Coll 30/200 ‘Persian Gulf. Tour of Political Resident from Bahrein to Muscat in L. T. Nearchus.’ [‎7r] (14/133)

COPY.
BA./.
© ^
f
No. 5-B.
CONPIBENTIAL.
British 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. and Consulate-
General,
Bus hi re,
the 28th January 1944.
3ir,
I have the honour to give some details of my recent tour to
Bandar Abbas Jask and Chahbar which may be of interest. This tour
would not have been possible without the co-operation of the Air
Officer Commanding Iraq, who kindly flew me to Sharjah, and the Senior
Naval Officer, Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , who arranged for a ship to take me from
Sharjah to Bandar Abbas and for smother vessel to take me to Muscat,
Chahbar and Jask. I returned by the first vessel to Bahrain, and was
compelled perforce to leave ray office and staff behind, but Mr. Rogers
accompanied me from Bandar Abbas on the further portion of my tour.
This 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. is hamstrung without a vessel, and I have made repeated
representations to be supplied with adequate touring facilities. In the
absence of any ship both I and ray officers have been obliged to make^ a
number of dangerous and highly uncomfortable journeys by launch, which
so far as I know do not fall to the lot of civilian officers in any
other part of the world.
2. I made the initial arrangements for this tour with Mr. Rogers
who flew with me in a B.O.A.C. flying-boat from Sharjah to Jiwani on
ray recent visit to India, when he was taking this roundabout but rapid
method of visiting the furthest limits of his jurisdiction. I wanted
him to accompany me as he was in close touch with the Biyaban and Mekran
Coasts, and also to take him to Muscat as there were a number of coast
watching problems which involved both the Persian and Arab shores.
3. On arrival at Bandar Abbas I paid a visit to the fish canning
factory An East India Company trading post. . The Senior Naval Officer is disturbed at the presence of
neutrals so close to a vital zone, more especially as the antecedents
of these men have never been fully elucidated. He v/as anxious that we
should organise some form of supervision in the factory An East India Company trading post. , but after
discussion with Mr. Rogers I came to the conclusion that it was unlikely
that any hostile activities could take place in the factory An East India Company trading post. but that
the activities of the Kuropean employees outside would require careful
attention and this is being done. There are at present three Banes in
the factory An East India Company trading post. and a fourth is shortly due to arrive. There is, in
addition, a Persian manager in charge, who has not yet taken over
duties. The Danes do not put to sea in the three hired launches which
bring the fish from Qishm. These vessels usually ply at night and land
their catch between 8 and 9 in the morning. The area within which they
may ply has been fixed in consultation with the Haval Officer in charge
Korrauz, and should any suspicion arise it would be open to tne *aval
authorities to place men on these launches. There is fo course ^
possibility that the Banes may have fifth-column short-wave wireless
transmitting sets but these can only be detected by the Service autn.^JJ.
ties themselves. There are no Buropean women in Bandar Abbas, and the.
Danes' families are in Tehran. The factory An East India Company trading post. itself t r emar „ ably
ent, and it was interesting to see the tins being built up from the a
tinplate, and the fish being prepared and cooked for t-.sxr receptacles.
The tinning plant involves a large number of extremely sh arp le
ouerating at a high rate of speed which are entirely unprotected, in
fact there can be few factories with so much unguarded machinery lying
in wait for the fin; ere of the employees. The Danes however assured. ; me
that no accidents had taken place. Curiously enough it is difiicult to
purchase the tinned fish locally as it is all exported to the north.
The fishing vessel, Sang Sar, which had recently been returned It* the
Uavy, had new aerodrome which was at that moment ’ ,
being developed by the H.A.F. Anti-Locust Flight, and passed tne area
in which the rubber growing plant, Euforbia Larica, grows p “
widespread growth of this plant has been reported Md samples have been
to the M.E.S.C. Mr. Rogers took me part ol e wa Y
and we completed the rougher portion of the journey in a Jeep belonging
to the Locust party. The latter part of the road was appalling, in
His Majesty^ Minister,
British Legation,
TEHRAN.