File 4535/1928 Pt 8 ‘ – PERSIAN GULF – QUESTION OF ESTABLISHMENT OF PROTECTORATES OVER KOWEIT, BAHREIN, MUSCAT, TRUCIAL COAST.’ [‎73v] (140/194)

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o/i^gsT Dociim 0 ' terror i 9m ” practised by the Sheikhs, and particularly by Sheikh Abdulla, who
p. 622/22. ’ ’ had ousted Sheikh Hamad from the position he should properly have occupied
as heir apparent, formed the subject of various reports by 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.
(then Major H. Daly, C.LE.) in and led by the end of that year to a^
deputation to ask for intervention to 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. in the Persia
* Letter from Pol. Res. to
G. of I., 4!)5 S., Dec. 30
1921, P. 522/22.
Major Daly’s Report,
Nov. 1921.
Tel. from Viceroy to Pol.
Res., 119 S., Jan. 30 1922
P. 900/22.
Gull
12. The Resident accepted the position, and suggested to the GoveriVment
of India that a possible solution might be that 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. should be
empowered to intervene in cases of gross oppression and give individual
protection where necessary." :;: ' Earlier in 1921 Sheikh Abdulla had taken
alarm at the rising discontent, and Sheikh Isa had appointed his heir, Sheikh
Hamad, to take over control under his orders, but the masterful wife of
Sheikh Isa had prevented any advance. The attitude of the people became,
however, sufficiently alarming to lead Sheikh Hamad and Sheikh Abdulla
early in 1922 to take certain minor steps in the direction of reform, and the
Government of India, who in January 1922 had stated that they were not
prepared to consider drastic intervention until all local resources had been
exhausted and intervention was imperative to secure the protection of
foreigners and the position of His Majesty’s Government in the Islands, and
who remained anxious to avoid interference if it could be avoided, informed
the Resident in the light of this that while it was most undesirable that they
should be drawn into interference between the Sheikh and his subjects, thev
were prepared to lend their moral support to an honest attempt by the
Sheikh to put his scheme into force. They emphasised that nothing should
be done to encourage the idea that reforms were being introduced by the
Sheikh at the dictation of Government.
G. of I. to I'ol. Res., 549 S.,
May 2 1922.
t F.O. to I.O., Mar. 18
1922.
x P. 2228.
Pol. Res. to G. of I. Jan. 27
1923, P. 750/23.
12. The reforms, however, proved illusory ; the internal situation continued
threatening ; the Foreign Office, who in March 1922 had urged the taking of
immediate steps of reform, in view of the prejudicial effect on the position
of His Majesty’s Government in Persia of “ the present highly unsatisfactory
state of affairs in Bahrein,”! again represented the necessity for action, in
the interests of the Shiah subjects of the Sheikhs, on 29th May 1922.f The
Secretary of State for India referred the matter to the Government of India,
and they to the Resident in the Gulf. 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. thereupon
recommended a postponement of action, partly to enable developments to be
watched, partly to appraise the importance of the interest in Bahrein affairs-
of Ibn Sand, and this recommendation was accepted; but by the end of
1922 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. was obliged to report that the state of affairs in
Bahrein called for reform more urgently than ever, and that Government
must be prepared to back up moral pressure by material force if the required
reforms were to be carried through.
§ Tel. from Viceroy to S.
of S. for I., 475 S., April 17,
P. 1443.
Tel. from Viceroy to S. of S.,
May 23 1926.
14. Finally, in April 1923,§ the Government of India, who recognised that
if the status of Bahrein and our position in the Islands was brought
before the League by Persia, “ misrule would be the only serious flaw' in
our case,” recommended that if Sheikh Isa could not be persuaded to take
the necessary steps himself, he should be deposed, his son Abdulla deported,
and the required reforms carried out by the Government of India. His
Majesty’s Government approved action on these lines, and Sheikh Isa proving
obdurate, he was deprived of his control on 26th May 1923, and granted
an allowance,|| and his son, Sheikh Hamad, appointed to act for him “as
his father’s fully empowered Agent.” It was found unnecessary to deport
Sheikh Abdulla. Appeals by Sheikh Isa to the High Commissioner for
Iraq and the Viceroy, culminating in an appeal in 1925 to the Secretary of
State for India, were rejected.
Cp. Pol. Res. Desp. to G.
of I. and C.O., 631 S.,
Nor. 11 1923, P. 4856/23.
(2) 1923—1928 : Sheikh Hamad.
15. After a disturbed beginning, the result of the activities of the
partisans of the old regime, in the course of which a firm line had to be
taken with the (Sunni) Dowasir tribe resident in the north-east of the
|j Rs. 4,000 per mensem from customs, which for some years he refused to draw (P. 107/25 •
P. 1193/25 ; P. 2221/27), and Rs. 2,000 per annum, in addition to his private income of
Rs. 2,500 per mensem (letter from 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. to Government of India 283 S dated
15th June 1923, P. 2729 A/23).