مجموعة ٦ / ٨ (١) "سلسلة مطبوعة: ١٩٢٩ إلى ١٩٣٨". [و‎‎١‎٧‎٧] (١٠٦٢/٣٥٨)

offensive. My Turkish and Iraqi colleagues are hio-hlv hiceiiQ^ n+ n
plimentary reference to the Saudi regime’s predecessors th "l-
then done, the sms committed, and the peace violated ” t ’ ^ ru, i3 . l0 ? dsile(: }
that when Ibn Sand came to Jeddah after the nilorimsera i, 1 ^ ledib ^ r ^niornied
of leading Jedawis, by greeting them with the fords. " I eoiwent the 'tWs
of every one of you.” UL tne Cllr oats
4. All obsevvei-s are agreed that Ibn Sand is at his wits’ end to obtain
money, and many affirm that he is feeling insecure. He certainly seems to nw
lost much ot the poise and balance which distinguished him in the early days
oi his Hejazi adventure. His present state of uncertainty, with its symptomatic
lack of control of ideas and expression, but not yet of action, seems to me to e
caused by a very real fear for his financial position, an increased feeling of
futility amid the complexities of government, and a growing sense of the hostility
which surrounds him in the Hejaz and the Moslem world outside. It was noticed
that during the forty-eight hours which he recently spent at Jedda he remained
outside the town, which he normally never fails to visit for some inspection or
other 5 indeed he hardly put foot outside the palace building*.
5* The. effect of these obsessions is aggravated by ill health. At my short
formal audience of the 1st May Ibn Saud was listless, and looked a very different
man from what he was a year and a half ago. His face had yellowed under
the skin and was pouchy, puckered, and much more lined. Dr. Naji-al-Asil,
who has had a number of private audiences in Mecca, confirms my impression
that Ibn Saud is physically very unwell and mentally obsessed by problems which
he cannot solve and Which he now fears to face. It is probable that he will
return to Riyadh as soon as he decently can, probably in less than a month’s
time.
6 . I may here mention that on the 1 st May Ibn Baud was polite, but distant.
He smiled once or twice, but had nothing to say. I purposely allowed two long
pauses to lengthen in order to draw, if possible, some reference to current topics,
such as the Minister’s absence. Ibn Sand at length broke the first silence with
a comment on the weather, which had already received adequate comment.
1 broke the second one myself with a request for permission to leave.
( 89 )
{Received on 14th August 1932, with Political Secretary’s letter No. 30, dated
28th July 1932.)
Enclosure in Foreign Office covering letter No. E.-3495|266|25, dated 20 th July
1932.
Letter prom His Majesty’s Minister, Jeddah, to the Foreign Office, No. 248,
dated the 16th June 1932.
On my return to Jeddah recently I found awaiting my attention your des
patch No. 120 (E.-1418|266|25) of April 7, enclosing copies of correspondence
between your department and the Colonial Office relative to the message of good
will sent by Ibn Sa’ud to His Majesty’s Government through the Political Resi
dent in the Persian Gulf in January. On June 5, I expressed in^ suitable terms
to the Acting Hejazi Minister for Foreign Affairs the gratification.with which
His Majesty’s Government had received the message and their desire to show
appreciation of it, although it had been sent on the occasion of an informal visit
and the Amir Feysal’s visit had subsequently provided the opportunity tor a
more direct and official exchange of courtesies. I asked Sheykh Yusuf Yasm lO
convey What I had said to His Majesty King ’Abdul ’Aziz.
2. I am sending a copy of this despatch to the Political Resident.
( 90 )
(Received on 14th August 1932, with Political Secretary’s letter No. 30, dated
28th July 1932.)
Enclosure in Foreign Office covering letter No. E.-3497|2814|25, dated 26th July
1932.
Letter prom His Majesty’s Minister, Jeduaji, to the Foreign Office,
DATED THE 17tH J UNE li)o4.
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