File 619/1907 Pt 7 'Arms traffic: Persian Gulf. Debai incident.' [‎199r] (79/142)

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From Viceroy, 2 nd January 1911.
Foreign Secret. Debai. Please see Naval Commander-in-Chiefs
telegrams to Admiralty of 30th December and 1st January. I have sent the
following telegram to Colonel Cox : —
“ No 3 Government of India are not satisfied with situation that has
arisen at Debai. They gather from your telegram of 30th l^^ber that he
hnnsp-searcb took place without the presence ot Sheikh. 11 this is so, actio
f ( Y )rn ir ander was hardl) prudent, and was likely to provoke reprisals.
'Fhev think some of conditions imposed onerous, such as imposition of line of
Us 50 000 and that Government of India should have been nst consu ec.
ThevT ot approve idea of installing a British Agent at Debai by bom-
bardment and^he employment of a force of 1.000 men since rt nlight
heroine impossible to remove them without danger to the Agent, uiey
consider an occasional visit of Vice-Consul from L.ngah ... one of Its
M iiesty’s ships would suffice until such cordial relations were re-established
as' would justify location of ah Agent. Situation has been created on tiucial
roast that may he fraught with dangerous developments, and objec t
originally in view was hardly worth the risk. In any case situation requires
^ p i knn,lline' lest the other Chiefs should combine with the Sheikh o
DeWanT “very desirable that friendly relations should be restored with
he least possible delay. If it has not already been done, Government of
l v t . ; U t n at it should be clearly explained to the tribesmen at Debai, as
elsewhere ^that 1 thev have 1 intention of weakening their indepemlence or
of preventing their own possession of arms, their only object being to t p
export of arms to Persia! in which course ^they are acting as Agents of the
U ersian Government, and at their request.
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