MIDDLE EAST DEVELOPENT DIVISION, I (2207/1/57) BEIRUT. CONSIDENTIAL February 28, 1957. I was delighted to receive your letters 442.3001 of January 20 and 509.3001 of February 16 informing me that the Government of Catar have agreed in principle to the holding of a population census and that you would 11 ke the Economic Research Institute of the American University of Beirut to help in its planning and execution. I have had a further talk with the Director of the Economic Research Institute, Dr. Badre, giving him this news and conveying your invitation to him and members of his start to visit Catar during the next three months. The purpose of this visit would be to ascertain exactly what information the Government of Catar would 11.ke to obtain from the census, make a preliminary study of local conditions and discover what local staff would be available to act as enumerators etc. Detalled planning of the census would then be done in Beirut during the suramer months so that the enumeration could be held in the winter 1957-58. 1 During the visit Dr. Badre would al scuse with you the details 36 of the agreement between the Government of Catar and the Economic Research Institute which would enable the Institute to take part in the Census. Dr. Badre told me that he would like to come to Qatar for few days between April 13 and April 29 at a time convenient to you. Te would prefer a few days either at the beginning or the end of this period. He would like to bring with him three members of his staff so that the team would be as follows: Research Institute. 1. B.R. Oswald (British) Head of the statistics section, Wr. Salah Sawaya (Lebanese) Statistician Mr. Sami Baaklini (Lebanese) Statistician. Mr. Oswala, who was formerly Statistics Officer to the Government of Cyprus, w111 be in charge of the technical side of planning the Census and it is clearly important that he should 2 on make himself thoroughly acquainted with local conditions at an early stage. Messrs. Saways and oaklini are at present working on the Industrial Census of the Lebanon which the Economic Research ensus Institute is carrying out in collaboration with the Lebanese * /overnment G.M. Tancock, Esq., The Adviserate, Doha,
