Page 568 - Records of Bahrain (6)_Neat

556 Records oj Bahrain

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famil and the loading merchants were well off as regards
electricity and water supply (since most of them have their
own artesian wells) the Sheikh was not really interested in
this scheme. The Sheikh himself, when I mentioned the plan,
•treated me to a long discourse describing what a bad lot all
the other- rulers in Arabia were and how good he was and how

he looked after his people, He did not oppose the re-siting
of the electric supply nor the water supply and he agreed
generally to road repair and town planning in t crltuUu^hi s
agreement with the usual references to his loyalty to Govern-
ment, his deep sense of his responsibility as a Ruler, and of
his gratitude to His Majesty's Government. After about three
quarters of an hour of this sort of thing, I knew that Qatar
was about to crop up. This showed no particular perspicacity
on my part as the subject is nearwp to the surface in and out

of season. With difficulty I restrained the Sheikh from
launching into another of his full dress accounts of his griev­
ances regarding Qatar. .He said "that he would agree to any
plan put* up by agents of the British Government" and followed
it quickly with the statement "becqwe it was difficult for hiuf
csAr-
to carry out any plan or. indeed to be mini ini i il at all until
Qatar ha^been settled". He left me with the deepest 1
expressions of regard and the feeling on my part that until thf
Qatar question is settled or is cut out of the political menu
in Bahrain, no progress with Sheikh -Salman is possible.

5.8.1945.