UK defence forces in Persian Gulf and arms control

This file contains correspondence relating to:

• An order for arms by the Bahrain Police Department without an application for an import license (1)
• A request by the British Embassy in Washington, DC for agencies in the Gulf to supply copies of No Objection Certificates together with specimens of the issuing officers' signatures (2)
• The question of the Rulers of Bahrain and Qatar taking over control of the import of arms. Neither Ruler is expected to be willing (4-5)
• Arms impounded from a dhow which was intercepted by HMS Calton off Ras Fartak (6)
• Whether Saudi Arabia would be prepared to reconsider its ban on searches by Royal Navy vessels of suspected dhows within twelve miles of its coast (7)
• The question of arms control and a recommendation by A D Parsons that the countersigning of No Objection Certificates for people under the Ruler of Bahrain's jurisdiction be abandoned. It includes a summary of arms and ammunition known to have been imported into Bahrain by persons under the Ruler's jurisdiction and a No Objection Certificate for tear gas equipment (8)
• Sheikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa's reluctance to accept Parsons' recommendation about No Objection Certificates and the views of the political agencies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai (9).