CONFIDENTIAL 2 Kuter
correspondence
UNITED KINGDOM SECURITY WARNINGS
1. Category AC telegram. Paraphrase NOT required.
2. A telegram which contains a reference to any classified telegram or correspondence
must itself be classified.
3. The Ministry of Defence Cypher Office must be consulted if it is desired to
distribute or release this telegram, or any part of it, to a person or nation who
would not normally be authorised to receive it.
23 APR 1959
FROM : MINISTRY OF DEFENCE, LONDON
TO : HQ B.F.A.P.
PRIORITY
OZ 3786
TOO 221200Z
INFO : L.F.P.G.
P.R. P.G.
DEF 761
22nd April, 1959
For A.D.P.R. to Command Information Officer
1. Your C INFO 0/94/PRS/DPR of 14th April refers.
You will have seen Bahrein to Foreign Office No. 307 and
Foreign Office reply No. 87 Saving to Bahrein.
Bo 1956
2. We appreciate the force of your arguments but despite
the publicity that has appeared in the Press, we still
think there is no advantage in taking the initiative in
official publicity attributable to Service or other
British official sources. But this does not mean that
articles should not appear in regimental journals.
.
H
3. The following is a synopsis of a brief prepared for
the War Office on the occasion of the return of the S.A.S.
Regiment. We hope the spirit of this brief may be of
some help to you in dealing with Press enquiries.
(a) In July 1958 an Agreement was signed between
the Sultan and the British Government. In it, the
British Government undertook to help re-organise
and train the Sultan's Armed Forces. A number of
regular British officers were seconded for this
purpose and good progress was being achieved.
(b) Then came the need to help clear up the
aftermath of the 1957 rebellion and British troops
(Life Guards, S.A.S., R.M. with supporting troops)
and the R.A.F. were brought into the picture.
This involved the formidable tactical task of
assaulting the Jebel. Despite the progress they had
made under British training, the Sultan's forces
would not have been up to this on their own. Before
beginning serious operations, the British troops were
able to give some valuable additional training to
the Sultan's forces.
(c) It would be helpful if stressed that while the
operations in the Jebel involved great technical
difficulties and called for the display of great
courage and endurance on the part of our forces,
CONFIDENTIAL
