Page 309 - Records of Bahrain (7) (i)_Neat

Trial and exile of political prisoners, March-Dccembcr 1956 295

r:

HUM CAIRO TO FOREIGN OFFICE ...............1-------

En clair DEPARTMENTAL
DISTRIBUTION
Sir II* Trevelyan i
D: 9.50 p.m. March 30, 1956 0
No* 606 R; 10.28 p.m. Murch 30, 1956 y
Morch 30, 1956

Addressed to Foreign Office teleuram No. 606 of March 3P»
Repeated for information to Bahrain Beirut (for RIO)
and Saving to P.O.M.E.F. V/nshimjton
Ccev’oO
My telegram No. 31 to Bahrain. v f\ \v\dcit-< I
Press today fully reported Press conference given By
Abdel Rahman El-Bakir, so far without editorial comment.
El-Bakir said that he hud first refused a British request ;•
to leave Buhruin, but when Britain uiudo it u condition for
recognizing the National Union that he and his colleagues
should leave they dooidod to go on grounds of ill-heulth.
Their exit visas stipulated that they should return after
five months. Balu'ain was being governed by steel und fire,
and was obliged to meet imperialistic, autocratic rule with • i'
similar weapons. The Ruler came from an old Arab family
i
with good qualities, but the British "inspector" preventod I
:
him listening to popular demands or mooting popular represen­
,
tatives. The "inspector" und Ills son, the purchasing agent, I
controlled the situation, yet, despite the fact that the III
British Adviser had control, he defamed the Ruler by blaming ;
him for whatever happened, aiming thereby at creating disson6ion
between him und his ]ieople.
;!;
'
2. El-Bakir then explained the stages in the differences '•i
between the Ruler und peojilo. He described popular demand for
!
Legislative Assembly, legal reform and banning of foreign
iniuigrutlon. He added that British imperialism had begun to i
defuwe the Balu'ain National Movement, sometimes as Communist,
sometimes..as financed by Egyptian and Saudi funds. The
movement yjub for freedom and reform. Twenty British companies
ruled Bahrain. Only 2,500 of their strff of 12,000 wore ■
Bahrainis. Companies aimed at destroying the Bahrainis* morale
so as to maintain British hold on bases second only to
Colombo and Habbanlya. This buse was a source of danger
/ to