780.022/12–152: Telegram
No. 1492
The Consul General at Dhahran
(Bishop) to
the Department of State1
136. Re Jidda’s 405 to Dept, rptd info London 26, Dhahran 144.2 On Nov 8–9 Vice Consul Noel and I visited Ajman and Dubai and on Nov 23–24 Qatar. During these visits noted indications of restiveness on part local leaders, as yet difficult to define, which seems confirm Amb’s point that boundaries only part of more basic problem eventual status Gulf Shaikhdoms and Brit position there.
Brit were most hospitable and went out of their way to be helpful. . . . The polit agents Sharja and Qatar accompanied on all official calls and made every effort control conversation, although at Ajman and Qatar they were not entirely successful. Rulers were all extremely friendly and unusually profuse in expressions friendship and respect for US . . . .
Through all visits there were frequent expressions friendship and personal regard for King Ibn Saud and Amir Saud Bin Jelewi [Page 2498] which most often took form of a feeling of kinship with them as brother Arabs, personal warmth without obvious polit overtones but which cld easily be turned to polit purposes. This, and the incidents related below, led us to impression that Trucial Arabs may be tending towards Saudi point of view on boundaries and that in the long run Saudis will be more successful in winning allegiance not only of tribes in disputed areas but perhaps in Trucial Shaikhdoms as well.
In Qatar, Shaikh Abdulla Bin Darwish, adviser to ruler and probably most powerful man in Qatar, told me he had recently been to Riyadh at invitation of King and stayed eight days during which he had a daily audience with King covering Persian Gulf problems in general and undoubtedly also boundary disputes. King has annually extended to ruler of Qatar and his father Abdulla, an old friend, an invitation to visit Riyadh. This year they have accepted and will shortly travel Riyadh stopping en route at Hofuf to visit Bin Jelewi. . . .