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He is a faithful servant who has obeyed our orders for a long period
and in doing so has been an example in straight dealing and loyalty,
and there is no doubt that he has carried out his task with probity and
we will not terminate his services in this way.

The Ruler further reminded the NUC that the reform steps initiated would take time

for their implementation. The most striking feature of the letter was the Ruler’s

announcement to the Party that his Government ‘will never yield to threats of

strikes’ as he had been advised by the FO’s Eastern Department. He concluded the

letter by saying that the door for dialogue from his part was still open and that it

was the NUC who had broken off the talks. 739 The New York Times covered the news

of Sheikh Salman’s decision not to dismiss his Adviser, but did not add any further

information. 740

Objecting to the Ruler’s statements on Belgrave, the NUC in its proclamation

numbered sixty-four replied,

It is quite possible that the Adviser has been a loyal servant to the
Sheikh himself whereas to the people he has been an arrogant tyrant
and a hangman who has been playing with the vital affairs of this
country as he wished and without anybody to check him. 741

An official response to the Ruler’s original letter on 13 July from the Foreign

Secretary came on 26 July. Lloyd asserted in the letter Britain’s long-standing

friendship with Bahrain. He later drew to the Ruler’s attention that political

movements, like the one in Bahrain, were bound to rise sooner or later. He further

pointed to HMG’s experience in dealing with such movements in other regions and

believed that the best methodology to adopt was to enable cooperation between

739 TNA, FO 371/120549, Translation of letter from H.H. Shaikh Salman al Khalifa to the Committee of
National Union, delivered to the Secretary of the Committee, 22 July 1956.
740 ‘Bahrein Keeps British Adviser’, New York Times, 28 July 1956, 2.
741 TNA, FO 1016/468, the National Union Committee Proclamation No. 64, 23 July 1956.

© Hamad E. Abdulla 239