مجموعة ٣٠/ ٣٣ "الخليج الفارسي، الساحل المتصالح. سياسة حكومة بريطانيا. قائمة شيوخ الساحل المتصالح" [و‎‎٣‎٠‎٧] (٨١٨/٦١٣)

Copy of letter Ho. 166-3? dated the 9th April 1930»
from the^Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, to the
Foreign Secretary to the Government of India, Simla.
• » • •
I have the honour to invite a reference to
my despatch Ho# 98-S of the 14th March giving a brief
account of a tour I undertook to the Trucial Co'ast in
February. In paragraph 6 I summarised the present posi
tion regarding the Arab air route and mentioned that
Has-al-Khaimah was considered the most suitable place
alike for flying boats and for land machines but that in
certain weather conditions the Dibai creek v/as more suit
able for the former.
2. As the Government of India are aware flying
boats have several times during the last twelve lonths
done trips to Karachi and Muscat and have on each occasion
refuelled on the Trucial Coast, sometimes at Ras-al-
Khaimah and sometimes at Dibai. On no occasion have they
encountered any hostility from the general populace wmo,
on the contrary, appear to regard the arrival of a machine
capable of flying in the air as an interesting event in
their somewhat monotonous lives, though the Shaikhs con
cerned have steadily refused to accord any facilities.
The last flight occurred early in March, and in the course
of it a flying boat landed at Dibai. This landing has led
to a protest from the Shaikh of which I forward a transla
tion for the information of the Government of India to
gether with a translation of a letter from the Residency
Agency forwarding it. This is, I think, the first occas
ion on which any Shaikh has formally protested against
the visit of an aeroplane to his town.
3. In view of this, I think the time has now
come when it is necessary to decide definitely on the
policy which we propose to adopt regarding the air route
on the Trucial Coast. It is now three years since Sir