Coll 5/10 ‘Air Route to India: Persia; Arabian Coast Route; Negotiations with Arab Sheikhs’ [‎256r] (522/800)

Imperial Airways Ltd. Making the Dutch and French Companies
aware that this alternative was being investigated.
Bullock asked how the Foreign Office would view an
^unofficial approach by the Company to the Persian Government
for renewal of the permit.
Rende l replied that t
"To deal directly wit
to
think
the Persians would probably not agree
th the Company. They would in any case
that the Company had been prompted to act in that
way. It would in any case be best to let the French and
Dutch make their applications for renewal in the first
instance. He could not hold out hope that the Persians
would even agree to a temporary extension of Imperial
Airways permit.
Laithwaite stated that his Department recognised the
“importance of finding a solution of the Persian difficulty
and agreed with the Foreign Office as to the necessity for
a counter in the negotiations. But there were political
complications involved in the use of the Arabian coast, and
particularly of the Trucial Area, which they were reluctant
to face.
A skeleton military air route had now been
established along the coast, but the considerations affecting
a civil air service were different. The Political Residen
in his Note had indicated the difficulties and the India
Office shared his views with regard to them. The policy a
the last 100 years had been to preserve a n ^itl^e peace t
and to abstain from internal commitments. derate
definite danger of serious incidents arising unless adequate
protection were afforded to rest houses and s.ationo
established in that area for the air service, and the despatch
of troops for purposes of protection would in' a-iffi Itv
important change of policy. There is the g^to y
that we could not presumably exclude foreigners coast
establish an air route, Ou.r position an foreigners
is difficult and delicate, and the admission of foreigners
would tend to undermine it.
In the view of ^^f-^^^heiraUltudrand" 6
pressed as strongly as possible to mo x y Trn-oerial Airways < .
a definite application should be suffer a
permit to be renewed. British presoe ■ operate
serious blow if the French ana we^ refuned,
tho obviously better route anu. the E . c ,f India
He felt that both the Cabinet and_the ^v'ernment cl^in
would wish to be satisfied that ® y -before the
regard to the Persian route had been exhaustea ceio
Arabian route w r as adopted.
Rend el deprecated any attempt press the^Pe^^^ ^
Government further. Any , and*every such
present was bound to meet 'Luai re-establishment of
rebuff was likely to retard «-**- ReVel thought that
British prestige in Persia. re-established - but only
that prestige could eventualiy t0 the Persians hat
provided that we cnu not nu.an. ^ ood *iii.
in hand and appear dependent on