Page 286 - Records of Bahrain (4) (ii)_Neat

588 Records of Bahrain

•jnuto Paper. POLITICAL Department.

PloaQO boo previous submission on P. 4172/29
below, and tho oubaoquont paper submitted on P. 4702/29.
In reply to tfrfr-telegram on P. 4172, tho Government of
India (P. 4820) informed U3 on 4th July that they would
not fail to conault the Secretary of State before
action was taken in tho light of tho Political Resident's
! report.
Colonel Barrett'8 very interesting report
I
i (which haB been printed for convenience) will be found on
j P. 6250/29 below. Broadly speaking, he agrees with the
i
| view previouoly taken by this Dopartmont - viz.. that in
j present circumstances there i3 much to oe said for

retaining a degree of European control (in the service
of the Sheikh) in the administration of Bail rein. He
i recognises that the situation may be changed should the
i
American oil company materialise (paragraph 17), but
his immediate recommendations procood on the assumption
that the coming of the company 10 still problematical.
3. So far as we can judge here, there is
:
. considerable danger of the company materialising,
though some hope that it may not find much oil, and may
in consequence discontinue its operations. But this
goos to emphasise the general unaosirability of
reducing the European element except on rather cautious

lines and in the rather gradual manner suggested by
Colonel Barrett. Tho Department would suggest,
however, that beforo the matter is considered further
; it might be well to got the Government of India's
i views on tho despatch. Tho question is directly
j relevant to that - which we shall have to consider in
the insnediato future, and on which we have already
!
received/
3«ISa iooo * rv