Coll 5/81 ‘Facilities for U.S. Air Transport Corps at Bahrein and Sharjah’ [‎45r] (89/291)

(Received under Bahrain Printed Letter No.C/12 dated the
3rd January 1944).
Air Vice M&rahall R.P. Willock, C.B., aid Air Vice
Marshall A.C. Collier, C.B., C.B.E., called to see me on
the evening of Decernoer 29th.
2. Air Vice Marshal A.C. Collier was described as the
Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force Transport
Command and he is at the moment on his w% to India in con
nection with the vast increase in the flow of aircraft from
the Middle East to India which it is anticipated will very
shortly commence.
Air Vice Marshall A.C. Collier thought th^t Bahrain
would be a most important link in the chain and said that
his survey party would be arriving in 4 or 5 days time. He
anticipated that more building would have to take place and
the re-fueling arrangements would have to be vastly improved.
With regard to the American A.T.C. he said that the
policy was for the Royal Air Force to retain control of the
landing ground but the American aircraft would be under the
control of their own operational staff until they came with
in short range of the landing ground. He said that Air Chief
Marshal a.*.T edder, G.C. B., considered that the fear that
was present in certain peoples* minds that the Americans would
lay claim to air ports after the war which they had been using
during the war on the grounds that they had either made them
or erected and maintained buildings in their proximity was
ridiculous. The Air Chief Marshal considered that the closesl
cooperation should be our object and that no thought of after
the war competition should disturb our present relations with
the United States Air Force.
The Air Vice Marshal predicted that after the war by
international agreement airfields will be made available in
all countries with the possible exception of Russia for inter
national use, that is to say, that every countiy would be en
titled to use certain specified landing fields or airports in
foreign countries but would only be permitted to take up
passengers on condition that they were not set down in the
same countiy •
I asked the Air Vice Marshal what he considered Bahrain’s
position would be after the war and lie said that the best
possible solution as far as we and the Shaikh were concerned
would be for the Maharraii aerodrome to be under the control
of the Air Ministry who would be responsible for all persons
of whatever nationality making use of the ground. He con
sidered that Bahrain would be one of the most important post
war alighting areas,
3« I told Air Vice Marshal Collier that I considered and I
knew that 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. and -air Vice
Marshal Willock were in agreement with me, that s.ny land
required for American operations in Bahrain must be leased to
the Royal Air Force and that it was desirable that ary build
ings &c., to be erected for American personnel should be built t
by the Royal Air Force. I understock that the Royal Air
Force couid undertake the construction work for the United
States Air Force although the provision of the radio installa
tions might be at the moment beyond their power. The Air Vice
Marshal agreed and suggested that Air Vice Marshal Willock
should te Is graph to Air Chief Marshal A.W. Tedder, and make
it clear that, whatever his general policy might be, in
Bahrain the building could be done by the Royal Air Force