"ملف ٨/٣ شؤون أولاد الشيخ خزعل." [ظ‎‎١‎٣‎٨] (٥٠٨/٢٧٦)

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SECRET
KHORRArlSHAHR from TEHRAN - =. He put up at the house of his sister m KUT es
SHEIKH, and stated that he merely wished to live in peace in his own^
country. His arrival was greeted with deep suspicion by nearly all the
Arabs, even those normally warm supporters of the ICIAE'ALs. Several of
them visited him bit could obtain no inkling of his real indention. The
absence of any police watch on his house increased distrus ^ and there
were strong rumours that he had come to an understanding witnihe prime
Minister, thus com .etely betraying family traditions* During uie oloody
events which marked the strike of 14 th and 15 th July, when the os in
ABADAN suffered heavy losses and the .,n b cause was seriously impaired
by the attitude of the authorities, nothing was heard of CHASSID.
The Present Position.
36 . The moment of writing (August 1946) finds the Arabs of South^
Persia united for the first time in a Nationalist cause with no immediate
connection with a KHAZhALI restorationt, The struggle between the Arab
Tribal Union and the Tudeh Party quickly turned from a political to a
racial issue, and the attitude of certain Persian Government officials has
once again raised Arab hatred for the Iranian state. It is important to
note that the Arabs have fought and died together in this cause without
the participation of Sheikh ABDULLAH or Sheikh CHASSID: the latter is in
fact under grave suspicion of connivance with the Persian Prime ianister,
and in consequence his stock with the Arabs could hardly be lower, _
ABDULLAH still has some prestige though in the hei of the struggle few
will have had time to think of him. He is still in KUWEIT and a question
by him as to how H.M.G, would view his return met with the definite reply
that it could in no circumstances be countenanced. The Sheikh of KUWEIT
has been asked to take special care to prevent his escape, but the
possibility exists, and the consequences of his landing in' ARABISTAN at
a time of such confusion would be quite unpredictable. Although at the
moment Arab allegience belongs to a cause other than his own and although
his last effort raised so little enthusiasm among his father's subjects,
he might still find it possible to turn the situation to his advantage' and
become the leader of an Arab revolt.
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