PZ 4841/1937 'Persian Gulf: Haji Williamson & Major Holmes' [‎23r] (45/136)

Minute Paper, p,^ political
1
r\
Department.
NOTE.
The question of the future employment of Major
Frank Holmes in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. was discussed at a
meeting at Britannic House on the 25th April at which
Lord Caoman, Mr. Fraser, Mr. Skliros, Sir Trenchard
Fowle and Mr. Symon were present.
Mr. Skliros said that his understanding of his
conversation with Mr. Walton on 9th December was that,
while H.M.G. objected to the continued employment of
Major Holmes on the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. , these objections did
not apply to Bahrein and Koweit. He said that soon
after his conversation with Mr. Walton he had left for
Bagdad and it was while he was there that he pursued
the idea of employing Major Holmes at Bahrein in
connection with the negotiations for the "Unallotted
Area". He had accordingly asked the London office of
the Company to send out Major Holmes provided he was
fit and that the 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. saw no objection . When
Major Holmes came to Bagdad he had assumed that it was
with the approval of the 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. . This apparently
was not the case. On learning that H.M.G. were not
prepared to allow Major Holmes to act on behalf of the
Company at Bahrein he had immediately withdrawn Major
Holmes, who since then had severed his official
connection with the Company. Mr. Skliros then went
on to say that because of his influence with the Sheikh
of Bahrein and the Sheikh’s family the Company were
still anxious that Major Holmes should act for them in
connection with the forthcoming negotiations; but if
this was not acceptable to H.M.G. he would not press the
point/
mum