IOR/R/15/4

In 1892 the Rulers of the Trucial States entered into a formal 'Exclusive Agreement' not to undertake any arrangement or correspondence with any power other than Britain, not to accept within their territories an agent of another government and not to sell, cede, mortgage or dispose of any part of their territory to any other power. In 1901 the Government of India discussed the possibility of a formal protectorate of the Trucial States but the idea was abandoned as the existing system was described as satisfactory, and the system of reporting by an Arab Residency Agent continued. By 1934, the Political Resident at Bushire was no longer able to cope with the increased workload created by the development of air communications and oil concession negotiations, and responsibility for the Trucial Coast was transferred to the Political Agent, Bahrain, who was placed in a more convenient location for visiting the area. Financial control was transferred to Bahrain in 1938. The Political Agent, and Assistant Political Agent, Bahrain then made periodic tours of the Trucial States and also visited when the Residency Agent needed help on specific issues. In 1939, the outbreak of the war emphasised the strategic importance of the Coast, and a British officer subordinate to the Political Agent, Bahrain, was posted to Sharjah. The appointment was on a temporary basis only and successive holders of the post were present on the Coast only intermittently. In 1948, after the transfer of power in India, a British Political Officer was appointed permanently and in 1949 the post of Residency Agent was abolished. The status of the post was finally raised to that of a Political Agency in 1953 and in 1954 it moved to Dubai.

Before 1934, the Residency Agent corresponded solely with the Political Resident at Bushire, sometimes simply forwarding letters between the Resident and the Shaikhs. After 1934, the Political Agent, Bahrain, became the main channel of correspondence between the British Government and the Trucial States. The Residency Agent continued to act as the intermediary between the Political Agent and the local rulers with whom, and with whose officials, he increasingly corresponded in his own right.