ARRL DXCC ENTITY RE-EVALUATION MEMORANDUM – A6

A6 — UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (Trucial States, pre-1971)
Evaluation Under 1947 ARRL DXCC Rules

I. PURPOSE

This memorandum evaluates whether the political territory that eventually became the United Arab Emirates (DXCC prefix A6) would have qualified as an ARRL DXCC Entity under the 1947 ARRL DXCC Rules.

Because the UAE did not exist in 1947, the evaluation is necessarily focused on the Trucial States, the seven British-treaty sheikhdoms that comprised:

• Abu Dhabi
• Dubai
• Sharjah
• Ajman
• Fujairah
• Ras Al Khaimah
• Umm Al Quwain

The evaluation includes:

• Political-entity criteria (sovereignty, protectorate status, administrative separation)
• Status of the Trucial States under British protection
• Geographic and territorial considerations
• DXCC applicability under the 1947 colonial/protectorate categories
• Whether a DXCC Entity could have existed in 1947 for A6

II. BACKGROUND

Political & Administrative Status (as of 1947)

In 1947, the modern UAE had not been created. Instead:

• The region consisted of seven independent tribal sheikhdoms, each ruled by its own hereditary leader.
• These sheikhdoms had no unified political structure.
• Collectively, they were under British protection, enforced through:
– The truces of 1820, 1853, and 1892
– The British Residency at Bushire (later Bahrain)
• Britain controlled:
– Foreign affairs
– Defense
– External treaties
• Local rulers controlled:
– Internal governance
– Tribal affairs
– Local taxation
– Customary law

Crucially:
Although Britain handled external relations, the sheikhdoms remained sovereign internal entities, not colonies.

However—each sheikhdom was considered too small and collectively not organized as a single political unit, making DXCC qualification difficult under 1947 rules.

Geographic Characteristics

• The Trucial States occupied the southeastern coast of the Persian Gulf.
• They consisted of desert coastline, oases, and inland tribal territories.
• No island or offshore separation rules apply.

DXCC Prefix

• No unified prefix existed in 1947.
• The A6 prefix was NOT assigned until after the creation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971.
• In 1947, the region had:
– No formal amateur radio administration
– No assigned DXCC prefix
– No organized telecommunication authority

Thus, DXCC could not have treated the region as a separate entity.

DXCC Historical Context (1947)

The 1947 DXCC rules recognized:

Sovereign states
Colonies
Protectorates
Mandates & Trust Territories
Well-defined geographic entities (typically islands)

The Trucial States were:

• Protectorates, but
• Not administered as a single political unit
• Not recognized internationally as a cohesive administration
• Lacking a unified government or foreign recognition
• Not a colony
• Not a mandate
• Not sovereign

Thus they fit none of the categories that would support DXCC recognition.

III. ANALYSIS UNDER THE 1947 DXCC RULES

1. POLITICAL ENTITY CRITERIA (1947)

1(a) Sovereign Independent Nation — FAIL

• No unified nation existed in 1947.
• Each sheikhdom had internal sovereignty but Britain controlled foreign relations.

1(b) Separate Colony/Protective Administration — PARTIAL FAIL

• The Trucial States were British protectorates, but NOT a:
– Colony
– Mandate
– Trust Territory
• They lacked common administration and did not constitute one unified protectorate.

1(c) International Recognition — FAIL

• No international actor recognized the Trucial States as a nation.
• Britain recognized each ruler but not a collective entity.

1(d) Distinct DX Identity — FAIL

• No DXCC prefix existed for the region in 1947.
• No radio regulatory authority existed.
• No united political identity existed to anchor a DXCC listing.

Conclusion:
The Trucial States fail all political criteria for DXCC recognition in 1947.

2. GEOGRAPHIC ENTITY CRITERIA (1947)

Not relevant but assessed for completeness.

2(a) Above high tide — ✔ PASS

Land territory, not islands.

2(b) Island separation rule — FAIL

• No island involved; geography does not justify recognition.

2(c) Geographic distinctiveness — FAIL

• Territory not geographically or politically separated from neighboring Arabia.
• Geographically continuous with Oman and Saudi Arabia.

3. SPECIAL-AREA CRITERIA (1947)

The 1947 rules included:

• Mandates
• Trust Territories
• Occupied zones
• International governance zones

Trucial States were none of these.

Not applicable.

4. 1947 DELETION CRITERIA — NOT APPLICABLE

The Trucial States were never on the DXCC List in 1947; thus deletion rules do not apply.

V. FINAL DETERMINATION

❌ A6 — UNITED ARAB EMIRATES would NOT qualify as an ARRL DXCC Entity under the 1947 DXCC Rules.

Reasoning (1947):

✘ The UAE did not exist yet (formed 1971)
✘ The Trucial States were not a unified political entity
✘ Not sovereign in foreign relations
✘ Not a colony, not a mandate, not a trust territory
✘ No unified administration = no DXCC identity
✘ No prefix assignment or radio regulatory authority
✘ No geographic separation supporting entity classification

Under 1947 rules, no DXCC entity could have been created for:
• The UAE
• The Trucial States collectively
• Any individual emirate (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, etc.)

It would not qualify until 1971, when the United Arab Emirates became a sovereign, internationally recognized state, which does satisfy DXCC political-entity rules in modern terms.

VI. SUMMARY TABLE

Rule (1947)	Pass/Fail	Notes
Sovereign Country	❌	UAE not yet formed; sheikhdoms only internally sovereign
Separate Administration	❌	No unified administrative structure
Colony / Protectorate Rule	❌	Protectorate but not unified under one colonial administration
International Recognition	❌	No statehood
Geographic Criteria	❌	Continuous land mass; no separation
DX Prefix Assignment	❌	A6 came decades later
Final Status	NOT QUALIFIED (1947)	No DXCC Entity possible

References

ARRL DXCC Rules, Post–World War II Edition (1947)
Clinton B. DeSoto, W1CBD, “How to Count Countries Worked, A New DX Scoring System,” QST, October 1935
ARRL DXCC Country Lists, late-1930s through late-1940s editions
Historical records of the Trucial States and British protection treaties (pre-1971)
Early DXCC precedent involving Arabian Gulf protected states and regional entities