Page 336 - UAE Truncal States

The External Inpucncos

Her Britannic Majesty’s Court for the Trucial Slates.05 He presided
over the Trucial Slates Council from its creation in 1952 until 1965,
after which the chairmanship rotated among the seven Rulers. The
Political Resident in Bahrain became the “Commander-in-Chief” of
the Trucial Oman Levies, the British-officered force which came into
existence in 1951.86 The British initiative in identifying and im­
plementing development schemes for these Stales involved their
representatives in various ways: the Political Agent or his deputy
usually presided over or at least participated in the hospital and
trade school board meetings, and various other committees engaged
in development projects.07
Although British representation was thus substantially upgraded
during the 1950s and 1960s to enable the new policy of greater
involvement in affairs of these States to be carried out, the Political
Agents did not as a rule force the views of the British Government
upon the shaikhs. In spite of this, they did expect that their advice
would be heeded by the Rulers.

Making the countryside secure
When the tribes were at war with each other it was never very safe or
easy for strangers to travel in the hinterland.08 The stale of war which
existed between Abu Dhabi and Dubai from 1945 until 1948 made it
dangerous, even for tribesmen who had no part in the quarrel, to
travel in the desert of the Trucial States. British officials and
geological parties were certainly not welcome in the desert during
that time, and even the well-adjusted desert traveller, Wilfred
Thesiger, and his beduin companions had initially to keep clear of
the parlies involved in the war.
The continued economic depression of the post-war years added to
this natural insecurity because a growing number of tribesmen were
driven to make a living by lawless means. Raiders fell upon
unprotected villagers and stole their animals and belongings89 or
they held up caravans and vehicles.
The old problem of arms and ammunition being smuggled through
the Trucial States to Baluchistan and to Oman also obliged the
British Government to step up control, or else to risk being accused of
tacitly assisting the secessionist movements in Baluchistan and
Makran against the Persian Government and in Oman. The source of
the relatively old arms was usually East Africa, from whence they
were shipped to the Batinah or to Saudi Arabia and reached the

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