Page 369 - Records of Bahrain (6)_Neat

Anti-Palestine disturbances, 1947 357
WITH TIIF. MPl.|MR*J* ,
gscRsa; or ri*; ; V PERSIAN GULF RESIDENCY.
IIIOllR StuHE'l AI5Y OF tfl-A'ClL r> BAHRAIN
/
No.2234-3 A. the B7tn December 1947
to
••MflOHWEALTH flEL.ATIOI/3. iV-
I
: C ' i V
From i- \ L- -i;.
I
Lt-Col. Sir Rupert Hay, K.C.I.E., C16.I., •• . »• vV<\.
Political JJgJJf, Persian H*. JAN ^
Tei-
Hls Majesty’s Secretary of State for
Commonwealth Relations, LONDON.

Sir,
With reference to corresponded® ending with your telegram
No.14567 dated the 10th December, 1947, I have the honour to
forward herewith a copy of a note by Mr. Belgrave on the aubjeot
of the disturbances In Bahrain resulting from the U.N.O. decision
to partition Palestine. As will be apparent from the nete the
Bahrain Government were taken by surprise and failed to take any
strong aotion to nip the disturbances in the bud. The polloe
on the whole behaved fairly woll.
2. On the 7th of December the Political Agent visited;the •• »
Shaikh with the Adviser and expressed his regret that the rieting
had happened and that the Jowo, for whose aotual physical safety
the Shaikh is responsible, had suffered such damage in their
persons and property. The Shaikh expressed equal regret, and.
contrasted what had happened in Bahrain with the laok of incident*
in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, He was testy and -inclined to bo ■>’
resentfully laoryraose at the subjeot being brought up at- all.
He put the whole blame for the looting upon the Persian element 0
in the townj he was tiresoraely re-iterative about this and would
obviously hear of no suggestion that the people for whose conduct
ho is responsible, were involved. His only proposal for notion
was the'farcical ono that he should call before the Political
Agent selected merchants of the town who would testify to their
regret and that of all good Bahrainis for the damage done to the
Jews.
3. After the disturbances an anonymous leaflet was issued by
the agltatirs calling amongst other things for a boycott of the .
races and Christmas celebrations, As a result of this the Shallf!
issued orders cancelling the races which were fixed for the>12th
December. The Political Agent and Mr. Belgrave persuaded the
Shaikh to cancel the order and the races passed off witheut.
lnoldent though the attendance was poerer than usual.
4. Mr. Russell Brown, the Manager of the Bahrain Petroleum ;
Company received letters threatening sabotage in the refinery am
Awall camp and expressed his concern to the Polities! Agent ewlxv
to the lack of any kind of force to proteot these places. !
6. A letter to the Shaikh is being prepared on the basis of
your telegram under reference and a oopy ef it will be forwarded
to you as soon as it has issued.
6. The position at.Bohrain is net.very satisfactory. The
Shaikh does not maintain a close touch with Mis subjects and has
little personal influence. He certainly takes more interest in
public affairs that his father but lacks his father's popularity
and has not boon ablo and possibly^has not wished to relegate
Mr, Belgrave to the position of an adviser. The result-is•that
Mr. Belgrave is to all intents and purposes the Government.of: ]i-.<
Bahrain and the persons behind the recent disturbances are the(ity