ABSTRACT
The challenge, in May 1957 when the supporters of the imamate staged an uprising in Oman to restore Imam Ghalib, was successfully quelled by Sa'id, with British support. By mid-decade, it had become apparent to the British that the main problem in Oman was the sultan himself. Imam Ghalib emerged from retirement at Bilad Sait later in the month and proclaimed the reestablishment of his government. He was immediately besieged by the sultan's Muscat and Oman Field Force (MOFF). On July 26 Sultan Qaboos, addressing his nation for the first time on radio, announced the change in government and his plans for the future. Several days later he visited Muscat for the first time and began to plan for political and economic modernization. His first priority remained, however, the Dhofar war. Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf (PFLOAG) responded to these reforms by trying to interject some new life into the movement.
