Page 79 - Records of Bahrain (4) (ii)_Neat

Regional relations, 1927 381

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Letter from tiie IIon’ule the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf,
No. 204-8., DATED THE 1st SeI'TEMUER 1927.
I have the honour to state that since I assumed charge of the appointment
of Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the question of our relations with the
State of Bahrain has given me some cause for reflection. Our position in that Shaikh-
dom, and the amount of control that we exercise, appear to be open to criticism
when viewed from an international standpoint. This would be of no great import­ ■
ance but for three factors :—
1. Persia has never ceased to claim sovereignty over Bahrain and our own
Foreign Ollicc have recently not been desirous of raising the question
of the status of that place.
2. The dc facto ruling chief, with whose consent wo intervene, was placed'
in his position by us, when we deposed his father from the chief
authority.
3. The new growth of the Wahabi power.
2. The cx-Shaikh Isa, still nominally Shaikh, appealed to the Viceroy against,
his deposition, and through his solicitors despatched a caveat to Government say­
ing that lie was not bound by the acts of his sons. An appeal to the League of
Nations by Persia forwarding! an appeal by Shaikh Isa or one of his relations on
the lines of the Persian protest in 1800 would, I think, place us in a difficult position.
While I do not consider this a very likely event, now, owing to our better relations
with Shaikh Isa it docs not seem to be sound politics to leave so important a matter
to chance ; there are many other combinations to consider such as Shaikh Hamad
himself changing his view with regard to us ; interference by Ihn Sand with the reli­
gious appeal; indeed any of the possible derangements which can occur where
matters depend upon the personal element alone.
3. In studying the question of the development of our position in Bahrain to
its present condition many other matters arise such as the still existing claims of
I ersia, and in the past those of Muscat, the Wahabis, the JCgyptiaus and the Turks,
all of which aft'ect the validity of the Persian demands.
4. In order to prevent one despatch being too unwieldy I have found it ncees-
ficSuFo tbc subject into two despatches, the first dealing with tho subjects