"ملف 8/7 I تقارير الاستخبارات في جدة" [و‎‎٧] (٥٣٦/١٣)

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Sheykh ’Abdul ’Aziz up to this point agreed to all suggestions, but
suddenly torpedoed all the proceedings by saying that he had no authority
to make any agreement witnout reference to Ibn ,Sa’ud and he absolutely
refused to allow any paper embodying the terms to be drawn up for mutual
signature.
He stated, however, that he had received a letter from Ibn Sa'ud
saying that he hoped that powers to treat with the Trans-Jordan Govern
ment Kepresentative would shortly be given.
21. This meeting, however, was only a preliminary one, designed to
establish contact between the two frontier representatives. Their main
meeting for the settlement of all matters connected with raids since August
1st 19JO were to follow. Meanwhile, on August 1 the Hejazi Under
secretary offered to come to Jedda to discuss the preliminary meeting, but
His Majesty’s Charge d’ Affaires replied that he thought that they could
not advance matters by discussing what was merely an exchange of views
at the preliminary meeting; and as the terms of reference of the main meet
ing had already been settled after full discussion (see May-June Report
paragraphs 26-27), he considered that it should be left to the two frontier
representatives to carry on. Although not strictly wUthin the scope of this
Report, it is convenient to mention here that Fuad Bay, in a senes of
conversations held at Jedda on September 1 to 3, made another and more
determined attempt to start a discussion of additional principles, by which
the Glubb-Ibn Seyd meetings for the settlement of past raids should in his
view be controlled. He was ridden off.
22. The Legation has been somewhat hampered by lack of concise and
up-to-date information from Trans-Jordan about the passage of events
which interest it closely. News of the preliminary meeting having taken
place on June 3 was first received through the Hejazi Government. Inform
ation as to its outcome was not received from Trans-Jordan until nearly
two months later. The first main meeting was held on August 15 but the
Legation was only apprised of the fact on September 1 and through Hejazi
channels. Information from Trans-Jordan came to hand on September 15,
in the form of report by Captain Glubb dated August 19.
23. (b) Meeting of August 15 .—There were separately two items on
the agenda of the main meeting of August 15, (1) the return of loot taken
since the 1st August 1930, an era which divided at the 1st Ramadhan
(January 19) into two looting periods, the greater and the less, and (2) the
settlement of future procedure. In regard to the first item, Ibn Seyd stated
that he had not prepared a list, which rendered examination of the claims
impossible, but Captain Glubb succeeded in securing his agreement to
attempt an immediate restitution of the little loot taken since January.
19. In regard to the second item, Ibn Seyd was equally unprepared,
having he said received no instructions to discuss future procedure. Captain
Glubb raised two further matters, (3) the taxation of Trans-Jordan tribes
men in Nejd territory, on which point Ibn Seyd replied hat he had implicit
orders to tax, and (4) the “numerous protests” by the Hejazi Government
against his, Captain Glubb’s, activities since his last meeting with Ibn
Seyd. There seems to have been some misconception of the real position
here, for only one protest was made, under three main heads, and it was
made from Mecca on the same day as the meeting at Hashim Wells, June 3
(see May-June Report paragraph 29). So that when Ibn Seyd expressed
to Captain Glubb his astonishment at “the continued despatch of such
protests, in view of the fact that after their first meeting he had written at
length to Ibn Sa’ud” to persuade him of Captain Glubb’s real merit, it
seems that their feelings were being unnecessarily harrowed.
24. With regard to this first main meeting of August 15, it may be
added for purposes of record that, whereas Fuad Bey informed ' His
Majesty’s Minister on June 21 that instructions for the meeting had been
sent to Ibn Seyd, adding that it would be better if Captain Glubb were to
wait a few days before arranging the meeting so as to allow time for the
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