'File 19/109 IV (C 28) Shaikh's Relations with other Foreign Powers' [‎97r] (207/617)

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COPY.
r • ^
T ♦14112/225/378 • 1
,v^
Foreign Office,
31st December, 1926.
Sir,
Tith reference to your letter P 3365 of the 4th
ultiijo , ^- pecting the grant of travelling passes to
subjects of Bahrein, I am directed by Secretary Sir
Austen Chamberlain to inform you that he has given
careful considerc' "Lion to Lord Birkenhead* s sUf^gc-s tion
that, in the absence of satisfactory alternative
c.irangementa, British certificates of identity should
continue to be issued.
On political grounds it is of great importance to
avoid any action which would result in the re—av/akening
of the controversy as to the sovereignty of Bahrein, and
it is difficult to see how this could be avoided were
the seizure by the Persian authorities of British
certificates of identity issued to Bahrein subjects to
-icoiiie - general practice. The only alternative to faci
-fie lajor question would then be to acquiesce in the
soizai ^ 0.* Bri .ish document by a foreign authority, a
course i 'lich appears equally open to objection. On the
^^ --j : A je ten C lamoerlain is desirous of m ^etinp*
the views expressed in your abcve mentioned letter, and
a middle course has accordingly been sought, and it is
thought that a satisfactory solution has been found by
a study ol the earlier history of these documents,
Tt is stated on page 3 of the memorandum enclosed
in the despatch No. 34/202-S of May 20th last, addressed
by His Majesty^ Consul General at Eushire to His
Majesty^s Minister at Tehran, a copy of uhich was
transmit : ,ed to you with the letter from this department
T 8352/ 235/ 378 of July 9th, that /it was in 1915 as a
war measure, that orders were first issued that all
' v e i lers roir, Arab towns to places outside the
Persian