Page 736 - Belgrave Diaries(N)_Neat

1932

came ashore, leaving by the up mail in the afternoon. We all went across to see him and to talk about the question of direct
transhipment and this consignment of Ibn Saouds. The P.R. looked very well, he had Chancey with him, the second secretary,
a pleasant young man. The Shaikh made a long speech with all the points which we had suggested to him. Prior put it into
English and strengthened it a good deal on the way, the P.R. said he would do all he could but that we must prepare an official
letter about it. Then the Shaikh brought up the matter of the present import, which was in the boat sitting at anchor in the bay.
He said he felt he should let it go as it was for the King himself but the P.R. said it was too absurd to suppose that the King was
importing 17000 bags of rice for himself. Eventually we decided not to allow direct transhipment in this case and I sent a
message to this effect to the Customs so they insisted in its being unloaded here. There will be a great row about it with Ibn
Saoud I am sure but as all the letters were from Mohamed al Tawil we can treat the matter as if it came from him not officially
from the King. Spent a long time across there and then came back to the office. Holmes came to lunch, he is leaving on the up
boat for Kuwait I fancy in order to meet Faisal at Kuwait and to try and get his oil concession fixed up. Holmes was in a great
rage still about one of the oil men who said he intended going across to the mainland to examine the land over in Kattar,
apparently they had a real row at Mespers and both lost their tempers. Went to the Palace in the afternoon and looked at the
work which is being done there, it is being prepared for the Shaikh to take up residence there in about ten days. The place
looked very dirty but better now. Dined with D.G. Prior and Russell were there, the former in a very bad temper with D.G.
who had gone out with him and the P.R. in their launch to the boat and as usual had made a few indiscreet remarks on the way,
he always puts his foot in it. Quite a good dinner, D.G. had said it was to be "quite a simple little dinner" as if he was
accustomed to give many large and elaborate meals.

Tuesday 21st [June]

Didnt go to the Biladya meeting as not much of importance. Abdulla came in the morning and we had a long discussion about
the rice business and composed a suitable letter to Mohamed at Tawil, very vague and non committal. Luard of the A.P.O.C.
came on the down mail and came to stay with me, I had had a wire from Kerr about him asking if I would put him up, he is a
nice young man and I was quite glad to have him here. In the afternoon we went to Ain al Hakim and had a bathe, he liked it
very much, later on Russell and D.G. and Ham and Steele came in and we had some Bridge, we met them at the Ain on their
way back. Hot day. Saw a lot of people in the morning in the office.

Wednesday [22 June]
Fort in the morning as usual and then looked in on the Shaikh for a minute, later on he came round to the office. A very hot
and very damp day indeed, not at all nice. A lot of work over this rice affair. I think it will become an international affair
between us and the King and will lead to some definite decision about the R.E. cargo. I am afraid we may lose over it as our
position is not at all strong, in other ports they do not take customs on stuff unloaded which does not enter the place. In the
afternoon I had tennis some very good games but the court is not in condition, it has begun to get very soft and I cant find out
what is the matter, lately it has been very bad indeed. The people who came to tennis stayed till 9 p.m. so we were rather late
having dinner. Wrote to the Mission about their freedom from customs, I find it was only meant to apply to the hospital
materials not to all their own imports. I wonder what line they will take up about it.