'File 6/1 Foreign Interests: American Mission at Muscat' [‎5r] (9/52)

I told Mis Highness that I understood from the
Consul that A Dr. Hosman and a nurse named Miss Barter
were on their way out to Muscat from India and said that
I Believed they had obtained their visas on No Objection
certificates granted by him. He replied that she had
approached him earlier in the year and that he had in
fact given her a No Objection Certificate for herself
and for her nurse. I enquired whether she had informed
His Highness that we had already refused her application
and he replied in apparent surprise that she had said
no tiling whatever about tais. I replied that this gave
point to our view that she was an undesirable person and
that her action in not informing him was definitely
underhand. I told him that my view was that, since we
had the Arabian Mission on this coast, we should canalize
American Missionary effort through them and only grant
visas to persons sponsored by them. Unless we did this
we could not be certain whom we mere getting, and as he was
probably aware certain American missionaries in India
had been extremely tiresome. In Bahrain they had j^ut
forward tae names of persons of German origin, and it
v\as iiOt always ^possible to check the antecedents in
every case.
I added that he could of course do what he lixed
and admit anyone he chose to his territories — though
he incurred a heavy responsibility in doing so — but
that I felt that the form in which No Objection Certificates
had been granted was not very happy as it could easily
be f orged. Our own No Objection Certificates were
authenticated in a special way, but there was really
nothing now to prevent anyone forging His Hi^iness 1
name and persuading a Consul to grant a visa for Muscat.
His Highness seemed impressed by this argument and
appeared to agree generally with rzy views. I took the
opportunity to draw his attention to the very inferior
type of passports the Muscat State were now issuing
and suggested that when o portunity offered they should
get better ones printed by V/aterlow or some reliable
printer. He said he would do this and that he would
communicate with the Consul on the sub. ect. The exist
ing Muscat passports can, of course, be forged very
easily and the holder would then be able to enter
the British Empire with it. An extract of this paragraph
should be placed on the Muscat Passport Pile and a copy
of this note should be sent to the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at
Muscat.
' 4 Initialled G.P.
1 S/ 12 AS
No. 1C16-S. Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. ,
Bushire,
the 22nd December 1946.
Copy forwarded, with compliments, to-