IOR/L/PS/12/2966

The file contains correspondence relating to visits by the Sultan of Muscat, Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd], to regions of Oman and foreign countries. The correspondence covers travel arrangements, reports of the visits by British officials, and the question of the Sultan's conduct in bypassing the British Government when communicating with foreign powers.

The papers cover the following visits:

• The Batinah Coasts in 1933
• Dhofar in 1933, 1938, and 1946
• A world tour including India, Japan, the United States of America, and Europe in 1937-38
• Further trips to India in 1941 and 1942
• Egypt, Sudan, Palestine, and Syria in 1944.

Also included in the file are the following:

• clippings from the Daily Telegraph (dated 22 November 1937) and the Daily Express (dated 24 November 1937) with photographs of the Sultan in India (folios 170 and 171)
• a copy of a secret telegram from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf to the Government of India that discusses the idea of purchasing Masarah [Masīrah] Island for the use of the Royal Air Force (folio 43)
• a transcript of an interview with the Sultan published in Al Musawwar of Cairo, in which he gives his opinions on the idea of an Arab Federation (folio 25).

Correspondents include the Political Agent in Muscat, Political Residency in the Persian Gulf, Government of India, Colonial Office, Foreign Office, Air Ministry, British Embassies in Washington, Paris, Cairo, Tokyo, and Berlin, and Sultan Said bin Taimur [Sa‘īd ibn Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd] of Muscat.