'File 8/15 Arab Series - 1933-1939' [‎159r] (317/434)

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{Received on 23rd January 1937 with Political Secretary's letter No. 1, dated
7 th January 1937).
Enclosure in Foreign Office covering letter, dated 30th December 1936.
Letter from the British Legation, Jedda, to the Right Hon’ble An
thony Eden, M.C., M.P., No. 271, dated 22nd September 1936.
With reference to your telegram No. 93 of the 17th September, enquiring
whether any light can be thrown from Jedda upon the activities of Mr. Philby
in the Hadhramaut, I have the honour to report that no information of any
kind has come to the notice of the Legation, from local sources, save that since
the receipt of your telegram under reference enquiries made from Mr. Philby’s
firm of Sharqieh Ltd. have elicited the fact that they have recently received
a letter from Mokalla in which Mr. Philby stated his intention of returning
to the Hejaz via Najran. I consider it unlikely that the clerk in charge
of Sharqieh Ltd. knows anything more than the bare facts of his employer’s
^ movements.
2. It will be observed from paragraph 196 of Jedda Report for May last,
that Mr. Philby was reticent about his plans, before departure on this journey
but that Sir Andrew Ryan derived the impression that the undertaking was
one of Mr. Philby’s periodical journeys of exploration.
3. I am sending a copy of this despatch to His Majesty’s Chief Com
missioner at Aden.
(3)
{Received on 9th January 1937 with Political Secretary's letter No. 52, dated
24th December 1936.)
Enclosure in Foreign Office covering letter dated 21st December 1936.
Letter from Sir R. Bullard, to Mr. Eden, No. 286, dated 9th November
1936.
Jedda, October 17, 1936.
With reference to Mr. Calvert’s Confidential despatch No. 239 of the
5th September last, I have the honour to report that the Italian Legation
has recently distributed locally further copies of the Barid-al-Barqa the
newspaper m Arabic published at Benghazi. Copies dated 16th and’24th
August and the 8th September have come to my notice.
2. Much of the news contained in these three issues is not worth report-
ing m detail. In that of the 6th September, however, is a leading article en-
titled : Pacific Policy of Italy : Renewal of Freindship between Italy and
m 7 hlch a reference is made to the extension of the treaty
of 1926, between the two countries, for a further period of one year (until
November 1937). Ihis is claimed as proof of the friendly disposition of the
fascist State towards Arab countries generally, with whom Italy desires
to promote economic relations based on respect for their institutions and for
a mobility. I he article alludes to the circulation in the press in some
Arab countries of reports that Italy intended to attack the Yemen, and de
clares it superfluous to publish further denials of such reports (which it attri-
butes to unspecified foreign sources), in view of the Duce’s pronouncement
that Italy will now confine her activities to the peaceful development of
Ethiopia. r
3. I am sending copies of this despatch to Cairo, Addis Ababa and Aden.