Coll 30/52(1) 'Persian Gulf. Diaries: Bahrain News and Intelligence Reports' [‎27r] (55/1077)

2
It is now generally known in Bahrain that/an
Italian submarine was sunk somewhere near the entrance
to the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and that prisoners taken from the
submarine were brought to Bahrain and later sent to
India. The secret was kept remarkably well v/hile
they were here.
The bazaar is busy recounting exciting
stories of operations against Italian submarines.
One of. the best is that British warships are now fitted
with glass bottoms in order to see the enemy and with
a powerful grappling device by which the skulking foe
is seized and lifted to the surface for destruction.
It is an interesting fact that we receive
little credit from the Arabs for suecess €S against the
Italians. The common attitude is that it would be
very astonishing indeed if we did not beat up these
despicable dagoes.
(iii) A remote relative of the A1 Kalifah Family by
name Ahmad bin Isa al Ghatm of Rafa 5 a who has been
dissatisfied with his allowance ibr some time decided
recently to invite the Shah to take over Bahrain.
Unfortunately for him he chose the wrong person to
write his letter for him and he is now likely to have
plenty of leisure in which to regret the disloyal
sentiments to which he gave expression®
81. Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates.
(i) Reference paragraph 65 of my Intelligence
Summary No.10 of 1940.
On the 27th May the Shaikh of Sharjah sent
a verbal message to Shaikh Abdur Rahman of Hira ap
prising him of the agreement between Sharjah and Dubai
to boycott Hira and calling on him to stop Hira
people going to Sharjah. In reply Shaikh Abdur Rah
man sent a written note to the Shaikh of Sharjah
saying that if the Shaikh of Sharjah interfered with
the movements of any of his people he would kill the
elite of Sharjah. The Shaikh of Sharjah then tried
to induce the Shaikh of Dubai to agree that the other
Trucial Shaikhs should be invited to k® join in the
boycott of Hira and, if they refused, to extend the
boycott to them. Shaikh Said naturally rejected this
childish plan, and said that he had not the least ob
jections to Hira carrying on normal business with
Sharjah^ his only stipulation was that the Auwlad
Rashid and the Auwlad Bati should not go to Sharjah.
Meanwhile Shaikh Abdur Rahman is trying to come
to some arrangement with the Shaikh of Dubai about the
Dubai refugees in Hira and he has enlisted the support
of the Shaikhs of Umm al Qaiwain and Kimriyah. The
Shaikh of Sharjah is unable to prevent the Aulad Ra
shid and Bati from frequenting Sharjah and he has in
vited Shaikh Said of Dubai to attack them.
(ii) There has been a mild outbreak of anti-
British feeling in Sharjah, for which the Shaikh 1 s
Secretary Abdullah bin Paris is largely responsible.
The Shaikh himself has not behaved too well’ and under
the instructions of the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. a letter
has /-