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Egyptian authorities as might be supposed’. Furthermore Al-Bakir had requested

weeks ago to have a private meeting with Nasser but this had not yet been granted.

The British Chancery in Egypt gave a cautious review of the embassy’s meeting with

Al-Sanhouri and his thoughts about Al-Bakir as they knew that Nasser was very

busy and ‘it may be that it suits his present policy better to avoid giving us the

impression that he is interfering in the affairs of Bahrain’. 699

Egypt celebrated on 18 and 19 June the evacuation of the remaining troops in

the Suez Canal Zone. Nasser gave a speech in which he vowed ‘Egypt’s adherence to

complete neutrality’. The Soviet Union’s Foreign Minister, Dmitri Shepilov, attended

Nasser’s speech. 700 Bahrainis celebrated the evacuation, the Adviser wrote in his

diary, noting that on the island of Muharraq flags were seen and people danced in

celebration. 701

Bahrain was due again to be visited by yet another high-ranking

international figure, this time it was India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who

was scheduled to stop over en route to London on 21 June. Intelligence reached the

Resident indicating that the NUC had cabled Nehru prior to his visit to either ask

him to support their political demands or mediate in negotiations with the Ruler.

The Residency feared that demonstrations might take place on the occasion of the

visit. Burrows deplored the idea of forwarding a letter to the Indian Government

through the FO prior to the visit in an attempt to provide it with its overview of the

political scene in Bahrain. What surprised the Resident in relation to the NUC’s

699 TNA, FO 1016/467, Chancery at British Embassy to Bahrain, 9 June 1956.
700 ‘The New Phase in Egypt’, The Times, 20 June 1956, 9.
701 Sir Charles Dalrymple Belgrave’s Personal Diaries, 18 June 1956.

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