"ملف 7/4 شؤون الطيران وسلاح الجوّ" [و‎‎٩‎٧] (٥٠٦/٢٠٠)

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^ 2 ,
D.O. No. C/IOO The Agency, Bahrein.
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5th August, 1989#
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You will "be relieved to hear that I have persua
ded Howe to give up the idea of marking out an aerodrome at
Abu Dhabi, aM enclose a copy of a letter I sent the Residency
Agent to tell him of the change in his plans. He still wants
to fly over it and photograph it, and walk round and see pos
sible sites from the ground, and so I have decided to postpone
ny recess and, subject to your approval,go back there with theia
and engage the attention of Shaikh Shakhbut while they have
a look round. I told Shalfchbut that I would come back to see
him, and as the H.A.F. have a framed photo to give him we
have an opening.
They ant to spend a night at Yas on the way
back, and netiher night will be particularly comfortable,
but I think their early steps on and near the Trucial Coast
should as far as possible undertaken with our assistance.
This arrangement will also give Howe time to decide something
about the aerodrome here. It is really almost impossible to
lil^p them as they change their minds so frequently and now
think that they will have their base in Khow Kaliyya and
their buildings and workshops on the edge of the sea at Qadha-
biah by SlmikhRashid , s house. I explained that they would
not get a site here free*
I am going to make Howe put into writing e%ctly
what they want and get the Bahrein Government surveyors to
mark off eaSjgctly what they want for the aerodrome# /hen this
done, we can act, and until then we shall be simply wasting
our time. The Shaikh has said that he would sell them the
quarantine buildings, and when they have seen them they may
like the idea, though they are more than a mile from the
aerodrome. The buildings are not in good repair#