HM Government policy in Persian Gulf

This file relates to British policy in the Gulf, and in particular the plans for withdrawal of the British military presence there. It contains correspondence, briefs, and records of conversation concerning:

• The discussion of a possible future visit of a senior Cabinet minister to the Gulf, which is eventually postponed
• The views of industry figures and British constituents on withdrawal
• The reaction of various countries and entities to British Gulf policy and withdrawal, including: Yugoslavia, the President of the World Bank Robert McNamara, and Tunisia
• Dennis Walters MP’s talks with the Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan about British Gulf policy, and the disputed islands in the Gulf
• A second tour of the Gulf by W H T Luce, with visits to: Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Bahrain
• The US views on British Gulf policy, including the US Secretary of State William P Rogers’s visit to the UK; ministerial talks with Jospeh J Sisco of the US State Department; and the Anglo-American information talks on the Gulf
• The discussion of Carol Mather MP and John Biggs-Davison MP with the Defence Secretary Lord Balniel [Robert Alexander Lindsay] on Gulf policy
• A discussion on the draft treaty of friendship the UK hopes to sign with the Gulf rulers
• An article in the Guardian on the improving prospects in the Gulf.