Page 223 - Records of Bahrain (7) (i)_Neat

Disturbances and strikes, 1956 209

SECRET
FROM BAIfRAIN TO FOREIGN OFFICE

Cypher/OTP FOREIGN OFFICE (SECRET) AND
WHITEHALL '(SECRET) DISTRIBUTION
Sir B. Burrowa
tyo. 172 D: 6.AO a.m., Maroh 4, 1956,
M^poh 3, 1956, R: 6,48 ft.m,, MarQb,^, 19?6f• ,
PftffiDIATE ■\V ;
SECRET■v•• ■ |j*'1" 1 » l y
m Ni. 172 of Mtrohl 3,
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram Nv, ,,«. VA -----
j
Repeated for Information to U.K.H.C, Now Delhi (fpj* Foreign
Comraandqr-^p-Chio£ East In<ji$9,
; T-
A.O.C. Adonf
• i ,
POMEF,
..U :1. : .
-My. tologram No, 166 (not repeated to all): '.Bahrain •
Internal Situation, CfliMjio
Origins of disturbance last night are still not dear.
There are three possible theories:

(a) the Nigh Executive Committee haye been deliberately
deceiving us and staged demonstration themselvesj
(b) some of their followers or perhaps a single member
of the Committee incited a small demonstration on
their own;
(p) demonstration was started by another group who'are
opposed to the High Executive Committee and have
extreme Right Wing tendencies, known as'thp National
Front. They are under prominent younger members of
the ruling family.
2, In any case it was almost certainly not intended that
the demonstration should grow so large, This was due to
football match crowds and general ebullition caused by the ..
recent political oiraular, etc.
Theory (a) seems improbable not so much because the
Committee would be incapable of depeivirig us, but because
if they had planned it the demonstration would have been'
much larger and better organized. Thi6 is supported, for'
what it is worth,-by the fact that leading members of the '..
Committee have given us today, apparently sincere expression
of“deepest regret at what occurred, ' (b) ‘is quite likely.
One loading member of' the High Executive5Commiitee i' Shemlan',
was1 apparently seen addressing the crowd in an'intoxiMIftotl
'I
state anV/r
vV

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