Page 357 - Records of Bahrain (6)_Neat

Bahrain-UK relations 345

The Persian Gulf Residency,
Bahrain*
SECRET 18th May, 1949,
SO/9/49

Please refer to correspondence ending with
my C,S, 50/6/49 of 4th March about the Shaikh of Bahrain's
request for an assurance against aggression,
2. I enclose herewith a copy of a draft letter
to the Shaikh which I sent to the Foreign Office and of
the reply I have received from the Foreign Office
regarding it. Subject to the insertion of the word
“protected" before "territory" in the amendment proposed
in para. 1 (a) of the Foreign Office telegram, I see no
objection tp 4Aoeptlng the amendments proposed. If you
agree, will you now kindly approach the Shaikh and tell
him we are ready to give him an assurance on the lines
he desires provided at the same time he in return will
give us an assurance in writing that ho will observe
all existing engagements and ulways employ a British
Financial Adv4^er. I think we might also try to persuude
him to add to this assurance the words "acceptable to His
Majesty's Government".
3. On the subject of publicity, the Shaikh' should
be told that it is not intendod to publish either our
letter to him or his reply and he should be asked on his
side not to give publicity to the correspondence. This
does not moan that he may not show our letter to members
of his family and other persons Interested, but only that
its contents should not bo made public in any written or
spoken announcement.
4. I told the Shaikh when I saw him on the 16th
May that we had received instructions from the Foreign
Office about his request for protection against aggress­
ion and that you or I or both of us would discuss the matter
with him in a few days' time, If you would like me to
be present when the matter is taken up with him you will no
doubt let me know.

C.J. Pelly, Esq., O.B.E •}
The Political Agent,
Bahrain,
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