Omani Liberation Army

This file relates to the military situation in Muscat and Oman. It contains correspondence concerning:

• Situation reports, updates, and telegrams on military matters in Oman. It includes: RAF sorties; leaflet drops; the question of the location of Taleb Bin Ali Al Hinai'i; the issue of translation and liaisons between military and civil authorities; a directive from the Commander British Forces Arabian Peninsula to the Commander Tactical Brigade Oman on the use of aircraft in offensive support of land forces in Oman and the subsequent directive to the Senior RAF Officer Persian Gulf’s on this matter; and a press release of the move of the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) to Muscat
• HMG’s relations with the press over the Oman situation. It includes the selection of the correspondents to accompany British forces in Oman, Mr Birtwhistle of Reuters, Baron Thilo von Reibritz of the BBC, Mr Ryder of the Daily Telegraph and the American Sam Brewer of the New York Times. It also includes the pooling arrangements for the various journalists, newspapers and news agencies covering Oman to share information; plans to rebut the inaccurate reporting of Noel Barber; the selection of Mr Holden of The Times and Mr Morris of the United Press Associations to interview the Sultan of Muscat and Oman Saeed Bin Taimur; Monsieur Hatimi’s wish to take a photograph of the Sultan for the magazine Paris Match; and J P Tripp’s criticism of inaccurate reporting on Oman
• The Foreign Secretary’s request for definitive proof of external influence by Saudi Arabia and Egypt in Oman to sway foreign public opinion
• Sayyed Abdul Rahman Al Mahdi of Sudan’s illness and the replacement with his son Sayyed Siddiq Al Mahdi for his forthcoming trip to Saudi Arabia
• The attitude of Kuwait to the situation in Oman
• The issue of screening arrivals and departures of Omanis from Dubai’s port
• Discussions on the loyalty of the Bani Riyam tribe
• The US Consul General in Dhahran’s reports on the mood in Saudi Arabia on Oman and the actions of Sheikh Saleh Bin Isa Al Harithi
• The discussion of the Oman question between representatives at the UN, particularly the delegate from Pakistan’s report on whether the matter will be discussed by the Afro-Asian delegates; and the attitude of the delegate from Iraq on the matter
• The attitude of the press in Pakistan to the situation in Oman
• The propaganda from the Oman Imamate Bureau in Cairo
• HMG’s reassertion of military assistance to the Sultan
• The plan for a mobile health clinic to follow the land forces in Oman to win over the local populace and improve public opinion internationally
• The US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles’s press conference in which Oman was mentioned.