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open challenge to the desires and hopes of the people’. The Party reiterated its

previous demand that the only way to move forward was by the formation of a

Legislative Council. The HEC also announced its plan to boycott the proposed

councils. 418

Burrows believed that a misunderstanding had occurred between the two

sides. The Ruler thought that the reforms in the police and in his judiciary system

had already been met by his proclamation in July 1954 and that there was no need

to announce reform in these departments once again. 419 As a result of these

developments the HEC declared a general meeting on 28 October and rumours of

strikes resurfaced. Burrows conveyed to the FO that information had reached him

that the HEC’s Assembly would then head towards either the Political Agency’s

headquarters in Manama or the Residency in Juffair. The HEC aimed with this

gesture to demand the removal of Belgrave from office, as they believed that he had

influenced the Ruler into omitting the points they believed were agreed upon

regarding police reform. The Resident thought that the HEC had mistakenly blamed

Belgrave for the decision. Burrows was also critical of the HEC’s increased anti-

Western tone.

Furthermore the Residency was made aware of the HEC’s efforts to collect

money to help finance Egyptian arms purchases from the Soviets. The Resident

alluded to the Ruler’s guess that the HEC’s sudden ‘switch in policy was dictate

direct from Egypt’, a matter Burrows did not rule out. The theory would be for the

Egyptians to push the Bahraini Administration into further concessions in the form

418 TNA, FO 1016/442, The Higher Executive Committee Circular, No. 31, 20 October 1955.
419 ‘Bernard Burrows, Residency’s Report for the Month of November 1955’, 1-7 (2).

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