"ملف 10/1 الامتياز النفطي بالبحرين" [و‎‎١‎٥‎١] (٤٧٦/٣١٤)

2 ~
his own word) which I had inttoiated to him was not a
suddsn on©, nor woulci i"t coni6 ftlljOgstliGi* ss ^ surpirlss
to the Company. He felt that H.M.G. had for some
time been working up to the position which it
represented. The situation was not altogether an
easy one. Ihe Company's Interests were purely
cownerclal; they were anxious to work with an absence
of friction, and it was arguable in addition that it
Ao-o Dad x or the Company uo hctve as tneir Chief Local
Representative in Bahrein a man with whom these
difiiculties had arisen and who was serving two other
oil Interests. This might he particularly the case
now that the Company were starting to develop their
concession. On the other hand, it might not he easy
to aispense with IvBjor Holmes, while his replacement
was a really serious difficulty and would require very
careful consideration. We would recognise too that the
Chiel Local Representative must be a person satisfactory
uo the Company as well as to H.M.G. I agreed.
5* Mr. Ballantyne said that he would suggest that
if this were possible H.M.G. should not now formulate
their charges against Major Holmes. If they did, he
thought it would be only equitable that Major Holmes
should be given a chance to reply and confront the Sheikh
with his (Major Holmes's) version of what had taken place,
The result of this would be not only an acrimonious
argument, which presumably H.M.G. did not want; but that
iajor Holmes would ultimately be in a position to
determine the time table. If it proved possible to take
any steps for the replacement of the Chief Local
Representative/