Page 138 - The Origins of the United Arab Emirates_Neat

104 The Origins of the United Arab Emirates

The Political Agent and Sa*id bin Maktum of Dubai were able
to convince Shakhbut of the merits, mostly financial, of granting
the required permission; and on 13 February 1933 lie signed and
sealed an agreement for the petrol tank at Sir Bani Yas, and
for the establishment of a landing ground there and near Abu
Dhabi.40 He was also given a lump sum of 5000 rupees instead
of the arrears he had asked for from the date when the petrol
tank was first installed at Sir Bani Yas.
But when the HMS Fowey went to Abu Dhabi to mark the
landing grounds and to build a petrol store for the RAP, Shakhbut
reacted strongly. He did not call on the captain of the Fowey
as required, and went on board only when he was sent for. He
refused to allow the construction of the petrol store, saying that
there was no specific mention of this in the February agreement.
Shakhbut also wrote to the Political Agent in Bahrain, offending
him by claiming that Sir Bani Yas had been ruined.50 Shakhbut
knew the terms of the air agreement well, and was not prepared
to allow for any extra concessions such as the building of a petrol
store. The Political Agent was instructed to inform him that the
store was ‘one of the natural adjuncts’ of a landing ground, and
therefore implicitly understood in the February agreement.51
But Shakhbut was adamant and determined not to back down,
despite his awareness of the double insult to the Political Resident:
he had refused to go on board the Fowey until specifically called,
and he had opposed the erection of the petrol store. Fowle was
not willing to show acquiescence, and immediately issued an ultima­
tum: the pearling fleet of Abu Dhabi would be prevented from
proceeding to the banks if Shakhbut persisted in his refusal to
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allow the petrol store to be erected.52 The message was delivered
by Captain G. A. Cole, officiating as Political Agent in Bahrain,
who was also instructed to tell Shakhbut to apologise for his behaviour
to the captain of the Fowey™ On receipt of the message, Shakhbut
lost his temper and refused to apologise. But he was frightened
by the prospect of the immobility of his pearling fleet, and agreed
to the construction of the store.54 Furthermore, when the Political
Agent in Bahrain visited Abu Dhabi a week later, Shakhbut went
on board his ship immediately. He was visibly shaken, and, almost
incoherently, expressed sincere apologies for the previous insults
to the British Government.55 There was consequently no trouble
when, in 1936, Shakhbut gave permission for the erection of a
beacon on Halul island, especially as he realised that it was self-work­
ing and needed no attendants.56
In 1937, Imperial Airways started a flying-boat service on its
route to India. The stops en route included Alexandria, Lake Galilee,
Baghdad, Basrah, Bahrain and Gwadur. Basrah was one of the

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