United Kingdom policy

This file relates to British policy in the Gulf ahead of withdrawal in 1971. It contains correspondence on:

• Views of the Foreign Secretary Michael Stewart concerning the ability of Gulf States to defend themselves expressed at a speech to the Royal Institute for International Affairs in London, during a visit to Lahore and during a Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO) meeting in Tehran
• Bilateral talks between Mr Stewart and the US Secretary of State Dean Rusk on Gulf policy, including future US naval policy
• Support now offered by the Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for the British withdrawal; the Shah's suggestion of confusion on the part of Edward Heath on the issue; the record of a parliamentary exchange involving Mr Heath and the Prime Minister Harold Wilson; and an article in the International Herald Tribune of 28 May 1969
• Iran's policy on Bahrain, the Gulf Islands, and the Median Line in the Gulf
• Progress towards a Union of Arab Emirates; whether it will comprise seven, eight, or nine members; its defensive capabilities and the role of the Trucial Oman Scouts
• Accounts of a disagreement at a Supreme Council meeting in Doha in May 1969, including minutes of a Foreign Office meeting on 23 May 1969, and a Telegraph article on 6 June 1969
• Report on the modernisation of HMG’s relations with the Gulf States
• Draft article provided by the Middle East Association concerning British commercial prospects
• Sunday Times article by Frank Giles on 15 Dec 1968, with the wrong photo of the Ruler of Sharjah

This file also contains correspondence on:

• The UK's future relations with the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, and the RAF presence in Salalah
• Interest of Robert Serjeant, of Cambridge University, in South Arabian policy
• List of briefings on wide-ranging Commonwealth issues for a meeting of Commonwealth prime ministers in 1969