"ملف XXXV/٣ الإصلاحات الإدارية في مسقط. تعيين وزير مالية بريطاني في دولة مسقط (مستر بيرترام س. توماس) ١٩٢٤ إلى ١٩٢٨" [و‎‎٨‎٧] (٢٥٢/١٧٣)

i>*0»XiiO*42
Copy
ufl'ice of financial Adviser
nuscat btate
27tn August 1925.
Uear Alban,
ihis is to acknowledge receipt of ray returned
letter and copy addressed to sir Arnold Wilson,A»P*C*under
flying seal*! am most worried about tiie wbole tiling*ib.e letter
intended to give our Oil Concessionaires advice semi-officially
so that they could sound £>*jn*0* about the movements ol a snip
in neighbouring waters before approaching the Political nesic.elit
and you officially with their proposed programme*J3ut it never
entered my head that this letter should issue without, first
being seen by you*What happened as you may remember is tnat tne
letter was drafted and typed on tne morning of my departure for
India.I brought tne draft to your house before breakfast and
told you* I had a letter I was most anxious for you to see,out
the letter being in manuscript and the hour breakfast time it
was deemed better to wait until typed.There were so many letters
to sign that day and so many people to see - you will remember
waiting lunch for me till 3.30 and it was touch and go whether
I caught the ship - that in the hurry and excitement the letter
was overlooked and issued to f.R* without your having seen it*
I feel sure you will recall the circumstances and appreciate
that I acted absolutely in good faith*
As regards the letter passing through i'*R*under f 1^ ii~g seal
I see now what did not strike me then that this course ma^ oe
construed as not showing a proper regard on my part for tne xxAxx
P.R's ofrice,but 1 felt at the time tnat only in tnat way would
the object be served conditioned by my undivided responsibility
for tne advice in the letter*
This is not written in a spirit of self justificationibut
it is worrying me a good deal to think tnat tne uolonel may
harbour the impression that I consciously acted either in a
highhanded way vis a vis his office,or not in good faith vis a
vis yours*