"الملف 7/27 إغلاق محطة سلاح الجو الملكي البريطاني في المحرق سنة ١٩٤٧ وترتيبات لصيانة مطار المحرّق وتزويده بالخدمات" [و‎‎١‎٢] (٤٠/٢٧)

COi^IL^ T IAL.
U.O,Ko.1825-3
PERSIA:, GUJ^ 1 R^siLiCiCY,
3aJ:irain,
the 2l3t October, 1947.
Dear Donaloson,
< Please refer to the papers forwarded v.i th
Commonwealth Relations Office endorsement No.Iixt.2168/47
dated the 13th October, 1947 , about tlrie cost of proviaing
civil control and radio staff at aerodromes in the Persian
Gulf .
2. The position in the Gulf is that with considerable
difficulty we have succeeded in bribing some of the Rulers
to allow us to develop and maintain land ing-grounds or
flying-boat bases in order to establish control over air
communications in this part of the world. There is a
possibility that when we renew existing agreements we may
have to pay more than we did before arid it is out of the
question to ask the otates to contribute. incidentally
the Jtates concerned derive little or no benefit from the
air services which use their landing grounds or flying-,
boat oases. 6o far as 1 am aware there is no service
which picks up and sets down passengers at 3harjah while
at Bahrain there are two services between the united
Kingdom and Bahrain which are reserved for oil personnel
and a number of through services to the -tf'ar iiJast and
Australia which do not cater at all for local traffic.
There is at present one shuttle flying-boat service per
week between Bahrain and Karachi which is availaole ^
to
the local public
Is t .November.
but that is being taken off from the
3. Th e lan d i ng gro und
one for international use.
Company and used chiefly for
providing such facilities as
definite undertaking might be
at Kuwait is not/designated
It is maintained by the "Oil
their purposes. 'They are
exist and possibly some
obtained from them that
they will provide civil control and radio staff if the
air agreement with the Shaikh is renewed, but I do not
think we can call upon the Shaikh to meet the cost of this
unless he himself presses for the development of the
landing ground as a designated one and services are arranged
which can be utilised by the State and its subjects.
Yours sincerely,
3d. J.R .RAY.
iii.P. Donaldson Esquire, G.lu.G.,
Commonwealth Relations Office,
King Charles Street,
Whitehall, Lonaon, S.w. 1 .