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'File 61/11 V (D 95) Hejaz - Nejd, Miscellaneous' [‎222v] (461/530)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (261 folios). It was created in 12 May 1932-28 Dec 1933. It was written in English and French. 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. .

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2
intention here would appear to be to exclude the Idrisi from any consideration
in respect of a territory which had previously been an essentially Idrisi sphere.
6. The remaining three telegrams were somewhat more complicated. Ibn
Saud set forth at length his claims in respect of the Beni Yam, with whom many
of the tribes of Nejd were intimately related—which could not be said of the
Yemen's relations with that congeries of tribes. A division of the various
sections in accordance with their individual affiliations was proposed. The treaty
was repeatedly invoked with reference to the Najran, Ibn Saud maintaining that
the agreement concluded between the Imam and the Saudi delegates, Ibn Duleym
and Turki-al-Mahdi, provided for a division of that territory, from Weileh to
the south to go to the Yemen and from Weileh to the north to Saudi Arabia.
This was the agreement to which the Imam Yahya had set his hand, yet which
had so far only been honoured in the breach.
7. The protection and assistance offered by the Imam to the Idrisi drew
bitter words from the King. Ibn Saud had allowed the Idrisi to remain with
Imam Yahya, upon the conclusion of the treaty, for two reasons : Firstly, because
of his (Ibn Saud's) affection for his brother the Imam, and, secondly, because
the Imam had given a guarantee for the good conduct of the Idrisi whilst within
his territories. This guarantee, also, had not been observed, for the Imam must
be only too well aware of the activities of the Idrisi in fomenting discontent along
the frontier. The Idrisi was, after all, a very paltry fellow. Had not he been
driven out of Jizan, horse, foot and artillery, at the time of the Asir revolt, by
a. mere 300 Saudi soldiers! He was, moreover, a liar and cheat, and Ibn Saud
would tolerate no more of his mischief-making, but would ruthlessly punish
should he (the Idrisi) pursue his present tactics. It was suggested, therefore,
that the Idrisi should be expelled from the Yemen before further complications
occurred and the relations between the two rulers were involved in the trouble.
At any rate, Ibn Saud added a little significantly, all the necessary measures had
been taken to deal with the Idrisi and those who were assisting him.
8. This summary is necessarily bald and somewhat simplified. I may
perhaps record that I became increasingly conscious of the determination with
which Ibn Saud was putting forward his demands. The telegrams, it seemed to
me, contained noticeably less than the usual seasoning of pious utterances with
which he is wont to lard his communications. He seemed to mean business. The
telegrams were sent some ten days ago and so far no reply has been received from
Sana. The delay in communicating them to me was explained by the absence
of Amir Feisal recently, with his family, in Khurma, a village some little distance
east of Taif, and Sheikh Abdullah Suleiman's own absence for a time in Nejd
(where, however, it may be mentioned, he had not seen the King).
9. I questioned Sheikh Abdullah Suleiman concerning the treaty between
Saudi Arabia and the Yemen in regard to the frontier in the Najran area. He
admitted that he was unable to tell me whether the agreement was a written one
or whether it was merely a verbal understanding. He informed me that a number
of the leading tribal personages of the Beni Yam had recently been to Riyadh for
a conference with the King.
10. It may be perhaps inferred from the stand now taken by Ibn Saud that
his attitude is stiffening slightly. Feeling reassured as to the security of his
northern and other frontiers and enriched by the recent arrival of a handsome
sum in ready cash, which he no doubt regards as the earnest of more to come,
King Ibn Saud may now conceivably feel more able to take a strong line.
11. Copies of this despatch are being sent to His Majesty's Ambassadors
at Rome and Bagdad. His Majesty's High Commissioner for 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 , the
senior naval officer in the Red Sea sloops, and to the Acting Chief Commissioner
at Aden.
I have, &c.
A. S. CALVERT.

About this item

Content

The volume consists of letters, telegrams, and memoranda relating to the Hejaz and Najd. Much of the correspondence is from the British Legation in Jeddah, with regular reports on the situation in that region sent to Sir John Simon, the Foreign Secretary in London. The rest of the correspondence is mostly between the Political Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. in Bushire, the Political Agencies in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Muscat, the Colonial Office, and the Government of India.

The main subjects of the volume are:

  • the change in name from 'The Kingdom of the Hejaz-Nejd and its Dependencies' to 'The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia';
  • the announcement of Ibn Sa'ud's eldest son, Prince Sa'ud, as the heir apparent to the throne;
  • the territorial dispute between Yemen and Saudi Arabia after the latter's absorption of the 'Asir region into its kingdom.

A copy of the 23 September 1932 issue of the newspaper Umm al-Qura is contained in the volume (folios 57-58). It features the Royal Order proclaiming the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Other miscellaneous subjects covered in the volume include:

  • relations between Italy and Saudi Arabia;
  • a dispute between Ibn Sa'ud and his agent in Bahrain, al-Quasaibi [‘Abd al-‘Azīz al-Qusaibi], over a debt the former owes the latter;
  • a revolt against Ibn Sa'ud by tribes loyal to ex-King Hussein coming from Sinai;
  • a request for a loan made by Ibn Sa'ud to the British Government;
  • relations between the Soviet Union and Saudi Arabia;
  • relations between the USA and Saudi Arabia, including the visit of a Mr Gallant looking for oil concessions;
  • concessions for the building of the railway between Mecca and Jeddah;
  • the prospect of Saudi Arabia joining the League of Nations;
  • the case of two slave girls seeking refuge at the British Legation in Jeddah.

Other documents of note contained in the volume are:

  • a copy of a new customs tariff for Saudi Arabia (folios 122-134)
  • a 'Who's Who' of Saudi Arabia, produced by the British Legation in Jeddah and covering all those deemed important to know by the British (folios 183-200);
  • an envelope containing the torn-out pages of an article in the International Affairs journal (Vol. 12, No. 4, Jul., 1933, pp 518-534) entitled 'Ibn Sa'ud and the Future of Arabia.'

At the back of the volume (folios 245-251) are internal office notes.

Extent and format
1 volume (261 folios)
Arrangement

The volume is arrranged chronologically.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio and continues to the inside back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, circled and 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. Note that following f 1 are folios 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D. The sequence then continues as normal from folio 2. There are two other foliation systems present but both are inconsistent and neither are circled.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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'File 61/11 V (D 95) Hejaz - Nejd, Miscellaneous' [‎222v] (461/530), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/568, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023520518.0x00003e> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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