Page 25 - Records of Bahrain (6)_Neat

Accession of Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifah, 1942 13

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8. On the morning of February 21st I paid tha

customary visits of condolence, first to Shaikh Salman,
then to Shaikh Mohammad, thon to Shaikh Abdullah, and
finally to Shaikh Rashid bin Mohammad, father-in-law
of the late fiulor. The order in which these visits
were paid vaa taken, no doubt, to bo an indication of
the attitude which Hio Majesty's Government were likely
to adopt towards the succession* But in my conversations

with the Shaikhs I strictly avoided any reference, direct
or indirect, to that oubject. When I arrived at Rafa'
to call on Shaikh Salman he introduced me to his seven
brothers. In the course of our conversation, which was
mostly about Shaikh Hamad and his many fine qualities,
Shaikh Salman expressed his determination to follow as
closely as possible in his father's footsteps, In par-
ticular, and in an emphatic manner, he gave an under­
taking that he and hie brothero would always be friendly
and faithful to the British Government. During my call
on Shaikh Mohammad he told me that he would give his full
support to Shaikh Salman whom he now regarded as the Head
of the Family. Heither Shaikh Abdullah nor Shaikh Rashid
made any reference to Shaikh Salman and his new position.
9. On the morning of the 22nd February Shaikh Sal-

man and his two uncles, accompanied by Mr.Belgrave, came
to see me at the Agency. I met Shaikh Salman, who
walked ahead of the others, at the place at which the
Political Agent normally receives tho Ruler of Bahraini
but in my conversation I avoided the use of honorifica
to which only the Ruler of Bahrain is entitled, After
the usual preliminary courtesies Shaikh Salman gave me
formal intimation that his family had unanimously selected
him to succeed his father. Shaikhs Mohammad and Abdullah

/ confirmed