Page 50 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf - Vol II) 1907-1953

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present senior member of the family, Abdur Rahman, was in 1951 appointed a
Minister without portfolio by Ibn Saud and he acts from time to time as an agent
for the Saudi authorities in Bahrain without possessing any official status.
80. In 1920, Ibn Saud agreed that his subjects at Bahrain should be under
British protection.!143) In 1930 he wrote a very rude letter to Shaikh Hamad
complaining of the latter’s ill-treatment of his subjects. In 1949, however, the Amir
of Hasa asked Salman to interfere in the administration of the estate of a deceased
Saudi merchant which was being dealt with in the Court of the Political Agent
and when as a result of a representation made by Salman on this occasion
jurisdiction over Saudi Arabian subjects was transferred to him (paragraph 109
below), Ibn Saud raised no objection.
81. In 1935 His Majesty’s Government, acting on behalf of the Ruler, reached
an agreement with the Saudi Arabian Government on the subject of the transit
dues payable on goods transhipped at Bahrain for export to Saudi Arabia, a
matter which had been in dispute between the two countries for some years. The
agreement was recorded in an exchange of letters between His Majesty’s Chargd
d’Affaires and the Saudi Minister for Foreign Affairs.(1<4) Duty was to continue to
be levied at 2 per cent, on goods landed at Bahrain for re-export to Saudi Arabia,
but was to be at the rate of 1£ per cent, only on goods transhipped without being
landed. In a separate letter His Majesty’s Charge d’Affaires gave an assurance that
no duty would be levied on goods carried by ships calling at Bahrain en route to
or from Saudi Arabia but not transhipped or landed there.

(c) Persia
82. The history of the Persian claim to Bahrain from 1907 to 1928 is given
in detail in the Historical Summary of Events for that period.(143) It is given even
more fully from the earliest times until 1946 in a Foreign Office “ Memorandum
on Bahrain ” which was issued in 1947.(14C) This reproduces amongst other things
the detailed reply sent by His Majesty’s Government to the Persian Government’s
note of August 2, 1928, which is referred to in Historical Summary of Events.(l47)
This and subsequent correspondence about the Persian claim was forwarded to the
Secretary-General of the League of Nations for circulation amongst its members,
but the issue was never brought formally by the Persians before the Council in the
Assembly. In 1934 when they were expected to do this the Law Officers of the
Crown were asked to examine the case and gave it as their opinion that Persia
had no right either of sovereignty or of suzerainty in or over Bahrain.(,4‘) In 1930
the Persians protested against the assignment of the Bahrain oil concession to
American interests (paragraph 59 above), in 1932 against the issue of British
Indian postage stamps surcharged Bahrain (paragraph 134 below), in 1936 against
the agreement with the Saudi Arabian Government over Bahrain transit dues
(paragraph 81 above) and in 1937 against the Bahrain Government’s Nationality
and Passport Laws (paragraphs 149 and 150 below) and against a statement made
in the House of Commons by the Under Secretary of State for India about the
status of Bahrain. In 1933 they began the practice which they still follow of
refusing to recognise passports containing British endorsements or visas for
Bahrain. In 1934 in the course of treaty negotiations His Majesty’s Minister at
Tehran communicated to the Persian Government copies of certain treaties and
agreements between His Majesty’s Government and certain of the Gulf Rulers.
The Persian Foreign Minister in acknowledging them said that the Persian
Government did not regard those which relate to places like Bahrain as being
official or valid. His Majesty’s Minister once more emphasised that in view of
His Majesty’s Government the Persian claim to Bahrain was entirely inadmissible.
In the same year publicity was given in British and foreign newspapers to the
Bahrain Petroleum Company’s activities. This led to outbursts in the Persian press
and the Persian Foreign Minister addressed a note to the United States Minister
in Tehran pointing out that the Standard Oil Company’s concession was null and
void because it had not been obtained from the Persian Government. Copies of
(“*) Para. 10 at p. 63. P.G. 13.
(,44) 14 1, T.C.
(,4‘) Paras. 22 to 37 at pp. 66 to 70, P.G. 13.
(,4‘) E 11853/11853/91 of January 13. 1947.
(,4T) Para. 36 at p. 69. P.G. 13.
(m) Appendix II Memorandum on Bahrain (E 11853/11853/91 of 1947).