Page 72 - Records of Bahrain (5) (i)_Neat

60 Records of Bahrain
! PAISHIRE RESIDENT'”'

I l-vc,......
CoinnEMTiALTiECORCS
Confidential '•........ .............................
Political Agency,
D. 0. No, C/418-4/1
Bahrain, the 7th Hay 1941,

JDjua f

Your telegram No, 274 dated the ISth April 1941.
,/j-jsv
2. As requested in your memorandum No. 185-3 dated

the 10th April 1941, your two letters Nos. 183-S and 184-3
v/ere translated and sent to His Highness.
3. His Highness has now replied and I enclose his
letter together with a translation. I also enclose a
copy of Belgrave*s note to me on the reactions of the
Shaikhs. One of the things that has stung them (and

Belgrave) is that a merchant should have had the temerity
^ />'
to voice a criticism l I may say here that during the
last few years the policy has been to allow the A1
Khalifah to keep on increasing their ascendancy over
the public and to deprive the latter of any means of

voicing grievances either to the Adviser or to the
Political Agent. Belgrave is inaccessible to the
public, complaints against the administration are not
allowed and, even to this day, visitors to the Agency
are strongly discouraged in various ways such as being
called "Agency spies" etc. It is not therefore surprising
that the Shaikhs and Belgrave have had somewhat of a
shock.

4. At the Joint Court this morning Shaikh Hamad
spoke to me on the subject. He said he was much upset
at the suggestion contained in your letter No. 184-S
that/-
Lieut-Colonel
. Prior, C.X.E.,
Political Resident in the
Persian Gulf, Bushire.