Commercial relations between countries of Arabia and UK

This file relates to military and development expenditure in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. It contains correspondence concerning:

• Political Resident in the Persian Gulf G H Middleton’s views on Brigadier M R J Hope-Thomson’s report on long term measures for the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) (42)
• Request for early authority to pay the Muscat military subsidy for April 1960; the request by the Sultan of Muscat and Oman Saeed Bin Taimur for Rs 947, 874 and Colonel P R M Waterfield’s estimates; and confirmation of payment on 19 April 1960 (43-44, 58)
• Final payments of the military subsidy for 1959 to 1960 and the noting of an error by Waterfield (45)
• Waterfield’s answers to queries over military expenditure with agreement from B R Pridham (46)
• Interim military measures for the Sultanate (47)
• Possible Muscat and Oman Working Party meeting to consider Hope-Thomson’s report, Waterfield’s expenditure estimates and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf’s report on the development programme (48)
• Question of whether the Foreign Office will cover the cost of a team of three from the Air Ministry Works Department (AMWD) to obtain a spot estimate of capital expenditure for works services in Muscat; and the costing of this survey (49, 54)
• Future of aid to Muscat and Oman, in light of the Sultan only agreeing to pay £40,000, with the suggestion that measures will have to be cut because of lack of funds. It also includes comment on the issue of continued British support for the Sultan (50)
• Comparison between Hope-Thomson’s long term military programme and Waterfield’s interim proposals (51)
• Costing of Hope-Thomson’s report by an AMWD representative, with the aim of putting the military and civil programme out to tender to two or three major firms (52)
• Hope-Thomson’s reply to Waterfield’s comments on his report (53)
• Wish of the Sultan to be responsible for improvements to forts (55)
• Details of the costing of certain items in Hope-Thomson’s report (56)
• Future policy of HMG regarding long term military measures in Muscat and Oman (57)
• Final costing of the proposals in Hope-Thomson’s report (59)