'File 26/185 V (F 96) Shaikh of Mohammerah' [‎157r] (321/472)

No.485-3. ' „ .
Confidqnti^ l
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. ,
BuEhire 9
2l8t April, 1946.
from
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. .
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
To
Sir,
His Ma J e s ty v s Seoretary off State for India.
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. , London.
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^ r,e 'ionour to refer to the correspondence
iQdfi"! "hi O f fioe telegram Ho.267 dated 5th April
f 3 Amba 88ador, Baghdad, and to say that
Kha^ i nH ^ 'eoeived a visit from Shaikh Ahdulla hin
^ enclose a copy of a letter liiich he sent me.
During his visit Shaikh Abdulla spoke Persian at hie oun
request, and it is clear that this really is his mother-
tongue, and that he is more Persian than Arab. He was
expensively dressed in semi-Arab attire, and did not
• me ^- type wh0 wa8 lil£el y 40 receive much
syzrqpathy m this someidaat austere towi. I could not «ive
] much time as I should have wished as ray stay in
Kuwait was very brief.
2. He began by explaining his case at some length rery
much on the lines expressed in his letter. He said that
while we had helped our enemies we had done little for our
friends. The Bakhtiar^i, #iose attitude towards us had
been doubtful, were wealthy and in high positions, and the
Qashqai, #10 had been definitely hostile, had settled their
affairs and were in full possession of their properties.
We had prevented Shaikh Khaza^s family from helping
themselves and had done nothing for them ourselves, tfhat
were the promises which had been made to Shaikh Khazal ?
Why had we done nothing to honour them ? Why were they
begging their bread ? Over 20 years had passed and we
were no nearer a solution and their condition was getting
worse every day.
3. I thought it better to be frank, and I told him
that his letter appeared to show that he was mentally
unbalanced. I said he was in no sort of position to combat
propaganda or actively support religious reforj^, or rescue
his country, and that we had cettainly never given him the
slightest encouragement to undertake anything of this sort.
The action he had taken could only affect his family very
seriously and must have set back any hope of a settlement.
He expressed the view that he had done nothing beyonil return
to his native country. I asked him what would happen to any
unwelcome exile who returned to Kuwait with a posse of
gunmen and set himself up in .his former habitation. Would
not Shaikh Ahmad immediately move against him ? If his
intentions were peaceable why had he taken these tufangchis
with him ? He told me that he had been in touch with the
Persian Consul in Basra, but had been unable to extract any
definite answer from him Aether he could or could not visit
/ his....