"الجزيرة العربية. الوضع السياسي في نجد" [و‎‎١‎٣‎١] (١٠/٢)

Note on the Political Situation in Nejd at end of July 1920.
Gathered from conversations held with—
(1) Abdul Aziz A1 Qnsaibi, Bin Saud's Agent in Bahrein.
(2) Fahad A1 Bassam, merchant of Qassim and Hassa.
(3) Muhammad A1 Haw Was, merchant of Riyadh and Hassa.
(4) Bedouin visitors from Bani Hajar, Bani Khalid Dwasir and others.
1. Bin Saud, who for the last nine months has been reiterating the determination
of himself and the people of Kejd to Haj this year, has suddenly cried .off. This
after His Majesty's Government had gone to great trouble to make all arrangements,
such as collecting rations, &c., and taking guarantees, &c., from King Husain and
Bin Saud regarding the conduct of their respective subjects during the Haj season.
Bin Saud's excuses for his eleventh hour change of mind are—
(a) That it is impossible for him to restrict the numbers of people who want to
Haj from Nejd, especially if they know that he, their religious leader, has
stcirt^d
(b^ That it is equally impossible for him to restrict the number of his armed
men, seeing that every youth from the day he can walk, almost, carries a
• rifle'in Nejd. For him to interfere with such a time-honoured custom is
entirelv impracticable, and would be greatly resented. ^
(c) That the matter had been settled so late in the day by His Majesty s Govern-
ment, that with the best will in the world it was now too late to give
notice throughout Nejd that any sort of Haj was to start.
Government had firmly but quietly insisted on Bin Sand complying with their
r-onnpsts that as few pilgrims as possible should go this year, and as few armed m e n.
Hence Bin Sand's refusalto Haj gives the impression that the liuler ot Isejd,
i nva l t0 His Majesty's Government, finding he cannot restrain his people noi ge
tC to abide by Government's desires in the matter, has sacrificed his own wishes
and interests in order to please His Majesty's Government, and show his regard for
H " sMSsrsafssnsx- »»»«>• *
His Majesty's Government and to the people of Nejd and Arabia generally. To think
2462 40 10.20 A
ARABIA.
M hmoeandcm by P olitical A gent , B ahrein , 12 th A ugust 1990
Situationyn 0 en%'^Lu:eV%^^% N f ^ ^ Arabian ^ical
my reading of the events is tL . " not, lor a moment, wish to presume that
arrived at from close communication wkh Arabs o^everf dLSfptbul^B^J-
t T0 Set F eWS 0£ Nejd and aIIa,rS 0f Centra! ArlT 'here
settiiK^ hofit f a stone. Every person seems interested in preventing one
getting hold of the most ordinary news. Bin Saud, for one, does not like anVCwt
fTrrnT tV," 1 ?' Un r lt 1 P ( l m J ? S fr0m himself c!irect - 11 is rather natural. I believe he
i y ,binks we English frame our policy on the first bit of gossip we pick up.
(Sd.) H. R, P. D ickson, Major,
Political Agent, Bahrein.
^ 0 Py> together with copy of the enclosure, forwarded to—
(1) The Deputy Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Bushire.
(2) The Political Agent, Koweit.
(Copies also sent to the Government of India and the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad.)
Con fident inl
B. 349.