Internal political situation in Muscat and Oman

This file contains:

• Copies of telegrams from the Commonwealth Relations Office to various UK High Commissioners around the world, providing updates on the British operation in Oman for sharing with local Commonwealth authorities (157)
• Summary of the situation in Oman, providing an update on the progress of the military operation, and commenting on the need for a new communications network for the Gulf (158)
• Attempt by a number of Arab delegations at the UN to gain support for an appeal to the UK delegation to induce the UK government to stop the military action in Oman (159)
• Request for confirmation that a signal, sent via the new communication network in the Gulf, has been received in London (160)
• Summary of a discussion with Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in which he expressed his view that the Sultan of Muscat and Oman Saeed Bin Taimur needs to do more to maintain the loyalty of the tribes in the interior of Oman (161)
• Repeats of press releases for 25-28 July regarding the operation in Oman (162)
• Summaries of global broadcasts on the Oman situation, mostly compiled from The Monitoring Report (published by the Monitoring Service of the BBC) and including coverage of broadcasts from Syria, Egypt, Lebanon and the USSR (164)
• Letter to Foreign Minister Selwyn Lloyd comparing the British action in Oman to that of the USSR in Hungary (165) A correction to an earlier telegram, in which a date had been misprinted (166)
• Request by the Commander-in-Chief of the Middle East Air Force to visit Muscat and call on the Sultan (167)
• Suggestion that the Sultan of Muscat and Oman should make a public statement explaining that Britain is acting on his behalf and at his request, and that UK High Commissioners should advise Commonwealth Governments and media regarding British policy (168)
• Question from the US State Department as to whether Britain had been using any American equipment in their operations in Muscat. Britain replies in the negative (170)
• Request that a ship, intended for the operations in Oman, should first be used to transport troops from Kenya to Bahrain (171)
• Letter to John Boyd-Carpenter MP from one of his constituents, expressing disapproval of the Government’s actions in Oman. Boyd-Carpenter asks the advice of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs David Ormsby-Gore, who provides a suggested draft reply (172)
• Suggestion by Ormsby-Gore that, in future statements on the Oman situation, attention be drawn to the fact that the Sultan has devoted considerable resources to schemes for benefitting his people (173)
• Message from the Pakistan delegate to the UN, informing that a meeting of the Afro-Asian group will be held on 6 August, and a suggestion that he be briefed in advance of this on the latest developments in Oman, in case this is raised in the meeting. In the event, however, Oman was not discussed in the meeting (174)
• Statement made to the press in Bahrain on 3 August, providing a summary of operations to date, and an outline of the next phase, particularly the introduction of British Land Forces to support local troops. It also contains copies of telegrams from the Commonwealth Relations Office to various UK High Commissioners, to inform them of this next phase of the British operation (175)
• Correspondence informing the US of the next phase of the British operation in Oman (176)
• Summary of the situation in Oman, and in particular of the decision that three companies of the Cameronians would be used to support the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) and the Trucial Oman Scouts. The Sultan will be informed of this decision (177)
• Decision to move around 60 marines from Oman to Bahrain, as insurance against disturbances pending the arrival of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) (178)
• Proposal to use Venoms and Shackletons to support ground forces during the attacks on Firq and Nizwa and the advance on Izki. Permission is granted, but it is suggested that warning leaflets should be dropped in advance (179)
• Situation reports from 4-9 August providing daily updates of the operations in Oman (180)
• Suggestion that the Sultan should try to take a conciliatory approach towards the Beni Riyam tribe and try to persuade them to switch their allegiance back to him (181)
• Details of two leaflets prepared for distribution in front of advancing forces, and another for general distribution (184)
• Report that the Sultan is organising his loyal tribes in order to quickly re-establish his control in the Nizwa area. There is a suggestion that the actions of tribesmen in support of the Sultan should be highlighted to press representatives (185)
• Comments made by the US Secretary of State J F Dulles on the situation in Oman, and a message from the US to the Foreign Office, stating that they will try to avoid making any further comment (186)
• Text of an appeal from a representative of the Imam of Oman Ghalib Al Hina'i to the US, asking the US to intervene on their behalf against the British (187)
• Request from the Iraqi Foreign Minister for guidance as to the position the Iraqi delegate to the UN should take on the Oman question with other members of the Afro-Asian Group, who are said to be preparing a letter for the President of the Security Council. The Foreign Office suggests that the Iraqi delegate should discourage the Afro-Asian Group from basing their letter on the information provided by the Office of the Imamate in Cairo. It also contains suggestions sent to the UK delegation as to how to limit discussion of the Oman question by the UN (188)
• Aide memoire sent to Baghdad, containing the text of the letter sent by the Sultan of Muscat and Oman to HMG requesting help in defeating the uprising in Oman. It also contains an explanation of HMG’s reasons for accepting the Sultan’s request and their hope that it will not damage relations with other Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia (189)
• Record of the interrogation of an escaped prisoner Saleem Rashid Al Ruhani of the SAF (190)
• Translation of a letter from Ghalib Al Hina'i to ‘the peoples of Rostaq [Rustaq]’, dated 19 July (191)
• Report of a message sent in support to the Imam from the Kuwaiti Volunteers Front (192)
• Report of a request made by the Sultan to an oil company to supply some vehicles to transport 70 men for the Minister of the Interior to Samail (193)
• Plans for a press release to announce the transfer of a company of the KSLI from Kenya to Bahrain, to temporarily replace the detachment of Cameronians which has been moved to Oman (194)