Skip to item: of 391
Information about this record Back to top
Open in Universal viewer
Open in Mirador IIIF viewer

'File 61/11 IX (D 159) Nejd-Hejaz Miscellaneous' [‎41r] (92/391)

This item is part of

The record is made up of 1 volume (192 folios). It was created in 4 Apr 1939-16 Jan 1942. It was written in English. 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. .

Transcription

This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.

Apply page layout

l|| I BUSHiRE R ESiDENC Y./n^/
this document is the property of his britannic majesty's government kojljtfi >
CONriU*nriTl/.L RhC0..i.•
EASTERN (Arabia ). Augiisl I, r9B9.
CONFIDENTIAL. ^ ^0 S ection 1.
____
[E 5392/246/25] Co Py No -
Mr. JVo^ Viscount Halifax.—{Received August 1.)
My Lord| Jedda, July 18, 1939.
^ I HAVE the honour to transmit to your Lordship herewith a record of a
conversation which I had from Sheikh Yusuf Yasin this morning. The sheikh
reached Taif a few days ago, just in time to greet the French Minister when
he arrived on a two days' visit beginning on the 11th July. I had already heard
from M. Ballereau that he had had important conversations at 1 ait with
His Roval Highness the Amir Feisal and Sheikh Y usuf \asin. The latter
arrived in Jedda last night and requested me to call on him this morning.
2. The sheikh's statement, which was evidently communicated to me by
express command of the King, shows how deeply His Majesty feels on two mam
points viz., the Turkish menace to Arab independence, and the proposal to place
a member of the Hashimite family on the Throne of Syria. M. Ballereau himself
told me how keenly he appreciated the King's point of view on both these
subiects and how he would use every effort to convince the French Government
that it was essential to satisfy His Majesty about them both. As for the lur vis
menace M. Ballereau spoke bitterly of recent Turkish broadcasts which had
referred to the Hatay Agreement as something which merely returned to turkey
what had been hers all the time and had emphasised that there was no question
of the Turks being grateful to the French for this correction of an obvious
injustice. The French Minister proposed to speak to his Turkish colleague
with a view to arranging that the Turkish broadcasting service should at any
rate cease harping on this particular note, which gave great offence to many
local listeners. As for the Throne of Syria, M. Ballereau had toid me that he
had explained that that question had merely reached the stage of a series ot
vague proposals, which had originated with M. Puaux himse . e ci no
tell me tJhat he had told the Amir that he personally (M. Ballereau) regarded
the Amir Feisal as the ideal candidate. No doubt the King would like His
Majesty's Government to be equally complimentary; the only comment f made
on this question was to express hearty agreement when the sheikh saic, that
whoever sat on the Throne of Syria would shoulder a heavv burden.
3. I have reported separately on the subject of arms. Sheikh Yusut Yasm
told me that he had not told M. Ballereau that the German Government had
opened a credit of half a million pounds sterling for the purchase of arms nor that
they had presented to the Saudi Arabian Government 4 000 rifles and 8 mi no
rounds of ammunition. The conversation with M. Ballereau at Taif, however,
turned on tihe subject of arms owing to the French Minister s enquiry concerning
the activities of Khalid-al-Hud. It was M. Ballereau who first suggested that
the French Government might well supply such munitions as guns, machine guns
and tanks M Ba ii er eau that some details of the letter sent by the
King to Nuri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. A1 Said early this year were given to him.
5. Sheikh Yusuf Yasin proposed to stay m Jedda for some days, and
expressed the hope that a reply from His Majesty's Government giving their
comments and advice might arrive before he had to return to Riyadh I Pointec
out that such matters take a considerable time to consider The sheikh said that
the King was always glad to have the advice of His Majesty s Government and
that His Majesty also thought that His Majesty s Government might to
communicate what he had said, in some way best known to themselves, to the
French Government. . , n i tt - at • ^ '
8 I am sending copies of this despatch with the enclosure to His Majesty s
representatives at Cairo and Bagdad, and to His Majesty s consular officers at
Beirut and Damascus. _ . D
I have, &c.
A. 0. TROTT.
'07
[680 a—1]

About this item

Content

The volume consists of letters, telegrams, and reports relating to the affairs of Saudi Arabia. Most of the correspondence is between the British Legation in Jeddah, 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 Foreign Office in London, the Political Agencies in Kuwait and Bahrain, the 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. in London, and the Government of India.

The volume covers the build up to and outbreak of the Second World War and thus much of the correspondence focuses on this subject. Topics include:

  • the activities of the Germans, Italians, and Japanese in the region;
  • Ibn Sa'ud's allegiance to Britain and the Allies;
  • Ibn Sa'ud's anxiety about Hashemite dominance in Syria and potential attack from hostile Arab nations;
  • anti-Allied sentiment in the region;
  • the financial and political contribution of the United States of America.

Other subjects covered by the volume are:

  • the maintenance of law and order in the Kingdom;
  • the presence of community feeling and national identity;
  • Captain De Gaury's journeys in Saudi Arabia, including a report on agricultural development at Kharj, and the objection to his proposed tour of all of Arabia;
  • Amir Sa'ud's trip to India for medical treatment;
  • the anti-British activities of St John Philby and his subsequent arrest in India.

At the back of the volume (folios 177-186) are internal office notes.

Extent and format
1 volume (192 folios)
Arrangement

The volume is arranged chronologically.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio and continues through to the inside back cover. The numbering is 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'. of each folio. The first three folios are marked 1A, 1B, and 1C respectively, then the sequence continues from 2 as normal. There is one other foliation system, written in pencil and inconsistent.

Written in
English in Latin script
View the complete information for this record

Use and share this item

Share this item
Cite this item in your research

'File 61/11 IX (D 159) Nejd-Hejaz Miscellaneous' [‎41r] (92/391), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/572, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023555604.0x00005d> [accessed 28 March 2024]

Link to this item
Embed this item

Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.

<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023555604.0x00005d">'File 61/11 IX (D 159) Nejd-Hejaz Miscellaneous' [&lrm;41r] (92/391)</a>
<a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023555604.0x00005d">
	<img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x000221/IOR_R_15_1_572_0092.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
IIIF details

This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x000221/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images

Use and reuse
Download this image