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‘replied that the necessary measures would be taken in time’. He claimed that the

statement attributed to him was an addition by the French News Agency. In return

Al-Hayat (The Life) newspaper in Lebanon picked it up and other Arab newspapers

followed. 807 On the accusation that Al-Bakir had received finances from the British,

Belgrave seemed to believe that this was indeed the case. In his diary he noted that

the Bahraini nationalist had received 5,000 Rupees from the Residency to persuade

him to leave Bahrain in late March. 808 There are no FO documents at TNA to

support the allegation.

The coming of October witnessed the completion of the draft Labour Law

Code on which work had begun in 1955. A copy of the draft was officially submitted

to the Government of Bahrain on 10 October for its review and translation.

Additionally in October a representative from the Bahraini Government traveled to

Egypt to meet Al-Sanhouri to discuss his status on the Penal Code’s review. Al-

Sanhouri, due to constraints placed on him by his own Government, would never

make the journey to Bahrain. 809 Also in October, in its attempt to reach out to the

Arab Gulf masses a new pro-British Arabic language newspaper publication

published three trial issues. The newspaper was named as Al-Khaleej (The Gulf

Times). The company that sponsored the new publication also ran the Iraq Times.

Burrows hoped that with the arrival of a new linotype machine and operator, it

807 TNA, FO 371/120549, Burrows to FO, 22 October 1956.
808 Sir Charles Dalrymple Belgrave’s Personal Diaries, 17 December 1956.
809 TNA, FO 371/120549, D. Blelloch’s Bahrain Monthly Intelligence Summary: October, 1956, 17
November 1956.

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