Coll 30/33 'Persian Gulf, Trucial Coast. Policy of H.M.G. List of Trucial Sheikhs' [‎200r] (399/818)

shen the tre ity was signed with the Hhaikh of
Hahrein, he required the British Government to guarantee
31; 5 • i > jot t in aaintainlng the aeeuri i his possessions
against agression by the chiefs or tribes in tht OuXf t
and since this was a purely naval commitment, it was
undertaken*
The csee of * use at was difierent and no
guarantee or protection against uttacfc by sea was ever
given, but in 189t HUM* ^ovemaent oroialsed that whenever
there were differences between tne inaitcha of Ottan ana
the iultan of i ascat, the former woula not be allowed to
attaO. the towns of Muacat 01 ! attrah* .
Governioent *erit beyond their treaty cofiL^i taenia, when
aircraft and three of H*>- • sloops were sent to f.ur
owing to differences which had arisen between the
‘Shaikhs the fultan.
he uhaifch ot Qatar was promised protection
by sea and in the s&ae way as in the treaty with Kuweit,
the "good officee* of Great Britain in the event of
agression by lane, out when in 19E1 tht Ghalkh asked
what this aeant, he was inroracd th t it was United
to diplomatic assistance alone* In 1934 clrcuastn&eos
arose in which it appeared probable th^t H**V. Ovvevmttmt
might have to reconsider this decision*
The rest of the 'racial Shaikhs have been
guaranteed protection from attack by oca, but no Mention
has been mzde of protection from attack by land, except
in the case of the Shaikh of Sharjah. hen he was
induced to allow ue to build a fortified rest house
for the air route it was found necessary to provide
him with arms and pay him a subsidy to provide guards
to defend the air bane*
Thus, while our original unaerttkings to the
^rab ruleie were purposely left vague, we have from time
to time been obliged to make them more a«finite an* I
conaicer the time has come when a revision of policy
would oo much to restore our diminishing presti a in
the Gulf.
10* The policy which I recommend should in
future be adopted in the lersiun Gulf would normally
involve a course of action similar to that adopted by
the politic 1 authorities at Pib&l* The a^ib rulers
should be responsible for managing their own affairs,
but we should let it be Known that ap lon^ as they
conduct themselves in a satisfactory manner we are
prepared to support their authority and th&il His
Majesty's Government will not permit a state of affairs
which threatens the security ot her air route or other
interests, whether it is due to internal unrest or to
the* action oi some other ruler* Vheress ia the past
we coula only Intervene through the action of H* .
ships in the Gulf, we now have aircraft as well which
can be moved rapidly am; easily by means of estublisheu
air routes to places where trouble Is anticipated,
provi ed those air routes >re secure. v ith a firm policy
/ of co-operntion