then he could
no t i ely on his oilicials to put them into execution efficiently.
He did not mention anything about Major Fforde gnd I did not
stress the matter at this meeting.
. ^ ailin g Northfield I do hope the Commonwealth Relations
Of rice will be able to-find another candidate soon, otherwise
I fear the Sultan may produce his own candidate. One possibility
It a J P ? 1 5 S !; iT ? ian najned Nadir al Du 0 ain, brother in law of Rassassi
the Chief Wali, who arrived in Muscat ostensibly on a visit to
Rassassi a few days ago. I have not yet met him myself but
understand he is very presentable and has done three years at
Cambridge studying law, and makes no bones about admitting that
if he can get en^loyment in Muscat he will accept.
Yours sincerely,
^ TT Sd. A. C. STEWART.
The Honourable Sir Rupert Hay, K .C.I .E. ,C .S.I. ,
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. , Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
Bail rain.
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. ,
Bahrain,
the 23rd March 1948.
Copy forwarded, with compliments, to
F.A.K. Harrison Esquire,
Commonwealth Relations Office, *
* ith refer e n ce to Sir Rupert Hay’s telegram No.246
- 20tji March 194 8 ^ nd paragraph 3 of Ei s
' demi-official letter No.359-S dated the 10th February
1948, to Mr. Donaldson]:
%
No .631-3.