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98 The Origins of the United Arab Emirates

he would be willing to grant the facilities for an airport in Sharjah.21
Sultan was in straitened financial circumstances and welcomed the
opportunity to earn an extra income; he also realised that an
air-service would bring more trade and commercial activity to his
shaykhdom. After the RAF had approved of Sharjah, which had
a stretch of sand that was flat and hard enough to accommodate
the land craft that Imperial Airways planned to use instead of
flying-boats, Biscoc went there in April to start negotiations. The
visit bore little fruit, for bad weather obliged him to leave soon
after his arrival, and the shaykh was not willing to commit himself
to anything without consulting his brothers. The Residency Agent,
‘Isa bin ‘Abd al-Lalif, was instructed to act as deputy for Biscoc,
but he found himself unable to make much progress with Sultan,
who finally admitted that he had changed his mind and was unwilling
to grant any concessions.
Meanwhile the Iranian Government extended its agreement with
Imperial Airways until 31 May, and the Foreign Office, particularly
anxious that the new air-service begin before that date, asked that
Biscoc be made aware of the urgency of the situation. After consul­
tation with ‘Isa, who suggested that Sultan of Sharjah might become
more willing to enter discussions if a warship were to appear,
Biscoc sent HMS Triad, commanded by Captain L. E. Crabbe,
the Senior Naval Officer. The Triad arrived at Sharjah on 1 May,
and Crabbe found widespread opposition to the air-route, led by
the shaykh’s brothers. His report was not optimistic. ‘Apparently
great play has been made by the anti-air agitators who presented
lurid pictures of what might happen to the women and children
while their husbands were absent on the pearling banks.’22 Crabbe
assured Sultan that there would be no interference in Sharjah
affairs as a result of the airport, but the ruler remained firmly
opposed to it, despite his strong wish to have a secure form of
income. The ensuing deadlock brought Biscoe, accompanied by
an officer of the RAF, to Sharjah on 3 May, and, after two futile
days of attempting to persuade Sultan, the Political Resident decided
to issue an ultimatum: the airport would be built in Sharjah, with
or without the ruler’s permission; if Sultan refused to give his
formal agreement, no allowance of any kind would be paid him.23
Biscoe had previously warned Sultan that he was bound by his
original offer to grant the air facilities, and he knew the effectiveness .1
of pressuring the ruler with force majenre. The Resident then left
Sharjah.
Faced with this dilemma, Sultan became greatly introspective:
‘he had shut himself up in his fort, had, as it were, clothed
himself in sackcloth, covered himself with ashes and refused to
eat. His meditations in retreat evidently did him good-----’24 He