(10322/65) 6103134/59(A CONFIDENTIAL 61031 34/35 con BRITISH EMBASSY, TEHRAN. Would you please refer to the correspondence last autumn about the Persian School/in Bahrain (see your letters of June 10 and October 20 and your telegram No. 4 of November 2). J. P. Tripp, Esq., Political Agency, BAHRAIN. January 8, 1965. 16B 17441/6 In anticipation of an Iranian complaint about the maltreatment of this School by the Bahraini authorities, the Ambassador gave the Foreign Minister on November 11 the gist of the reports about the School, added that H.M. Government had of course no say in the treatment of the School by the local authorities and urged Mr. Aram not to take the matter too seriously but rather to await developments. 3. I was summoned last week by Mr. Shahidzadeh, the new head of the Cultural Relations Department of the M.F.A., who said that about two months ago (7 in November) the brother of the Bahraini "Governor", who was himself apparently a member of the local legislature, had entered the Persian School and questioned the Director on various matters. On the next day, a supply of books teaching Arab history and geography from the Arab point of view had been sent to the School and the authorities had virtually insisted that these books should be used. Acting on instructions from the Acting Head of the Ministry, Mr. Mirfendereski, Mr. Shahidzadeh wished to complain about the maltreatment of the Persian School and to seek our intervention with the Bahrain Authorities to prevent it. I told Mr. Shahidzadeh that I would, of course, report his representations but that my recollection was that this subject had been discussed by the Ambassador and Mr. Aram early in November. CONFIDENTIAL 4. It looks as if the incident referred to by Shahidzadeh is the same one mentioned in the telegram under reference. However, in the latter it is said that the School authorities themselves "have asked for and been given certain Bahrain Education Department text books in geography and history". We should be grateful if you could let us know whether there had been significant developments at the School since early November and what the status of the School is at present. Subject to your views, we would propose to tell the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the history and geography books were provided at the request of the school authorities. I am sending copies of this letter to Arabian Department and to Horace Phillips. (B. H. C. Sykes)
