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asking for his advice.  The Agent put forward a policy of pacifying the angry crowds

                   and suggested the creation of a committee to investigate the disturbance and its


                   immediate announcement.  The Ruler followed the Agent’s advice and the order to


                   establish a ‘Commission of Enquiry’ by the Ruler was announced officially by noon

                   on that very day.  Burrows also alerted the FO to the Ruler’s suspicion of British


                   policy in Bahrain which he expressed during a meeting with Wall, saying that a

                   rumour made its way to him that the Agency was urging Bahraini Shi’ites to rebel


                   against the Government.  191

                          On the following day, 2July, Sir Ralph Stevenson, the then British


                   Ambassador to Egypt, responded to a report requested by TE Bromley to present his

                   views in countering Egyptian influence.  Stevenson said that he had viewed reports


                   from various Arab cities such as Benghazi, Beirut, Khartoum, Amman, Damascus,

                   Jeddah, and Baghdad in order to form an understanding of how these cities were


                   influenced but he had yet to receive a statement from Bahrain.  192   The reason for

                   Stevenson not receiving information was possibly the Residency’s occupation with


                   the current disturbances.

                          As a consequence of the events, a strike was declared by the Shi’ite


                   community, according to the Bahrain Government’s Annual Report, and some of

                   those who wished to work were allegedly intimidated and forced not to do so.   193   It


                   was at that point that the Political Agent met with the Ruler on 3 July to advise him



                   191  TNA, FO 371/109813, Burrows to FO, 20 July 1954.
                   192  BDEEP, Series B, Part III, vol. 4, ‘Egypt and the Defence of the Middle East’ 1953-1956.  Doc. 527:
                   FO 371/108563, [Egyptian propaganda]: letter from Sir R Stevenson to T E Bromley on how to
                   counter Egyptian influence, 2 July 1954.
                   193  ‘Government of Bahrain: Annual Report for Year 1954 (September 1953-December 1954)’, 1-105
                   (49).



                   © Hamad E. Abdulla                        63
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