Page 9 - Records of Bahrain (7) (ii)_Neat

The Ruling Family 399

CONFIDENT IAT.
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On Shaikh Mamed's death the fuinlly of their own accord appointed
Shaikh Salman to he his successor and the appointment was merely
confirmed by Shaikh I turned1 b document which was subsequently
produced. When Shuikh Hunicd was appointed heir by his father,
Shaikh Isu, in 10$)0, Shaikh Iou asked for his son to bo recognised
by the Political Resident and supported hiu request by exhibiting
hiu will which numed Shaikh Ilumed as his successor and which had
been witnessed by a number of Bahrainis not only of the A1
Khalifa family. Recognition v/ao then granted. In both these
successions the attitude of Her Majesty's Government was to
acquiesce in the choice made (and to exercise no influence) so
long as the person appointed was not regarded by them as
undesirable. In this cuse I do not consider that there arc any
grounds v/hatever for regarding Shaikh Isa as undesirable. There
is therefore no ground for objecting to the appointment, which,
it io hoped, will give Shaikh Iou a number of years' apprentice­

ship to his father.
4. After the appointment had been announced I learned from
Mr. Smith, the Secretary to the Government, who had had no
previous knowledge of the Ruler's intention to make the
announcement, that the Ruler's second uncle, Shuikh Abdullah
bin Isa, had just told him (Mr. Smith) that two months or so
ago Shaikh Salman had asked him, Shaikh Abdullah, and Shaikh
Daij bin Named whether they would agree to ills appointing his
oon Shaikh Iou as heir. Both Shaikh Abdullah and Shaikh Duij
agreed to accept this provided that, as in the past, the
appointment was recorded in Shaikh Salman's will. This was
done and the addition witnessed by the two other Shaikhs.
This should mean, on the face of it, that any opposition by
Shaikh Daij to his nephew's appointment as heir would diauppoar
/and ...................

CONFIDENTIAL