HE FELT THAI WADUS HAD TAKEN A CONSOUS W HION GOVERN
IN HIS OWN WAY. PEOPLE NOW RECOGNISED THAT HE WAS AN AUTOCRAT,
THOUGH MORE GENEROUS AND BENEVOLENT THAN HIS FATHER. IT SEEMED
THAT HMG WERE SUPPORTING HIM IN THIS LINE. THIS I STRONGLY
DENIED, SAYING THAT IT WAS IN HMG'S INTEREST TO HAVE A STRONG
AND UNITED ADMINISTRATION IN OMAN AND IT WAS ASSENTIAL THAT THERE
SHOULD BE GREATER RAPPORT BETWEEN THE PRIME MINISTER AND THE SULTAN,
TARIQ SEVERAL TIMES CAME TO THE POINT THAT HE WAS A CONSTITUTIONAL IST
AND ANTI - MONARCHIAL.
5. TARIQ COMPLAINED OF THE ADVISERS ROUND QABUS, SAYING THAT THE
SULTAN WAS EQUALLY OPEN TO GOOD AND BAD ADVICE CCLEARLY HE THOUGHT
THAT ROBERT ANDERSON WAS A BAD COUNSELLOR). HE WAS NOT SURROUNDED
BY GOOD MEN. SOME OMANIS WERE LINING THEIR POCKETS. LANDON WAS
MORE THAN AN EQUERRY, AND MCLEAN, THE SULTAN'S PRIVATE SECRETARY,
WAS HAVING A SORT OF A SCHOOL MASTER'S FIELD DAY.
6. ON DEFENCE, WHICH HE CLAI MED AS USUAL THAT HE HAD NOTHING
TO DO WITH, TARIQ CONSIDERED THE SITUATION IN DHOFAR CONS I DERABLY
* BETTER. HE WAS GLAD THAT SAF WERE NOW ON TOP OF THE JEBEL. IF
HE WERE IN CHARGE OF DEFENCE HE WOULD NONE THELESS HAVE SENT MORE
UNITS, MAYBE ONE OR TWO COMPANIES, TO DHOFAR INSTEAD OF KEEPING THEM
IN NORTHERN OMAN. HE FELT THAT THE SAF INTELLIGENCE NETWORK
· SAW BOGEYS IN NORTHERN OMAN WHICH DID NOT REALLY EXIST, ALTHOUGH
HE CONSIDERED THAT THERE WERE A FEW SMALL GROUPS WHO WOULD CAUSE
TROUBLE.
HAWLEY
(REPEATED SAVING TO WASHINGTON
UKMIS NEW YORK AND BEIRUT)
DEPARTMENTAL DISTRIBUTION
ARAB D
NED
UND
UN ODA
NAM D
DEF D
FED
RES. D (AMER SECT)
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CONFIDENTIAL
