It may seem hard to accept half a century later but, before oil began to flow, finding money for basic services such as water, roads and health care was a serious problem in the Emirates. In the early 1960s a delegation from Kuwait arrived in what was then the Trucial States to discuss the possibility of financial aid. A confidential report to the British embassy in Kuwait dated Dec 1 1962 notes the arrival of the delegation which included "Abdul Muhein Quatten, the Leader, a Kuwaiti citizen of Palestine called Fakhoury, two Kuwaitis whose function was uncertain and two American consultant engineers for the Ralph M Parsons Co. They called on me on their second day here and came to tea on the day before their departure and were extremely pleasant and co-operative and left me more hopeful than any of their predecessors."
Water was a priority, the report noted. "What they were proposing was to lay a pipeline from Dubai to Sharjah, Ajman and Umm al Qaiwain. The Ruler of Dubai had promised to provide water for those three states at cost price; that is to say, he would charge per gallon such a sum as would cover the expenses of maintenance, with probably something extra for the reserves." The report noted that at first the Ruler of Sharjah had expressed a wish to build an independent water supply, but was eventually won over to the plan. However: "A water supply for Ras al Khaimah is not immediately in sight because it is too far to take supplies from Dubai."
There were also problems with building a road between the two emirates. "The difficulty was that the road engineer who had come with the last delegation had been a lazy man. He had not examined the problem closely and had simply recommended the building of a complete road. The Kuwaitis had taken fright at the expense involved and had put the matter to one side." In the end it was suggested that only a section of the road should be built.
The report also noted some tensions concerning what the author called "the Kuwaiti attitude". "There has been a stream of propaganda on Kuwaiti Radio praising their generosity and depicting the Trucial States as a land of poverty, hunger and nakedness. Many people complained ? that this was unfair and unwise, particularly when many months have gone by since the first Kuwaiti approach without any tangible sign of progress. The Ruler of Sharjah spoke very strongly to me about his hurt pride.
"I have, of course, explained when I heard such talk, that this is Kuwait's first experiences of this sort and it beholds everyone to be patient of delay." * The National
