'File 61/11 VII (D 122) Hejaz-Nejd Miscellaneous' [‎138v] (293/454)

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4. An official reception was arranged at the Jerusalem station. I welcomed
the Amir on behalf of the Palestine Government, and presented to him the senior
officers of Government, a representative of each foreign consulate, and a number
of notables among whom the only non-Moslem was Yasub Eff. Farraj, Deputy
Mayor of Jerusalem and acting President of the Arab Executive. A guard of
honour was mounted outside the station oy the 2nd battalion the Royal Berkshire
Regiment, and His Royal Highness inspected the guard before entering the car
which I had placed at his disposal. He was enthusiastically applauded by large
crowds which had gathered to witness his arrival.
5. From the station the Amir proceeded to the Haram-esh-Sherif to perform
his religious duty of taking the first opportunity to salute this Holy Place. His
car was accompanied as far as St. Stephen's Gate by a trotting escort of Palestine
police. In the Haram area, as at the railway station, large crowds had gathered
to welcome him. After praying at the Aqsa Mosque the Amir and his suite drove
to Government House, where they were to be my guests. The suite comprised
Fuad Bey Hamza, his secretary (and brother) Taufiq Hamza, Kheir-el-Din
Zerkali, adviser to the Saudi Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. at Cairo, Fahed-bin-Kreidif and Saleh-al-
Ali, respectively, secretary and aide-de-camp to His Royal Highness, and a servant.
Also travelling with the Royal party, but lodged at the King David Hotel, were
Dr. Hamdi, Director of Health in the Hejaz, Sherkh Naser, Saudi Agent at
Damascus, and Abdel Rauf Sabban, described as Hejaz Deputy Minister of
Finance.
6. After lunch, to which I invited a few Arab notables including the mayors
of Jaffa, Haifa, Nablus and Hebron, and one or two Government officers, His
Royal Highness and suite drove to Hebron, where they visited the mosque,
Returning thence they proceeded direct to a reception at the Rawdat-al-Maaref
School, arranged in their honour by the Jerusalem reception committee.
7. In the evening I gave a dinner party to which I invited the members of
the Executive Council and a number of Moslem notables and Moslem Government
officers.
8. On the 15th August the period from 9 a.m . to 10 a.m . was set aside for
the Amir to receive visits at Government House. He then drove to Jaffa, where
he was the guest of the local reception committee at a lunch arranged in the house
of a certain Yusuf Ashhour. On the way His Royal Highness made a stop at
Ramleh, where the population demonstrated their welcome. In the afternoon the
party drove from Jaffa to Nablus, where they were entertained to tea by the
Nablus reception committee. Halts were made en route at Qalqiliya and Tulkarm,
where also His Royal Highness was enthusiastically greeted by the population.
9. From Nablus His Royal Highness and suite drove directly to Government
House, where I gave a second dinner party at which the guests included the
principal Royal Air Force and military officers, the heads of Government
departments, the Anglican bishop, Mr. Shertok of the Jewish Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , foreign
consuls-general, and the consul of Czechoslovakia, who is filling the post of a
consul-general, and is, moreover, accredited to Saudi Arabia.
10. On the morning of the 16th the Amir Saud and his suite motored to
Amman. As far as the Allenby Bridge they were accompanied by my Arab
private secretary and an escort of Palestine'police. At the bridge they were
met by the Amir Talal on behalf of the Amir Abdullah, the chief of his
Highness's divan, and the Chief Minister's secretary. An escort of two cars of
the Desert Patrol of the Arab Legion was provided. The Amir Saud was greeted
at Es Salt by the Mutessarif of the Belqa District, and a guard of honour, and
from the entrance to the town of Amman to the palace a cavalry escort of the
Arab Legion accompanied the cars.
11. His Highness the Amir Abdullah, the Acting British Resident, the
Chief Minister and the officer at present commanding the Arab Legion (Major
Glubb) received the Amir Saud at the door of the palace and subsequently the
members of the Executive and Advisory Councils, heads of departments and officers
of the Arab Legion were presented.
12. An official banquet was given at the palace in the evening to which
were invited the Acting British Resident, the members of the Executive Council,
the financial adviser, the officer at present in command of the Arab Legion, and
certain senior officers of the Royal Air Force and the Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan Frontier Force.
His Highness the Amir made a speech of welcome, of which I attach a translation,
and presented a jewelled sword to the Amir Saud. The latter replied in suitable
terms. r