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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).

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