Situation among tribes and sheiks of Muscat and Oman; involvement of Arab League in affairs of Oman; Saudi Arabian threat and gun running; operations against Imam of Oman's headquarters at Nizwa

This file contains correspondence relating to:

• Text of the first communiqué issued by the Sultan of Muscat and Oman Saeed Bin Taimur at the start of the Nizwa operation (185)
• Background information on Nizwa for the Pakistani Prime Minister, and notification that once resolved, the Sultan will be able to focus on Gwadur [Gwadar] negotiations (186)
• Reports that the Imam of Oman Ghalib Al Hina'i left Nizwa, which was occupied without resistance. It also contains a newspaper cutting from The Times (187)
• Permission attained for journalist Peter Fleming to accompany the Muscat and Oman Field Force. But he was unable to accompany the Sultan (188)
• The Sultan's belief that the existence of an Imamate, even if held by him, would undermine his authority over the whole country (189)
• Timing of the release of information on the Nizwa operation to the US, Iraq, Pakistan and Jordan (190)
• Background information on the operation to be given to the US State Department Deputy Chief of Mission Walworth Barbour. It also describes a semi-truthful reply to the French about the extent of the Americans' foreknowledge (191)
• Good local reception to the operation and the communiqués, but the difficulty in correcting the impression that it was a British plan. It also reports on the submission of Sheikh Sulaiman Bin Himyar and potential problems for the Batinah force near Rostaq [Rustaq], where the Imam's brother Taleb Al Hina'i appears to be reinforcing (192)
• Delivery of the Sultan's letter to the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Pasha. Nuri approved of the Sultan's action and hoped that the Imam would be arrested. A Foreign Office note that everything is being done to apprehend the Imam (193)
• Text of a communiqué by the Sultan scheduled for release a day or two after the first (194)
• Further details about the Nizwa operation, including reports that the Imam signed a letter of resignation (195)
• Arrival of Sheikh Ahmad Al Harithi in Nizwa with 300 tribesmen to take over as the Sultan's representative, having deposed his uncle Sheikh Saleh Bin Isa Al Harithi as head of the tribe (196)
• Daily Express correspondent John Redfern flying to Bahrain (197)
• Reaction of Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern states to news of the Nizwa operation. It includes a newspaper cutting from The Times: 'Resistance to British Force: Saudi Arabian Warning' (198-200)
• Text of a communiqué by the Muscat Government dated 19 December 1955, detailing expressions of loyalty from local notables and villages. It also contains a newspaper cutting from The Times: 'Oil in Omani Desert: Key to Recent Operations' (203)
• Efforts to apprehend Ghalib, Taleb and their supporters (204)
• Occupation of Rustaq by the Sultan's Armed Forces and loyal Beni Ghafar tribesmen. It also contains a newspaper cutting from the Daily Worker: 'Oil Gang Grabs Another Arab Land' (205)
• Instructions for the Consul General F C L Chauncy to congratulate the Sultan, which he appreciates (206)
• Reports that Ghalib is in the custody of Sheikh Zahir at Ghafat (207)
• Lebanese press reaction to the Nizwa operation (208)
• Muscat Government thanking HMG for the loan of personnel and the use of RAF aircraft (209)
• Egyptian press reaction to the Nizwa operation (210)
• Report that Ghalib received, in July 1955, rifles and ammunition smuggled through the village of Sib [Seeb]. Some of the arms have markings from Australian and New Zealand forces of the First World War (211)
• Arabic text and translation of an inscription on the ceiling of the reception room at Nizwa fort apparently reinforcing the sovereignty of the Sultanate (212)
• Pakistani reaction to the Nizwa operation (213)
• Affirmations of loyalty from tribes throughout Muscat and Oman. It also details casualty numbers during the round-up of conspirators. Only Taleb remains a fugitive (214)
• Muscat Government's final communiqué and the Sultan's expected arrival in Nizwa. It also contains three newspaper cuttings from The Times entitled 'Sultan Back in Oman: Secret Desert Journey: Re-establishing Authority'; 'Dashing Progress Through Unexplored Desert: The Sultan's Return to Oman'; and 'Sultan Reaches Buraimi: Tribal Leaders' Allegiance' (215)
• Article printed in Al Gomhouria stating that Ghalib is still in Nizwa (216)
• Aide memoire handed to the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 15 December explaining the Nizwa operation (217)
• US reaction to the Nizwa operation. It also contains a cutting from The Economist: entitled 'Echoes From Muscat' (219)
• Article in The Times revealing that the Musat and Oman Field Force is partly funded by the Iraq Petroleum Company. Journalist Peter Fleming had agreed not to publish this fact, but he may have passed this information on to his colleague without the warning. The Political Resident in the Persian Gulf B A B Burrows describes the article as 'thoroughly irresponsible' (220)
• Loyalty of tribes in Oman and the dispersal of the Imam's supporters (221)