"ملف 19/218 (C 84) خلافة البحرين" [و‎‎٢‎٦] (٢١٠/٥٣)

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v/as not of the blood, and he does little to increase his
popularity by absenting himself from Bahrain almost all
the time. The main point to note about him is that he may
try to organise support in the Family for Salman against
Abdullah, since the former's succession would obviously
be less harmful to his personal prestige,
6. rn :.Uo : t there are two candidates, Abdullah
bin 'Isa and Salman. In the ordinary course of events His
Highness should, when he feels his time is coning, nominate
one of them as his successor; andjsuch a nomination should
settle the matter since otherv/ise the scales are fairly
even betv/een the two. And here comes the first check to
hopeful prophecy. Sometimes Salman is in his father's good
books and sometimes very much the reverse, and nomination
by the old Shaikh on his death bed might easily be influen
ced by some petty cause for annoyance given him by Salman.
At present it seems Salman stands well with his father,
and His Highness has, from his own share of the oil royal
ties though at Belgrave's suggestion, recently increased
his allowance. Consequently if His Highness begins to fail
on the present Haj it is quite possible that he will nomi
nate Salman. It is nevertheless totally unpredictable what
he might do, and since it upsets him even to think of his
own death no one has for years dared to put the subject
to him.
7. Apart from possible nomination, the betting is very
even, with perhaps a shade of odds on Abdullah bin 'Tsa.
The essential fact is that Abdullah appears to command ra
ther more support in the Family than Salman. Outside the
Family, it seems possible that the Bahama would be with
him against Salman who retains the old-fashioned idea thpt
they/-