'File 19/243 IV Zubarah' [‎148r] (295/322)

fly Air Bag,
Confidential.
No. 1125-(19/243)
ILT
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. 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 28th August, 1948.
/Please refer to Clinton-Thomas 1 letter No.
(E 9804/276/91) of the 6th August 1948, about Zubarah 18th-century town located 105 km from Doha. .
2. I have been asked for my observations on the
revised draft reply to the Shaikh of Bahrain, which it 7
is proposed to submit to higher authority for final
approval. The Shaikh of Qatar has verbally informed
Hay and Pelly, vide Hay^ note of the 6th January 1948,
copy attached, that his country was at the disposal of
the A1 Khalifah for hawking visits. In writing he has
stated "in regard to Shaikh Salman's servants and men
(should they wish to visit Qatar for recreation and
hunting) to receive them in the proper manner as
necessitated by the duties of friendship". I enclose
copies of correspondence on the subject. The Shaikh
of Bahrain is at liberty to act on this whenever he
likes and I do not think we should go further v to obtain
another 11 agreement" on this point.
t
In any case if the Secretary of State were to
ar>k the local officers to negotiate a "private^agreement.
the Shaikh of Bahrain, and possibly the Shaikh of Qatar,
would consider this official, coming from shch a quarter.
You will see from the. enclosure to my despatch No# 130
(19/243) of the 6th August 1948, the Shaikh of Qatar 1 s
attitude, and in my opinion our chances of success, with
which Pelly agrees, would be nil. We should be placed
in an impossible position while the Shaikh of Bahrain
would have further grounds of complaint that the local
officers were failing to carry out His Majesty's Governmentls
instructions issued on his behalf.
My further remark is that, in my opinion we should
be done with temporising and finally dispose of the A1
Xhalifah's claim to Zubarah 18th-century town located 105 km from Doha. . Our last opportunity to do
this was in 1937 (vide 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. telegram*No. 680 of the
4th July 1937 to the late India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. ), but it was not
taken with the result that the Shaikh of Bahrain has achieved
an agreement which he considers official, and adopted the
refractory language used in his paragraph 10.
f.jSl
1:-7a
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. 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. 28th August 1948.
.B. Burrows, Esquire,
Foreign Office,
London.
Confidential
No. B/295 (19/243)
Copy forwarded with compliments 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. , Bahrain,
With reference to his d.o. letter No. C/R.146 of the
16th August 1948.
IH/-