Page 45 - Records of Bahrain (7) (ii)_Neat

Great Britain: policy 435

entitled to expect our gratitude and support.
There arc, however, no opocil'ic provioiono in
any of our agreements v/ith the Ruling Family of
bahrain to protect them against any internal
attempt to overthrow their government. Indeed,
we have in the paot intervened in Bahrain In
1923 to remove a Ruler whose conduct towards
his subjects v/us in our view oppressive, Our
commitment to the Ruling l-'amily is thus moral
rather than formal. Ao Your Excellency's ■
despatch poihto out, the continuing rule of the
I j-
prooent Rulor of Bahrain is not conducive to
Z :
o
H the emergence of a just and efficient admini-
X
z utmtion with forward looking policies
a
coni landing a ^sufficient meusure of popular
H
o
sup tort, and to that extent Jt does not
ra
m
pro ride oati:factorily for the preservation
3
2 of ntcrnal security in tlm Island. It does
1
m not thus wholly meet our second requirement of
Z any Dahraini [administration. For it would be
z
con .rary botl to our policy and our interests
H
X
to uoo today II.M. forces, ao w0 had to use them *
in 19561 to 1 ccurc tho interests of the Rulor
>
73 against tho population of Bahrain, thereby in-
2
z
curring popular opposition to the continuance
■
of our base there. Vo do tliia would appear to
be doubly unfortunate at the present moment
when, aG Yuur Excellency has told me, there is
some reason to think that the population of
Buhrain appear to be reconciled to the exist­
ence of that bauc and to appreciate the oppor­
tunities which it provideo for commercial gain
and social and sporting activities.
^ T I am thus led to accept Your Excellency's

thesis that we should rc-appraiso our policy
towards tho Ruler of Bahrain and that in our
/own