30th June 1959 My dear Colonel : On my return from Salalah on the 27th I found your two letters of the 19th and 21 st waiting for me. Many thanks for the same. I flew to Salalah on the 22nd and on arrival I found myself without anywhere to stay. The hurricane which blew at 100 m.p.h. at the end of last month took away most of the roofs of the RAF sheds and Cities Services pre-fabs. So they could not provide me with accommodation. It was a blessing in disguise as I was able to get myself nearer the Sultan who put me up in his guest house, gave me table, chairs, servant, etc. The hurricane has caused great havoc : some 5/8000 palms have fallen flat. You will not recognise Mamura or Razat as all the date palms, all the huge trees etc. are on the ground. The water channel was cut and by the time it was put in order many plants died without irrigation. But the fields around the area is beautifully green; the low hanging clouds and the cool breeze from the sea make Salalah paradise compared to the sweltering heat of Muscat. One would really think it is somewhere around the Douns near Brighton or Exmoor and you will love to ride 12 only the Sultan will let you have one of his horses. I have arranged for you to stay at Risut with the Americans when you arrive. I have told the Sultan that I prefer to stay in his Guest House : he has promised to make me more comfortable. This is good for all concerned. Before I went to Salalah I sent a number of letters to the Sultan on various subjects: when I saw him on the 23rd he complained that I had rained letters on him. I apologised (and nearly said, "It's all your own fault".) and said if he had approved my visit earlier I would not have given him this trouble. He was in a very good mood and we talked many things. He asked me to draft a few letters for him. He was very pleased with my work. I gathered from him that Syed Ahmed bin Ibrahim had put in a good word or two about me and this made my work easier. The first interview took nearly two hours at the end of which I was tired of talking (as you w111 say like. 14 typewriters) and had to take leave. Alternating from general to direct subject matters I was able to clear of many points.
