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gathering would be held on Friday 7 October, a Shi’ite religious holiday. Al-Bakir

specified that the HEC intended to announce that if the Government did not allow

for the establishment of health, education, and municipal councils to be either

elected in full or half-elected, then it would publicly declare the details of its

meetings with the Ruler. 411 Following the meeting between Al-Bakir and the

anonymous official on behalf of the British, and on 4 October an announcement by

the HEC was made inviting the general public to an assembly on 7 October at the

Mu’min Mosque. 412

In an effort to discover public opinion of the conflict in Bahrain, British

officials, such as Malcolm Gale met casually with local Sunni merchants to seek their

views on current affairs. Yusuf K Al-Moayyed thought that both the Ruler and the

British were well respected in Bahrain, ‘but that Belgrave was universally hated’.

Ahmed Kanoo told Gale: ‘We shall never have peace in Bahrain until the Adviser

goes’. 413

A new attitude adopted by the Ruler rekindled the hope of a political

breakthrough locally. Upon the request of the Ruler, and accompanied by his

Adviser, a meeting with the Political Agent was held on 6 October. Gault expressed

his surprise to the FO at the Ruler’s recognition to the formation of committees

dedicated to health, education, and municipal affairs, half its members appointed

411 TNA, FO 1016/388, Confidential Minutes with Al-Bakir, 3 October 1955.
412 TNA, FO 1016/388, The Higher Executive Committee Announcement, 4 October 1955.
413 TNA, FO 1016/388, Minutes of Meetings with Merchants drafted by Malcolm Gale, 5 October 1955.

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