'File 2/9 Anti-British propaganda' [‎102r] (208/748)

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" AL RABITA AL ARABIA" Cairo 27.7.38
On July 27th, Cairo’s weekly, n Al Habita A1 Arabia* published
the following article of its Bahrain correspondent*
•• Allow me to expose to you the circumstances of the creation
aft the new British port in Bahrain, because it has been the cause
of a great scandal;
” South-West of El Manama Island (Bahrain capital) lies a
district Railed El Kadib. In El Kadib there exists a vast building
which was^used as a quarantine. When, owing to the Iranian refusal
to allow ^ritish planes to fly over Iranian coasts, the air routes
were altered, Bahrain was chosen as a port-of-call. The British
Government ordered then the Bahrain Government to have the old
quarantine repaired and the place arranged to receive flying-boats
which was done.
lies a district called
place,
ilm trees and sources belonging
n About a mile south of this
El Gefir, covered with gardens, pa
to the Khalifa family and to Bahrain merchants. The British Govern
ment proposed, through the British Councellor in Bahrain, to buy
this plot of land, and meeting with refusal, took it oy force. On
the spot, the British have built several buildings for military use,
a sport ground, a cinema and a baal room for Aritish soldiers. On
the coast a port and an aerodrome have been created. Four warships
a^d four flying-boats stay there permanently.
* The Bahrain Government paid for all the expenses and the
British Government did not spend a piastre. The population entirely
desapproves the attitude of the British Government*
* This is the real story of the cration of the British Port in
Bahrain.
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w A desagreement has arisen between the Amir of Debi, Shaikh
Said Ibn Maktoum and the Amir of Deira, Sheikh Maseeh. The cause
of the desagreement is the claim laid by Sheikh Maneeh on some of
the Debi’s income with the allegation that it used to belong to
his family. Sheikh Said refused and the relations between the two
principalties, which are distant one mile from each other, are
very strained.
* The British will certainly take advantage of the situation and
make profit of fcfegxgijfeMgfciaoft it on the Oman coast.
* The British representative here is of Kuwait origins. The
Oman population would not bear a representative who would not be
an Arab and a Moslem. 11
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