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contact with Nehru was the nationalists’ negative stance on the employment of

Indian workers in Bahrain as perceived through their press. 702 Al-Watan’s article

‘Who are our Enemies?’ aggressively condemned companies in Bahrain for hiring

Indian and Pakistani labourers as an example of the nationalists’ policy about

foreigners gaining employment in Bahrain. 703

The Administration expressed to Gault its fear that Nehru’s visit would be

greeted by a local demonstration and asked that the Indian plane be diverted to a

different airport. It was also feared that Indians coming out to greet Nehru might

clash with NUC sympathisers in Muharraq. 704 The plane was not diverted as

Britain’s High Commissioner in India Sir Malcolm MacDonald decided to continue

with the scheduled journey after consultation with Burrows who was at the time in

London. 705

The night before Nehru’s arrival, Gault sent a firm warning through an

unnamed Agency employee to the NUC to exercise restraint with their members and

not to allow matters to get out of hand. Furthermore, as Egypt had just celebrated

Britain’s troop withdrawal from the Suez Canal Zone, it was feared that crowds

might express their excitement on the occasion of Nehru’s visit. 706 The much-

anticipated visit of Nehru went on without any incidents. Approximately a thousand

702 TNA, FO 371/120546, Burrows to FO, 8 June 1956.
703 ‘Ma’n hum A’adauna?’ [Who are our Enemies?] Al-Watan, 26 August 1955, 2.
704 TNA, FO 371/120547, Gault to FO, 19 June 1956.
705 TNA, FO 371/120547, Malcolm MacDonald’s Outward Telegram from Commonwealth Relations
Office, 19 June 1956.
706 TNA, FO 371/120547, Despatch 577, Gault to FO, 21 June 1956; also in TNA, FO 371/120573,
Gault to FO, 21 June 1956.

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