'Muscat succession' [‎11r] (21/24)

"1 (>
Th# ueaid«noy t
D.0> Ko^lOia^S . x Bu»hire #
21»t i>«oemb«r 194b
fchori 1 waA In Muscat X aelsed a faTouri
opportunity to onqulr# Hi® Highnoec* rlewe regarding a
auccee 30r in the or^nt of his premature teniae* Hie
HigVttieea tola ae that he wished a Regent to be appointed
to te}cs oharge of the State until his eon Qaboos besame
of sge* I enquired whioh of his relatires he wished to
be appointed sS Hegent> he imsediately replied •none
of i'uem** I then enquired who he wiehed to fill this
post and he 3aid that he hopeu ▼cry strongly that 6ovsrnm«it
would provide a British officer to fill it* I said that it
was uuual in such clrcufis tenaes to associate sons members
of the au 1 in^ family with the Hegent and enquired who he
thou ^it cou J a ! be entrusted with tneee functions* He
thought carefully for a minute or two and then replied that
he did not wish my of his femily either to fora part of a
\ ^ liegenoy Council or to adwise the Kegent* i then asked if
he had anyone in mind for this onerous and responsible task.
He replied th&t he hoped it would be soaebody like Major
Hiokinboths**
2* X thought this was very interesting as it shows
the way His Highness' »lmi turns* and the degree of trust
ano confidence he reposes in the British <>ovemment t even
if doutua at alsimln^* is flattering* vrom what 1 have seen
of Hi* relatives X thin* his juagnent is both shrewd and
sound and the less they have to do with any Minority
aoainistratlon ths better for the State* Xf X get an
opportunity» X shall ask His Highness to Xet me have something
to the above effect in writing* it would not commit us to
anything and might strengthen our Oand in ease of need*
On being further questioned His Highness admitted that in
the past little attention had been pai^ to primogeniture f
and the usual practice ha^i been that the most powerful man
sueceedsd*
5* I also elicited the interesting fact that hs Is
thinking of siarryinc again, and it is probable that he hopes
to strengthaa the sucoesslon by finding an alternative to
^aooos in cuue the latter (for whom he has ambitious eduoationa]
plans] does not show the necesrary qualities* it is also
prouable, though he told me that he uaid no one definite in
mind, that with improved relatione with the interior a
marriafcS Into sores leading Arab clan may become posaible*
Hfcllo**a drew my attention to a photograph which shows ths
general decay in the appearance of this family from ths
aquiline features of ths great grandfather* and a reversion
to the Arab type would have everything to ootftiend it*
X sm sending a copy of this letter to £oualdson and
another copy to Muscat for retsntion m the personal custody
of the To lit leal *gent*
Lt * • co 1 * \*'• * £ urn e 1 <• i v* I • 5# § < * * ^» * *
fceoretary to the Oovernment of ind la
in the kxternal Affairs Ifepartmsat,
UB fiEMl.
*> 31»"7/3