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Administration. 694 An official announcement on the matter was made by Bahrain’s

Administration on 9 June. 695 With the new arrangement the title of Adviser to the

Government of Bahrain following Belgrave’s retirement would cease to exist.

Nothing was said about Belgrave’s status. Lloyd expected, however, that the

‘announcement of Mr. Smith’s promotion will be interpreted in Bahrain as heralding

retirement of Sir Charles Belgrave’. 696 The Minister’s expectations turned to be

accurate as a scornful report on the front-page of Al-Watan declared that an

unnamed senior government employee’s papers were being extracted in one of the

country’s departments in preparation to bring his long tenure to an end. It also

claimed that it was believed that another government employee currently employed

in a prestigious position (Director of Customs) would take his position. 697 The Times

additionally covered Smith’s appointment but did not link his promotion to

Belgrave’s removal. 698

The Egyptian legal expert Al-Sanhouri visited the Oriental Counsellor Trevor

Evans at the British Embassy in Cairo on 9 June, and told him that he had met with

Al-Bakir who said that, although he believed in general Arab unity, he was realistic

in his approach, as he only wished for internal political reform and did not intend

for the British to leave at this stage. In return Al-Sanhouri suggested to Al Bakir that

he should visit London to raise his issue of reform personally with HMG. Al-

Sanhouri believed ‘that perhaps Al-Bakir was not so much in favour with the

694 TNA, FO 1016/467, Burrows to FO, 7 June 1956; and also in FO 371/120573, Burrows to FO, 7
June 1956.
695 TNA, FO 1016/467, Belgrave’s Administration Announcement No. 1970-22, 9 June 1956.
696 TNA, FO 1016/467, SOSFA to Residency, 8 June 1956.
697 ‘Khabar Al-Youm’ [Today’s News], Al-Watan, 15 June 1956, 1.
698 ‘New Bahrain Post: Briton As Secretary to Government’, The Times, 18 June 1956, 8.

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