'File 61/11 X (D 170) Nejd-Hejaz Miscellaneous' [‎124r] (260/554)

chase of foodstuffs in India.
3. Whilst little of interest has happened in Saudi Arabia
itself and whilst this report must mainly "be a recording of the
impact on the country of events outside^ the war did for a few
days come closer to Saudi Arabia. On the 3rd. April a message
was received that three Italian destroyers which had escaped from
Massawa were making for Jedda# ■ To the relief of the local author
ities, who had received the news of the impending arrival of the
ships with consternation, they were driven ashore by combined
naval and air action some ten miles to fifteen miles south of Jedda
and scuttled by their crews. In the course of this action Saudi
territory was fairly contirhftOiel^ violated for more than an hour by
the Royal Air Force. One pilot, mistaking a. pilgrim ship at
anchor in jedda harbour for one of the destroyers, dropped a bomb
and, having scored a near miss, machine-gunned the legation launch
as it left the pilgrim ship. This activity, though appreciated
neither by the captain of the pilgrim ship nor by the five members
of the Legation staff on board the launch, was understandable as
alongside the British ship was the H Asia n , a burnt out French
pilgrim ship lying on her side, mistaken by the pilot for a damaged
destroyer. The captain f s wrath was somewhat allayed by a signal
from the British destroyer engaged: "sorry you have been troubled^
Therewere no casualties or damage. Ibn Saud issued a formal
official protest to His Majesty's Government explaining privately
at the same time that he personally did not mind but that if he
allowed his territory to be violated without protest he woui4
himself open to criticism by the "others 1 ^ - the Axis*.
4. As a result of this ■engagement:. th^
-three -deetroye-ps, unhurt except for sore feet, struggled into
Jedda and were interned* The number of the internees was swelled
during the following weeks by the arrival of small parties of
Italian and German merchant seamen who had fled from Massawa in
their ships' boats. Five small parties also arrived by aetfcolane
from Asmara; these after short periods of detention were allowed
to proceed. The presence of these internees has., been a constant
source of annoyance. The Italian Minister protested vigorously
against the internment of the civilians as being contrary to Inter
national law but Ibn Saud stood firm on the ground that these, men
had landed on his territory without permission and aould either
remain interned or be expelled, pointing out that the latter
course would be tantamount to handing them over to a British author^,
ity as they must necessarily pass through British controlled
territory or waters en route for their own or a neutral country*
Ibn Saud felt himself unable in the absence of any precedent to
agree to a suggestion.that, as his attitude towards His Majesty's
Government was that of non belligerency rather than neutrality,
he might hand over all his internees to us* He did not regard
the handing over of internees in Iraq, as a sufficiently good pre
cedent#.
5. Italian stock, never high/ fell even lower as a result of
the arrival of the tattered crews of the scuttled destroyers.
An attempt.was made by the Italian Government to replace their
inept Minister, Signer Sillitti, by Signor Grolla, but Ibn Saud
refused permission for the latter to make the journey by aeroplane#-.
Towards the end of the year the funds of the Italian Legation
were exhausted and Signor Sillitti appealed to the Saudi Government
• r i , ass: ^ s ^ anC6 * • Saud arguing that it was not consistent
with his sense of Arab dignity and hospitality to allow a foreign
representative 5 whose function made him an honoured guest, to
starve, sanctioned a fairly generous allowance, the amounts so
/advanced