TALE OF A CITY 128 the 17th March 1939 which was addressed to Metcalfe House * at New Delhi and copied to Bell at the India Office, is of interest.” 9 On 17 March 1939 Sir Trenchard Fowle, Political Resident in the Gulf (from 1932 till 1939) wrote the following letter No. 207-S to the MetCalfe House, New Delhi: “ To sum up : a. Our ‘rule’ over the Arab States of the Gulf rests on the good-will of the Rulers and their peoples, partly self-interested good-will no doubt, but none the less firm for that reason; the best basis for good-will is not sentiment but self-interest. This good-will enables our day-to-day administration to be carried on economically, works in our favour whenever a difference in opinion arises between the States and ourselves, and in case of an emergency, such as a major war which was so nearly upon us last September, would be of great value. b. This good-will depends on three main factors. First - the fact that as far as possible we let the Rulers and their people, under our guidance and advice, manage their own affairs in their own way. Second - the fact that in our various negotiations with the Rulers, in which of course their peoples are interested, on the subject of oil air facilities and so forth, we give them a patient hearing and a square deal. Third - and most important- the Rulers and their peoples realise that it is only His Majesty’s Government who protect them from absorption by their stronger neighbours. c. Owing tomoderndemocratic developments in the States there are difficult times ahead of us, and we must be careful, all the more so because of the much increased strategical and political importance of the Arab side in recent years, to continue in the future, the main lines of our policy which have served us well in the past. Above all we must avoid taking any step which would lessen the confidence which at present the States have in HisMajesty’sGovernment as theirnatural protector.” 10 Commenting on Pyman’s draft memorandum, the Political Resident in the 9 British Library (B.L.)/Foreign Office (F.O.)371/68344, p.10. 10 Ibid., p.14. * Metcalfe House is the headquarters of the Federal Legislative Council of India.
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