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that even when the HEC advocated or called for non-violent strikes they turned into

‘a threat to security since strike conditions are bound to breed incidents which, as

we have just seen, can grow to dangerous proportions’. 569

The HEC for its part tried to call off the ongoing strike, but to no avail. On 14

March the Resident met with the Ruler to persuade him to meet with the HEC in

order to finalise an agreement with the Party. In the discussion the establishment of

an Administration Council to assist the Ruler in his work and ease pressure on

Belgrave was also discussed. The Ruler did not accept the Resident’s proposal to

meet the HEC and requested that British officials in Bahrain meet them first. So

Gault met with four unidentified members of the HEC on the afternoon of the same

day. The Agent discussed three major points with the nationalists on which to base

an end to the deadlock. The first was official acknowledgement of the HEC. The

second was that an enquiry should be launched to look into recent events. The third

point was the dismissal of Belgrave. The Resident then expressed his hope that an

agreement would be reached soon. 570

Shuckburgh, based on his diary entry of 15 March, saw Eden to be in a great

‘state of excitement’ as he was shown the latest telegrams on Bahrain from the

Residency. Shuckburgh specified that as a response the Prime Minister ‘seems to

want to march troops in and arrest the “Higher Executive Committee” with which

Bernard [Burrows] is now negotiating’. The developments in Bahrain and the

region must have added to Eden’s overall anxiety. Shuckburgh believed that

matters had reached a state ‘where each telegram that comes in causes Ministers to

569 TNA, FO 1016/465, Despatch 218, Burrows to FO, 14 March 1956.
570 TNA, FO 1016/465, Despatch 221, Burrows to FO, 14 March 1956.

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