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'File 1/18 II Major Head:- Political. Subject:- Sultan of Najd's relations with Iraq.' [158v] (321/912)
The record is made up of 1 volume (452 folios). It was created in 21 Feb 1928-4 Apr 1928. It was written in English and Arabic. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
6
Enclosure XIII of Serial No. (98).
Translation or letter erom H. M. King Abdul Aziz bin Saud, to the
Political Agent
A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency.
, Bahrain, No. M-3-M.-3—27, dated 12th Jamal al
Thani 1346, le. 3 7th December 1927.
After compliments.
We are in receipt of your letter No. 128-0. of 22nd Jamad al Awal 1346
conveying a message sent by the Hon’ble the Political Besident to us, in
which he states that H. B. M.’s Government were astonished at the recent
incident at Busaiyah. We request you to telegraph to him (the Political
Besident) that we were more astonished and regret very much its occurrence.
We have issued orders for enquiries about the people who had done it and for
their punishment. At the same time we have issued orders for a stricter watch
on the frontier and have taken all the necessary steps to prevent any further
action until the end of the correspondence regarding this evil omened fort
which has been erected only for purposes of intrigue and for causing troubles.
As regards the compensation referred to in the letter it is a trifling thing which
is not 'worthy of causing a dispute between us and the British Government. But
before discussing this matter w r e w r ant to invite the attention of the just
British Government to the matter of the responsibility and on whom it falls iu
this case, whether on us or the Iraq Government ? A second thing'—This
case should be compared w ith the others like it wdrich have taken place between
Iraq, Trans-Jordina and Nejd and Hejaz. Por wdien the responsibility is faced
and the matter is compared with the previous incidents the compensation can
he fixed. We—and we believe that the justice of the British Government will
support us—see that the responsibility falls on the Iraq Government as they
alone had caused this incident. We have already warned the Iraq Govern
ment of the bad results w 1 * * * * * 7 hich may fallow 7 on their behaviour towards us.
But the only reply was silence or procrastination or lame explanations.
, The Hon’hie the Political Besident on referring to our letter of 30tli
Jamad-al-Aw 7 al 13 i6 —25th November 1927 will observe the difficulties and
troubles w T hich the Iraq Government have caused and are causing to give rise
to a dispute between us and themselves and in addition to that to cause
trouble betw'een us and the British Gevernment.
When one looks at all the actions of the Iraqi Government towards us
one w r ill not see that they are the actions of a friendly neighbour to one in
treaty w T ith them but the spirit of an enemy wall he seen and rather yon can
say that they are a breach of the spirit of peace. I give in detail a chain of
actions done by them (Iraq) in these days from w 7 hich you can understand
their real situation and it wdll make clearer to H. B. M’s. Government the
responsibility for ohe recent incidents.
1. The High Commissioner for Iraq w 7 arned us that a raiding party of
Shammar were collecting in Syria to raid our country and that the Iraq
Government w r ere not responsible for their action. I protested as the raiders
w r ere bound to pass on their way to our country either through the territory of
Trans-Jordania or Iraq and asked that the responsibility of the same may he
borne either by the Iraq Government or Trans-Jordania but the reply w T as as
I have informed the Hon’ble the Political Besident in my abovementioned
letter—a silence for about 10 months without a reply. Then came a reply
but in a very strange w r ay as he made our protest a means of breaking the pro
tocol entered into at Ujair wuth the Iraq by building a number of forts for
our protection and for preventing raiders from raiding us. The Nejd people
would be pleased if the Iraqis raided them every morning and evening hut
they do not agree to the building of one metre on the w r aters and the places
on which building has been prohibited by an official document. These places
are visited by them ard are their watering places as well as places of visit
and watering for others than them. Trouble broke out in Nejd on
account of this building in the manner I described to the Hon’ble the political
Besident.
About this item
- Content
The file deals with political relations between the King of Hejaz and Najd [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] (commonly referred to in the papers as Bin Saud or Ibn Saud) and the states of Iraq and Kuwait, particularly in terms of raids by Akhwan [Ikhwān] tribes from Najd.
The correspondence is mainly between the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Lieutenant-Colonel Lionel Berkeley Holt Haworth) and the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Bahrain (also spelled Bahrein, Major Cyril Charles Johnson Barrett). There is also correspondence between British officials and Bin Saud. Enclosures to correspondence from the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. include copies of correspondence with the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Kuwait; the office of the High Commissioner, Iraq; the Colonial Office, London; the Government of India; the Senior Naval Officer in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; and other British officials in the region.
The papers cover the following:
- disputes over border posts in Iraq;
- diplomatic contact between the British and Bin Saud;
- report on Bin Saud and the Iraqi press (folios 27-28);
- activities of Faisal ad Dawish [Fayṣal al-Dawīsh] and other Akhwan leaders;
- raids by Akhwan tribes, especially Mutair and Ajman;
- activities of the Royal Navy and Royal Indian Marine to protect Kuwait;
- activities of the Royal Air Force (RAF) to protect Kuwait;
- use of air reconnaissance against tribes;
- the British response to the raids, including the need to protect British subjects and British property in Kuwait (e.g. folio 79);
- note on Bin Saud by Barrett, 3 March 1928 (folios 134-140);
- use of cars, aeroplanes and armoured cars to defend against attacks by Akhwan;
- threat to British oil supplies (folios 192-194);
- descriptions of plunder taken by Akhwan from desert tribes (donkeys, sheep, goats etc.);
- Akhwan 'jehad' [jihad] against non-Akhwan tribes (e.g. folios 209-210);
- provision by British of machine guns and Lewis guns for defence of Kuwait (e.g. folio 234);
- threat of extension of conflict to Trans-Jordan (folio 310).
The Arabic content of the file consists of approximately ten folios of correspondence, mainly copies of letters from the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Bahrain.
The date range gives the covering dates of the main run of correspondence. The earliest document in the file is an enclosure to the first item of correspondence and is dated 28 January 1928.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (452 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are filed in chronological order from the front to the rear of the file, except where enclosures of an earlier date are filed after the relevant covering letter.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 454; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 7-453; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
- Written in
- English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/2/90
- Title
- 'File 1/18 II Major Head:- Political. Subject:- Sultan of Najd's relations with Iraq.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:105v, 107r:114v, 118r:271v, 273r:453v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence