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Part II: Turning East

Chapter Four

Pacts and Committees

January to June 1955

If the mid-twentieth century could be described as the age that saw the rise

of global pacts and alliances, then the year 1955 in Bahrain could best be described

as ‘The Year of the Committees’. This is because of the large number of committees

which were established to oversee various departments and aspects of Bahraini life

in response to confidential reports presented by the Commission of Enquiry. It

could also be said that the events that unfolded in the Middle East and in Bahrain

from January to June 1955 solidified existing divisions. The region became, as Lord

Butler, the Chancellor of Exchequer and later the Leader of the House of Commons,

described it, ‘the predestined scene of the Cold War for 1955 and 1956’. 264 While

large political battles were raging in the wider world, Bahrain was occupied with its

own unique conflict. This brought the British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden into

direct contact with the crisis for the first time and showed how British policy

adapted to developments. This time also saw Nasser adopt a new strategy as

strengthening ties with the Eastern Soviet sphere moved the Egyptians gradually

away from Western dominance.

264 R. Butler, The Art of the Possible: The Memoirs of Lord Butler (London: 1971), 184.

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