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 reconnaissance and attacks; the loyalty and strength of various tribes; leaflet drops; the intelligence agenda for the Fahud conference; strong opposition at Firq; the location of Ghailb Bin Ali Al Hina'i and Sheikh Sulaiman Bin Himyar Al Nabhani; the capture of part of Nizwa; and the extra payment to be made to all personnel in the Trucial Oman Scouts (TOS)
• The plan for a mobile health clinic to follow the land forces in Oman with a list of the conditions to be treated and the equipment needed
• The perceived contradiction between the Foreign Secretary’s statement to the House of Commons on 23 July 1957 on the use of ground forces in Oman and the military action now taking place there
• The attitude of various countries’ governments to the situation in Oman, including Jordan, Iraq, Morocco and the US. It also includes the Sultan of Muscat and Oman Saeed Bin Taimur’s disagreement with the Sultan of Morocco contacting the Imam of Oman
• The discussion of Oman among representatives at the UN, including talks with the representative from Iraq and the possibility of the Arab delegations bringing Oman to the Security Council
• The issue of immigration and emigration screening in Dubai for Omanis
• HMG’s relations with the press over the Oman situation. It includes the Sultan of Muscat and Oman’s agreement to a photograph for Monsieur Hatimi of Paris Match; the return of correspondents from Sharjah to Bahrain; B A B Burrows’s press conferences; the issue of an article critical of the Foreign Office in the Daily Mail; and the French Embassy in London’s complaint about the lack of facilities for Agence France Presse in the Gulf
• The decision not to bring any more British troops to Oman, except the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry because of their general lack of vehicles and lack of combat readiness for a desert climate
• The international press reaction to the Oman situation, including the press in Pakistan, Cairo and Tripoli
• The desertion of soldiers from the TOS squadron in Ras Al Khaimah; and HMG’s response to this and to rumours about the pro-Taleb Bin Ali Al Hina'i sympathies of the Ruler of Sharjah’s uncle Sheikh Mohammad Bin Saqr Al Qasimi.