TALE OF A CITY 130 consider therefore that as recommended in my despatch we should start with something quite small at Bahrain, which would be primarily a teacher’s training college. What we want is a really good British education officer. With his assistance the training college might be developed into an institute catering for technical rather than academic education. I am very doubtful whether the Oil Companies will be willing to contribute much and any more ambitious scheme than that which I have recommended, might well prove too expensive for His Majesty’s Government. I do not know how local sentiment would welcome teachers from the Sudan, but see no harm in experimenting. I will deal with recommendation 3 in more detail below. At present I only contemplate asking for air action in the event of a major threat by tribesmen to Oil Companies’ camps or installations, c.f. my despatch No.96 (86/46) dated 22nd June 1948 and in such circumstances the rapid transport of troops by air to the threatened spot would probably meet the requirements of the case better than bombing. I do not think there is any likelihood of an emergency whichwill necessitate action of this kind arising in the near future, but we should be prepared for one at any time, and have schemes prepared which can be put into force at short notice. Page 4. Discussion. “If we do not intervene any more than at present, we shall risk a rapid deterioration of our position in the Shaikh doms as they become exposed to external influences and these will leave the way open for extremist influences”.’ I do not agree with this at all. The present Rulers of the Gulf States are all fully aware of the dangers of communist and similar extremist influences, which are in any case very little in evidence, and ready to take every possible step to counteract them. I consider also that much of what follows is out of touchwith the realities of the situation. The administration of Bahrain is far superior to that of the neighbouring Middle East countries, e.g. Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Persia, as visitors from those countries to Bahrain attest. In Kuwait too, the administration, though far behind that of Bahrain, and somewhat primitive, probably furnishes more security and liberty for the subject than that of neighbouringMiddle East countries. The administration of Qatar, the Trucial States and Muscat, is admittedly backward, but these places are off themain lines of communication, and the inhabitants are extremely primitive. A serious attempt will have to be made to induce the Shaikh of Qatar to improve his administration in a year or two’s time when theOil Company goes into production, and this is amatter that I have inmind, but it will be time, to concern ourselves in the Trucial States when we have established a Political
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