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Sunni and Shi’ite) were united in their disapproval of the Administration’s policies

as they viewed them to be highly influenced by Britain. 371

The Political Agent suggested to the Resident that he should meet with the

Ruler in order to recommend British naval reinforcements be landed from Her

Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Flamingo. Gault reiterated that Britain would not permit the

‘disruption of Government in a British-protected State’. 372

Regarding Al-Bakir’s threat to resign, Burrows forwarded further

information on the matter to the FO. According to the Resident, Al-Bakir visited the

Residency in Juffair on 24 August. The nationalist leader met with an unidentified

Residency staff member, he pointed to his failed efforts in deterring his fellow

members of the HEC from attacking Britain in their last published circular. He

blamed two of the Party members for adopting that line and he named them as Al-

Mardi and Sayyar. In Al-Bakir’s view the two had ‘just returned from Egypt and

were full of “new ideas” about the national movement’. Al-Bakir, moreover,

revealed that his resignation was withheld for two weeks by the HEC. He also

informed the British that he had lost control over the Movement and its pursuit of

peaceful means to bring about reform. 373 In Burrows’ opinion the Party’s

radicalisation came following the return of Al-Shamlan, one of the frontline

members of the HEC, to Bahrain from Cairo in the summer. 374

371 TNA, FO 371/114587, Gault to FO, 25 August 1955.
372 TNA, FO 1016/387, Gault to FO, 27 August 1955.
373 TNA, FO 371/114587, Burrows to FO, 2 September 1955.
374 TNA, FO 371/120561, Burrows to FO, 24 December 1955; and TNA, FO 371/114587, Burrows to
FO, 25 October 1955.

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