This is not so simple as it looks. I understand that Mr. Buckmaster has spoken to Mr. Mixshell about the threat in the last paragraph of the Air Ministry's letter that we might have to pay for the extra doctor, and that Mr. Mikchall thinks it is worth trying to persuade the Air Ministry to pay, on the grounds that they paid for Flt.Lt. Duncan and his predecessors. I agree that it is worth trying but I have no hope that it will succeed. The first difficulty therefore is that we shall almost certainly have to put to the Treasury a case for establishing a doctor at Buraimi for purely political purposes. 2. The next difficulty is that if, as we hope, we reach agreement with the Saudis to refer the frontier dispute to arbitration, we shall be obliged to with draw all British forces from Buraimi and substitute a police group of fifteen men. It might be difficult for us to retain a service doctor even though we disguised him as a civilian or as a policeman. The Saudis would presumably object to his presence on the grounds that the dispensation of free medical treatment would amount to unfair influence being exercised upon the inhabitants Nor should we be able to make much capital, I fear, out of a Saudi objection to the presence of our doctor: they would no doubt say that the Syrian doctor whom they have established in the oasis was sufficient. Mr. Burrows in his telegram No. 360 (EA 1081/291) makes no mention of this difficulty. wwever, despelé 3. I think that in these difficult circumstances, the best thing that we can do is to send the draft / submitted
