"ملف ٤/٢٢ I التآمرات والسياسة في الساحل المتصالح" [و‎‎١‎٠‎٤] (٥٦٨/٢٢٠)

Copy •
fionfidential.
No.212-S of 1935.
British Residency & Consulate-General,
Bushire, the 9th February 1935.
To
His Excellency the Naval Commander-in-Chief,
East Indies.
Memorandum .
Sub.iect : Shaikh of Debai .
With reference to your Memorandum No.E.I.3273 L* dated
the 28th January 1935, particularly paragraphs 5 and 6.
2. The Shaikh’s request for a Political Agefct, in the case
of trouble, to visit Debai and judge between him and his
cousins is unnecessary from his point of view since, as he is
the Ruler recognised by His Majesty's Government, his cousins
in trying to rebel against his authority are de facto in the
wrong. The reason why the Shaikh, in spite of this, makes
his request is presumably with the object oi involving us in
his internal affairs and shifting some of the responsibility
at all events of dealing with his cousins from his shoulders
to ours, which from our point of view would be most undesirable
3. The whole problem is rather a diiiicult one and involves
conflicting interests* On the one hand when there is trouble
at Debai, or elsewhere on the Arab Coast, my iirst responsiba-
lity is for the lives and property ol British subjects, ana I
have therefore to remind the Shaikh that he should take
adequate measures to this end. On the other hand the Shaikh
naturally wants to deal with the recalcitrants v r igoi ously and
may find his hands ^tied by having to ensure thut Britishr lives
and property are not endangered. But this is inevitable•
The communications which I issued through the Residency
Agent /
4.