'File 8/16 Bahrain Intelligence Summary' [‎55r] (109/174)

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apency 1 * an ^ es ^ a ^^^ s ^ men ^ a postal and telegraph
qv^-iirv, T? n u^ U u Ust 20t k letters were exchanged with
out irt? whereb y he abdicated in favour of his son
wh?oh h qhoJ>^ n ^iY a f f . ormall y released from his obligations
which Shaikh Ali took over. In return His Majesty's
formally recognized Shaikh Ali as Ruler of Qatar,
an Advi-er made & Written rec l uesb for the appointment of
,, . The exchange of these letters took place in
the morning of August 20th and the news was announced by
the Acting 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. to the Shaikh's assembled*
family of ° v er 50 relatives before noon. In the afternoon
a public declaration of the abdication and accession took
S mI MJ he , 0pe n ?F ace in front of the Palace at Doha.
H.M.S. Flamingo" (Lt. Commander D.J. Godden, R.N.) pro
vided a guard of honour and a bugler and the ship’s guns
fired a salute. This was stated to be the first public
ceremony to take place at Qatar.
,,, , The change of Ruler passed off without incident
ori^ 0 ^ gh » a y al landin g party was set ashore on the
nw th M r0] ?n H ‘ M,S o Flamingo", subsequently relieved by H.M.S.
Wren , (Commander G. Afflick-Graves, R.N.) as a precautionary
measure and withdrawn on the 29th. y
,, _ ^ -fh 0 Acting 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. returned to Bahrain
on the 21st leaving Mr. Gethin of the Bahrain 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. in
Qatar. Mr. Gethin returned to Bahrain on the arrival of
^? n f rom Kuwait to assume the new appointment of
Political Officer, Qatar.
Shaikh Ali was living with his father at Riyan
a few miles inland from Doha but was able to get the Doha
palace from his father and is being persuaded to break
in a Doha° m th6 parental wln S and set himself up permanently
The retiring Shaikh is over 80 years of age,
bnaiKh all is about 56 and unused to exercising authority.
The new Shaikh's first act was to write a friendly
letter to the Shaikh of Bahrain. His second was to ask
Petroleum Development (Qatar) Ltd. for money. He has been
given an advance of royalties.
. The Shaikh of Bahrain sees in the change a chance
of regaining his properties at Zubarah 18th-century town located 105 km from Doha. in Qatar which have
been the subject of a quarrel between him and Shaikh Abdullah
since 1936. The Shaikh of Bahrain’s reply to Shaikh Ali's
letter was thus very cordial.
, f
,, , _ Th ? Petroleum Development (Qatar) Ltd. report
P i a A ikh Ali paid a visit to the oil company’s installation
at Dukhan on the 27th.
^ u 4 °u the 24th Mr. Grant of the Eastern Bank Ltd.,
Bahrain, obtained provisional permission to open a branch
of the bank in Doha. No suitable nremises havo vet hoon