Oily Sheik

Away from London last week slunk snubbed Emperor Haile Selassie (see p. 18), but glad British hands were extended by King Edward and many another in London to His Highness Sheik Sir Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa, ruler of the Bahrein Islands in the Persian Gulf of Iran.

The Sheik's goodwill is of vital importance to Britain. Very quietly last year the Persian Gulf base of the Royal Navy was moved from Iran's famed Bushire to Bahrein and thus outside the immediate domain of Iran's King of Kings. The Sheik also allows British planes flying to India to use one of his islands as a landing base. Few years ago the Sheik permitted Standard Oil of California to set up on the island a subsidiary called Bahrein Petroleum Co., which is now booming along with some 1,000,000 barrels production annually. As London's imperial weekly Great Britain and the East philosophically remarked: "It was a disappointment to some that the concession for petroleum in Bahrein was awarded to a non-British company, but assuredly that was not the Sheik's fault. His Highness already knows, but in this country [Britain] he should be made doubly aware, that Great Britain is grateful to him for his cooperation."

To make His Highness "doubly aware" of Britain's gratitude, he and two stalwart sons were received by King Edward, who dubbed the oily Sheik a Knight Commander of the British Empire. By way of amusement His Highness was taken to the greyhound races at White City. Scrutinizing the dogs, the Sheik said: "I have a system based on the shape of the dog, his shoulder action and muscular development." In each of the eight races of the evening Sheik Sir Hamad followed his "system" to bet upon one dog. Of his eight choices six won.

One day the Sheik made a wish his British hosts could not see their way to fulfill. "I should very much like," said His Highness, "to have the Queen Mary come up the Persian Gulf in order that my people might see her."

At latest reports nothing in London had pleased the Sheik and his sons so much as the Russian Ballet's performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherezade, an Arabian Nights fantasy in which a Sultana and all her co-wives betray their Sultan on the stage with Negro slaves, afterward are butchered by the Sultan's soldiers. Although cultivated Mayfair and Manhattan consider Scheherezade merely esthetic, the Sheik & Sons watched it with savage joy, their nostrils quivering and eyes bugging as the Negro slaves and fair wives heaved. "The Sheik never mentions his own wives to unbelievers," confided a member of His Highness' suite. "To them he speaks of the prowess of his sons."

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