British government policy in Persian Gulf

This file concerns policy debates around the impending British military withdrawal from ‘East of Suez’ following the electoral victory of the Conservative Party under Edward Heath, who had earlier pledged to reverse the withdrawal. It contains correspondence relating to:

• Question of prolonging the British defence role in the Gulf and whether this will really serve Britain’s interests
• Reaction of the Gulf Rulers, Iran, Egypt, the US, Saudi Arabia and South Yemen to the change of government in Britain and the possibility of a continued British presence in the Gulf
• Consultations with regional Rulers, principally Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and King Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, on the issue of the withdrawal
• Meeting between Heath and the Foreign Secretary Sir Alec Douglas-Home covering the future defence and political landscape of the Gulf, as well as various other matters including Rhodesia and South Africa
• Coverage on the issue of Britain’s role in the Gulf in the Arab, Iranian, British and international press; including an interview with the Shah during a visit to Finland, covering the Gulf as well as the Shatt Al Arab (in French)
• Paper on British interests in the Gulf and the current political and security situation, including the stalled implementation of the nine-state Union of Arab Emirates agreed on in 1968; the Iranian claim to the Abu Musa and Tunb Islands; the Dhofar rebellion in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman; and a border dispute between Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia
• Paper on British defence policy after 1971, covering the Gulf as well as Southeast Asia
• Speaking notes for the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Joseph Godber ahead of a Parliamentary debate on Britain’s future role in the Gulf