Page 58 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf - Vol II) 1907-1953

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to have the full support of the United States Consular authorities at Dhahran. The
status of the Consulate there was raised to that of Consulate-General in 1949. Its
ollicers pay regular visits to Bahrain to attend to the requirements of United States
nationals. Apart from an occasional thirst for information they make no attempt
to interfere in local political matters and readily co-operate with the British political
authorities when the occasion arises. The Arabian-American Oil Company at
Dhahran maintains an office in Manamah and its American personnel frequently
visit Bahrain for recreational purposes. They also come to the Political Agent to
get married, as they cannot be legally married on the mainland.
105. Although Anglo-American relations on the spot at Bahrain are excellent,
Sir Roger Makins in his report on his visit to the Persian Gulf in 1952 called
attention to the lack of real understanding between the two Governments on
political and strategic objectives in the area.(21”) In a memorandum prepared by
Her Majesty’s Embassy at Jedda in the same year reference is made to “ signs of an
increasing American impatience with our present position and policy in the Gulf ’
and to remarks by prominent Americans “ that some or all of the Gulf States in
special treaty relations with Her Majesty’s Government are anachronisms.”(2n)
106. A mission of the Dutch Reformed Church of America has been
established in Bahrain since the beginning of the century. It has its own hospital,
school and Church. It has performed valuable medical work not only in Bahrain
but also in Qatar and Saudi Arabia but has made few, if any, converts.
Generally speaking its relations both with the Ruler and the British political
authorities have been good.

(h) France and the Netherlands
107. Representatives from the French and Dutch Missions and Consulates
in Iraq have visited Bahrain from time to time informally, with the approval of
Her Majesty’s Government. At the end of 1953 Her Majesty’s Government agreed
that the French consular representative at Basra should be at liberty to pay short
visits to Bahrain and the other Shaikhdoms for the purpose of exercising purely
consular functions.(a,fl) Advance notice of each visit was to be given to the Political
Resident. The French are chiefly interested in their air-lines which call at Muharraq.
Several visits were paid by their representatives from Iraq after the Air France
crashes in 1950 (paragraph 127 below) and French decorations were bestowed on
a number of persons who had taken part in the rescue work. The Dutch are
interested in their shipping. Dutch ships call frequently at Bahrain and a local
merchant acts as agent for them.

VII.—Miscellaneous
{a) Jurisdiction
108. As related in the Historical Summary of Events for 1907— 1928('*1 s) Shaikh
Isa in 1909 asked in writing that he should be relieved by His Majesty’s Government
of the responsibility of exercising jurisdiction over foreigners in his country
(Appendix G (i)). He subsequently explained that he did not intend the term
“ foreigners ” to include the subjects of other Gulf States. His son Abdullah when
he visited the United Kingdom in 1919 asked on his father’s behalf that the latter
should be put on an equality with neighbouring Arab rulers in the exercise of
authority over all persons other than subjects of Great Britain and the Great
European Powers and so over Arabs who were not Bahrain subjects.(2“) It was
then proposed that he should be permitted to exercise jurisdiction over the subjects
of other Arab Rulers, subject to the formal concurrence of those Rulers. According
to the Historical Summary of Events(JU) Ibn Saud and the Ruler of Qatar took
exception to the exercise of control over their subjects by the Ruler of Bahrain and
requested the Political Agent to exercise the jurisdiction in question. It is doubtful
whether this is an accurate description of what occurred and it would appear that
(*'°) Para. 102 at p. 24. Sir Roger Makins’ Report.
< } i?dda to F.O. 1631/44/52 of May 15. 1952 (E 1056/37 of 1952).
> Jcl- from F.O. to P.R. 1479 of December 12. 1953 (EA 1905/5 of ’953).
( ) Para. 8 at p. 62. P.G. 13.
( ") Para. 9 at p. 62. P.G. 13.
( ) Para. 10 at p. 63. P.G. 13.