File 1166/1925 'Arabia: Nejd; negotiations with Ibn Saud regarding Iraq-Nejd question and Trans-Jordan boundary; Sir G Clayton's mission; Bahra agreement, 2nd November, 1925' [‎140v] (287/769)

He proceeded to Mecca on Thursday evening and returned, as
arranged, on Saturday afternoon.
Tenth Meeting.
The tenth meeting was held on Sunday, the 25th October, at 9
a.m., on the return of Ibn Sa‘ud from his usual weekly visit to
Mecca; the attendance was as usual.
I informed Ibn Sa‘ud that I had given very careful thought to the
question of the frontier between Nejd and Trans-Jordan regarding
which we had been unable to come to an agreement, and that I had
come to the conclusion that, as we had discussed the matter in all
its aspects, further discussion was unlikely to be fruitful or to lead
to any good results. I had therefore decided that the time had
come when my best course would be to frame my final proposals and
to submit them to him for his examination and consideration, on the
understanding that these proposals represented the utmost limit to
which I was able to go and that, subject to discussion on minor
points and questions of detail, the principles which they embodied
must either be accepted or rejected as a whole.
I went on to say that in framing these proposals I had been in
fluenced not so much by the detailed arguments which had been
brought forward by His Highness as by the consideration of the
larger issues involved, and among these I quoted : the definite in
structions I had received with regard to the requirements of His
Majesty’s Government; the importance of the interests of all con
cerned in coming to a satisfactory agreement on an occasion which
was not likely to be repeated, and the unfortunate results which
must follow a rupture of negotiations; and the consideration which I
had felt bound to give to His Highness’ personal prestige and
authority with his people, by which he would be enabled in the
fullest measure to give effect to his declarations of lovalty and friend
ship to the British Government—declarations which I felt convinced
were based on a sincere wish to carry them into effect.
I then informed Ibn Sa‘ud that I would recount to him in general
terms the substance of the draft agreement which I had now framed.
The draft began with a preamble usual in such documents, which
was not a matter which was likely to give rise to any discussion.
The first article was most important, as in it I had laid down the
frontier between Nejd and I rans-Jordan. In drawing this frontier
I had been careful to safeguard fully all the points which His
. lajesty s Government had laid down as essential and I was quite
unable to depart from their instructions in this respect. I had,
h>\\ e\ er, taken the responsibility of using the very full discretion
v ith had been given me in one very important particular, and I had
so drawn the frontier line so as to include Kaf and Rekeban
in His Highness’ territories. I had, however, done this on
condition that my proposals were accepted as a whole and
that His Highness agreed to certain clauses which I had felt
bound to insert in order to safeguard as far as possible those
interests, the necessity for preserving which had induced His
Majesty s Government to press for the inclusion of Kaf within the
territories of Trans-Jordan. I then proceeded to inform His High
ness in general terms of those clauses, which included an undertak
ing on his part that he would not establish any fortified post or
military centre in Kaf or in the neighbourhood around it, and that
in the event of his finding it necessary to undertake exceptional