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Belgrave’s departure and the swift appointment of another British expert in his

place. On Nasser and his influence, Brook warned that ‘He will direct his appeal to

nationalist and democratic movements’. A handwritten note was appended to the

last comment – an aside, perhaps scratched in by an angry Eden, which reads: ‘but

he [Nasser] doesn’t practice democracy’. 629 Bishop, Eden’s Aide wrote back in

response to Brook’s letter saying ‘I wish I could say that the Prime Minister received

your views with delight, or even appreciation’. Bishop noted that Eden thought that

the ‘general principle’ could not ‘safely be applied in Bahrain’. 630

A tape recording of the NUC’s appeal ‘to the Arabs and the UN to save them

from the imperialism of Persia and Sir C Belgrave’ was played to Lloyd, Riches, and

the Permanent Undersecretary Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick. This stimulated a debate and

led them to question the FO’s policy on Bahrain. Kirkpatrick believed that

‘pussyfoot methods’ must be adopted by the Ruler in his dealings with the NUC. In

other words Kirkpatrick suggested that the Ruler should not commit himself to the

Movement. Riches, on the other hand, considered adopting a policy of restraint in

the Administration’s dealings with the NUC. 631 Based on this discussion a telegram

from the Eastern Department was sent to the Residency in Juffair on 14 April. The

telegram instructed the Residency to let it be known to the Ruler that he should not

take any steps that might cause an ‘unwanted reaction’ by the nationalists. And

then, in an apparent volte face, the telegram instructed the Residency to give the

629 TNA, PREM 11/1457, Minute on the Middle East from Brook to Eden, 14 April 1956.
630 TNA, PREM 11/1457, Bishop to Brook, 15 April 1956.
631 TNA, FO 371/120545, D.M.H. Riches on Bahrain, 12 April 1956.

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