"ملف 31/15 زيارات أفراد من أسرة آل خليفة لدول أجنبية" [و‎‎١‎٢] (٣٠/٢٣)

Confidential
Political Agency,
No.C/A-25
Bahrain,
27th December, 1949
Dear Consulate-Ge
The two Aran gentlemen, mentioned in your letter
No.1822(5/7/15-0) of 23rd November, 1949, were not n sons
of the Shaikh of Bahrain”, but cousins of his, named
Khalifah bin Mohammed and Salman bin Mohammed. They
had with them one Alwan Effendi, who is an instructor
in the Police here. The Political Agent asked them
about their trip shortly after they returned. They said
that they went without visas because they understood that
this Agency no longer grants them. In this they were
right because the arrangement by which we granted visas
for 'Iraq to travellers from the Persian Gulf Sheikhdoms
was terminated last June at the Iraqi Governments re
quest. Baghdad then informed us that the Iraqi Ministry
of Foreign Affairs had made arrangements for such travel
lers to be granted emergency visas at places where they
arrive in Iraq. (This is the way in which the large
number of Shia pilgrims from this part of the world get
their visas at a charge of 2 dinars a time.) They did
not exactly say so, but we think we are right in assuming
that it was this charge which really started the trouble.
The Shaikhs seem to have protested against paying it for
themselves and their large retinue and it was not apparently
until the Mutasarrif intervened that they were permitted
to land without visas. About the cars, they say that
Gray Mackenzies made a mistake in shipping them as freight,
and that if they had been shipped as part of their personal
luggage, there would have been no trouble in importing them
into Iraq. This part of their story does not sound very
convincing. They had been in touch with Sayid Hamad al-
Naqib, who they hoped would facilitate their landing but
who failed to meet them as their ship arrived earlier than
he expected.
2. The visit of these Shaikhs to Iraq was a purely pri
vate one for the purpose of sport, and though they might
like to think themselves so, they are not really important
enough to warrant treating all their movements on an offi
cial or semi-official basis. Indeed their venerable old
father, who is a figure of some importance here, moves around
many of the countries of the Middle East unheralded by the
arrival of official telegrams. They should however have
complied with the visa and other formalities and this point
is being brought to the notice of the Bahrain Government as
is also the fact that, if they were likely to need facilities
and introductions to officials like the Mutasarrif, they
should have asked for them through the proper channels if
they were unable to arrange for them privately themselves.
3. We are sorry you were inconvenienced and will take
steps to avoid such an occurence in future.
4 . We are sending a copy of this letter to Baghdad
Embassy.
Yours ever
Agency.
The British Consulate-General,
Basrah, Iraq.