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'File 61/11 IX (D 159) Nejd-Hejaz Miscellaneous' [‎49r] (108/391)

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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. .

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this document is the property of his britannic majesty's government
October 18, 1939.
S ection 2.
[E 7017/549/25] Copy No.l
Sir R. Bullard to Viscount Halifax.—(Received October 18.)
(No. 140.)
My Lord, Jedda, Seftemher 19, 1939.
I HAVE the honour to submit a brief report on the situation as seen at
Jedda.
2. The German attempt to represent the visit of Khalid-al-Gargani, the
envoy of Ibn Saud. to Berlin as having great political significance did them more
harm than good in the eyes of Ibn Saud, who has no wish to be tied to Hitler's
chariot and to fly from known to unknown evils. It was reasonable that he
should try to obtain from the Germans arms which we could not supply, especially
if they were willing to grant favourable credits. Ibn Saud communicated to
His Majesty's Government the correspondence in which his envoy related the
progress of the negotiations with the Germans, and requested their advice when
the Germans asked for a neutrality agreement in return for the facilities
promised. The advice being rather long in coming, he on his own initiative
sent a polite refusal to enter into a neutrality agreement. It is interesting to
learn that the Germans hastened to accept Ibn Sand's point of view. Unless the
correspondence communicated to us has been falsified (and there is no reason
to believe this), Ibn Saud told the Germans openly that his interests prevented
his taking any step which would involve him in difficulties with His Majesty's
Government. The outbreak of war brought the negotiations to an end, and on
the 13th September Ibn Saud sent Khalid a telegram instructing him to return
home. Khalid had not enough money for the return journey, and as Ibn Saud
considered it impossible to send money to Germany, he instructed Khalid to go to
some neutral country, preferably Switzerland, where he could receive money from
Saudi Arabia for the journey home. Khalid is said to be due here soon, but
I have no official information on that point.
3. As Mr. Trott reported to you at the time, towards the end Khalid gained
the impression that the Germans were not anxious to supply the arms in any case.
If the Germans expected hostilities to break out soon, that might well be the case :
they would need all the arms they could get; Ibn Saud could not be relied upon
not to be sympathetic towards their enemy. Great Britain; and the foreign
exchange to be paid for the arms in instalments would probably never reach them.
Later, however, they seem to have been keen to supply the arms, and the agreement
was signed. Ibn Saud, however, seems to have taken it for granted that the
outbreak of war destroyed all hope of his getting the arms. I have received your
telegram No. 126, dated the 13th September, in which it is stated that if the
Germans are still willing to supply the arms without unacceptable conditions,
His Majesty's Government see no reason why Ibn Saud should not take advantage
of the offer, though as to the method of payment, about which His Majesty's
Government could make suggestions, they would deprecate the transfer of gold
to Germany. The agreement, a copy of which was transmitted in Mr. Trott's
secret letter of the 6th September to Mr. Baxter, provides for the sale of 10,000
Mauser rifles complete and 10 million cartridges for the sum of £119,962 3^.,
c.i.f. Jedda, payment to be made in seven equal instalments at dates from four
to seventy-six months after delivery of the goods.
4. It was to be expected that when the German Minister was handed his
passports by the Iraq Government he would try to make for Saudi Arabia, where
from the shelter of his other legation he might be a thorn in the side of the Allies,
and, in fact, he applied to Ibn Saud for permission to travel to Saudi Arabia
by land from Najaf, with several cars. Ibn Saud did not want to have Dr. Grobba
[730 s—2]
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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
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'File 61/11 IX (D 159) Nejd-Hejaz Miscellaneous' [‎49r] (108/391), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/572, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023555604.0x00006d> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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