"ملف 8/15 سلسلة الجزيرة العربية - ١٩٣٣-١٩٣٩" [و‎‎٩‎٢] (٤٣٤/١٨٣)

(26)
Enclosure in Foreign Office covering letter, dated 15th March 1935.
{Received on 6th April 1935, with Political Secretary’s letter No, 12, dated 21st
March 1935.)
Letter from the Foreign Office, to the British Legation, Jedda, No. E.-1514|
154!31, dated the 13th March 1935.
You vtII have seen from paragraph 1 of the Palestine Police Summary
No. 5[35, dated the 13th February that, as a result of the Pan-Islamic campaign
in Palestine, an Arab delegation has set out for the Hejaz with a view to conduct
ing anti-British propaganda there.
We should be very glad to hear of any instances of such propaganda which
you may encounter during the pilgrimage.
(27)
Memorandum from IT. M.’s Minister, Jedda, No. 42 (764]61|2), dated the 27th
March 1935, transmitting Foreign Office, despatch No. 89 of 24th March
1935.
Enclosure to Serial No. (27).
Letter from H. M.’s Minister, Jedda, to the Foreign Office, No. 89 (76316112),
dated the 24th March 1935.
As yon are aware Ibn Saud makes it his'annual pracdce to give a great
banquet in Mecca for notable pilgrims of all nations just before the Pilgrimage.
1 find that I sent no separate report on this event last year but I included some
account of it in my despatch No. 88 of March 31st, 1934, on the Saudi Yemen
situation. This year the occasion merits separate treatment.
2. This year’s pilgrimage has brought to the Hejaz an unusually large
number of Moslems of high standing and a good many politicians of less note
but of some importance in their own countries. The former have included
crr-King Amanullah of Afghanistan ; His Highness the Nawab of Bahawalpur ;
the chief Begum of His Exalted Highness the Nizam of Hyderabad, with Sir
Nizamat Jung in attendance ; another Begum of the Hyderabad family ; the
Glawi from Morocco ; Abdullah Ibn Wazir, the Governor of Hudayda, who was
here last year as Yemeni delegate at the peace negotiations ; Nawab Sir Umar
Hayat Khan, honorary A.-D.-C. to His Majesty the King ; and a brother of the
Sheykh of Dibai.
3. Most of the male personages just mentioned were among the five hundred
guests or so, whom the King entertained on the evening of March 12th. As the
King had arrived only on March 10th, the arrangements were made hurriedly.
Among the absentees were the Nawab of Bahawalpur, who pleaded illness, and
Sir Umar Hayat Khan, the reasons! for whose non-appearance I do not know.
The Nawab may have been worried about questions of precedence but members
of his suite attended the dinner. The King had e^King Amanullah on his right,
with Sayyid Hasan A1 Idrisi and, I believe, the Glawi beyond. The second place
of honour on his left was given very significantly to Abdullah A1 Wazir.
4. The King's principal speech was reproduced, as usual, in the Umm-al-
Qura, probably^ m an edited version. The published version is not worth sub
mitting to you in fall but. a few points may be noted. He began with his
customary exhortations and insistence on the importance of close adherence to
Moslem tenets, especially the doctrine of the Unity. He and his were Beduins,
possessing nought except the blessing of God and desiring the co-operation of
Arabs and Moslems. The King then spoke of the events of last year and refer
red specially to the past enmity between himself and the Idrisi and A1 Wazir,
who w’ere now sitting at his table. The w r ar had shown, he said, the dis
advantages of discord to both sides. Moslems generally had welcomed the
peaceful ending and he invited them all to work together. The most interesting
passage in his speech was that in which he scouted the idea that foreign influences
had caused the quarrel. Moslems and Arabs were themselves responsible for
their differences. In their press utterances they raged rudely against each
LS156F.D ~ .