TALE OF A CITY 60 responsibilities were not subject to shrinking every now and then. Strategically and politically speaking, the Arabian side was much more important than the Persian one owing to the following reasons: First: the Arabian side was on the British air route to India and beyond; Second: It was a source of oil supplies; Third: It was considered a partition area separating other Arab countries, such as Iraq and Saudi Arabia; Fourth:, It hosted an base for the Gulf navy fleet in Bahrain. As for the Political Resident in Bushire, he had Agents answering to him as follows: • Kuwait: the Political Agent there was of English origin; • Bahrain: the Political Agent there was of English origin, and he was in charge of Qatar, too. • Answering to him was the Arab Political Agent in Sharjah; • Muscat: the Political Agent there was of English origin.6 Who was then this Chief of the Gulf that had been the topic of conversation in Arabian Gulf circles? It was Lt Col Trenchard Fowle who occupied the office of Acting Political Resident in the Gulf from May 1931 to September 1932. He was then appointed Political Resident in the Gulf from September 1932 till September 1939. He was away in Britain for 6 month fromMarch 1938 till September 1938. During the period, the Acting Political Resident was Hugh Weightman who was the Bahrain Political Agent at the time. The events of those six months were summed up in a secret report to Fowle. The report included matters regarding the Shaikhs of the emirates. Weightman wrote: “ i. T he refusal of the Shaikh of Ras Al khaimah to call on one of the sloops or afterwards to apologise for his failure in courtesy. ii. t he refusal or failure of the Shaikh of Sharjah to arrange for the visit by the Oil Company’s geologists , accompanied by a Political Officer, to Jabal Faiyah. 6 Ibid., L.P.&S/12/3727,P.Z.986/1938, pp.1−25.
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