British position and policy in the Gulf

This file concerns arrangements for the imminent British withdrawal from the Gulf and the future political shape of the region. It contains correspondence relating to:

• The Personal Representative of the Foreign Secretary Sir W H T Luce’s tours of the Gulf, consultations with the regional Rulers and efforts to broker a settlement on the region's future
• Questions around the future defence of the Gulf, including the handover of the Trucial Oman Scouts and British military assets in the region
• The formation of a union of Gulf States deemed by HMG to be essential to the future stability of the region and the Rulers’ attitudes to this
• Coverage of the withdrawal in the British, Iranian and Arab press
• The problem of Ras Al Khaimah
• The disputed Abu Musa and Tunb Islands (held by Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah respectively but claimed by Iran) and Luce’s attempts to negotiate a solution with the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
• Parliamentary debates on the British withdrawal
• The positions of Iraq, Kuwait and the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf (PFLOAG)
• A report by the Defence and Overseas Policy Committee (DOP), detailing the current strength of forces in the Gulf; Britain’s future defence role, including leaving troops in a training and liaison role, staging rights and the consultative commitment offered to the Gulf Rulers on the lines of the Five Power Defence Arrangements in Southeast Asia; and political and defence contingencies in case no union is formed
• Lengthy despatches on the state of the region by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf G G Arthur
• Drafts of a Treaty of Friendship between Britain and the Union of Arab Emirates (the planned nine-state union which had yet to materialise), setting out a new relationship without control of foreign affairs or a defence commitment beyond an agreement to consult in time of need
• Draft Exchanges of Letters detailing the treaties to be terminated with individual states.