'Historical Summary of Events in the Persian Gulf Shaikhdoms and the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, 1928-1953' [‎75v] (155/222)

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CHAPTER 5
THE TRUCIAL STATES A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates.
I.—General
r i t" ■ _i QtatAQ ic not dealt with in the irlistonccil
1. The internal history ol the Iruciai States in ^
StTeras Kfte" 11 »' '•■<>' "i •»••»»<■»> -
of wars between the various States.
2. The number of the States has varied from time to ^6. When the General
Treaty of 1820 was signed there were only five, but ^ t his descendants
Chief Sultan bin Saqr in 1866 his domains were di y ld fd a mon^
who from time to time declared themselves independent of the ^mrbranch oithe
family ruling at Sharjah. There are now seven States, ^ r ® e 'J^'iSdom and
Khaimah and Fujairah, being sub-divisions of the or'g 1 ."^ ™' t u ev
the other four Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, and Umm al Qaiwain remaining as y
were at the time of the 1820 Treaty.
3. Until 1934 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. at Bushire dealt directly with the Trucial
States being represented at Sharjah by an Arab Re ® ld f ncy , .if ° C ®
descended in one case from father to son and the latter helo it for ^ y .
These Arab Agents were men of ability, influence and courage and served the
purpose of the Government of India which was the maintenance ol relations with
the Trucial States A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. with the minimum of expenditure and trouble, though some ot
them undoubtedly acquired too much power and wealth in the process. In lyJ4
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. found himself unable adequately to deal with the Iruciai
States, the work in respect of which had greatly increased owing to the
establishment of air communications through them and the negotiation of oil
concessions with their Rulers, and transferred the responsibility for supervising
them to the 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. at Bahrain. It was not however until 1939 that the
Government of India agreed to the appointment of a British Political Officer to
Sharjah and they only did so then with the greatest reluctance as they thought his
life would be in danger. Even after that the post was usually left vacant during
the hot weather when the Arab 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. Agent was placed in charge. Since 1948
a British Political Officer has resided permanently on the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. and in 1949
the post of 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. Agent was abolished. In 1952 the Political Officer came
under the direct control of 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. and in 1953 the status of the post
was raised to that of a Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. .
4. At the time of the Pirate Wars and for many years after Sharjah was the
largest and most important town on the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. and it was the headquarters
of the officer in charge of British interests on the Coast up to the end of the period
under review. The first 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. Agent was established there about 1823. During
the present century its importance has greatly declined owing to the silting up of
its creek and the weakness of its rulers, and Dubai is now the largest and
commercially, if not politically, the most important town on the Coast. A decision
was accordingly taken in 1948 to transfer the headquarters of the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. to the
latter place. Buildings for it are under construction and the transfer is likely to take
place in 1954.( 2 )
5. Although Her Majesty's Government's relations with the Trucial States A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates.
were established and consolidated long before those with the other Shaikhdoms
and the Perpetual Truce of 1853 may be regarded as the foundation stone of the
British position in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , these States have until recently been left almost
entirely to their own devices. The policy of the Go vernment of "India at anj^rate
u ntil the conclu sion of a.Civil Air Agreement with ^rjVK in" 1was to avoid
any kind of comm itment by land. In many cases Rulers who had acquired power
by assassination were recognised as soon as they had established their position and
the States were allowed to fight each other at will, provided there was no breach of
the peace at sea, though action was from time to time taken on such occasions solely
Pronounced Jasimi. Plural Jawasim.
("') The transfer took place in March 1954.