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'Memorandum on British Commitments to King Husein' [108r] (13/20)
The record is made up of 10 folios. It was created in 1918. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
13
On the 29th October, 191G, however, the "Ministers, Notables, Inhabitants and
Ulema of Mecca " presented an address to Sherif Husein, in which thev declared after
a long preamble :—
" We proclaim His Majesty our Seyyid and Lord, Husein bin Ali, King of the
Arabs, to mle us according to the law of God and His Prophet, and we swear to
you the oath of loyalty and obedience, secretly and openly; and in addition we
consider you as a final religious authority, which fact we have agreed upon pending
the decision of the Moslem World regarding the Caliphate." 80
Sherif Htisein declared on his part :—
i his sentiment of loyalty does not belong only to the inhabitants of this
country, but the Arabs of Syria and Irak likewise are yearning to be united with
us and to restore their freedom and glory. I have received messages from their
notables to this effect."
On the same day Sherif Abdullah telegraphed as follows to Sir H. McMahon and
to the Governments of ali Allied and Neutral countries :—
" Je suis tres heureux de vous informer que les notables, les ul^mao Ju pays
et toutes les classes de la population, s'^tant rdunis aujourd'hui, ont k I'unanimite
reconnu Sa Majeste le Grand Cherif Hussein-ben-Aly 'Koi de la nation arabe'
Sa iMajest^ devient de ce fait Sonverain des Arabes, etant donne (pie le pays est
p^netre de sa capacite diplomatique, de sa parfaite loyaut^ en vers sa patrie, et de
son desir sincere de rdpandre les bienfaits de rinstruction et de la justice dans
toutes les regions arabes d^livr^es du joug de la bande Union et Progres.
La nation arahe a tout lieu d'esp^rer que vous la reconnaitrez membre :tctif
dans la societe des nations, et connue telle, l^lle le prouvera dans I'avenir.
" Avec I'appui du Tout-Puissant, veuillez agreer, etc.
(Signe) Le Ministre des Affaires Etrangeres du Gouvernement arabe,
le Cherif Abdullah." ;1
Sherif Husein was duly crowned " King of the Arabs ' at Mecca, on the 4th
November, 19In, 32 and there was a simultaneous ceremony at Jeddah, which Mas not,
however, attended by the French and British representatives. 33
On the 2nd November, 191 (5, in his telegram No. 961 to the Foreign Office, Sir H.
McMahon suggested that, in view of our treaties recognising the independence of other
Arab Chiefs, we could only recognise Sherif Husein as " King (Mnlik) cf the Hejaz , . 3!
On the 3rd November, 1916, the Foreign Office telegraphed to Sir H. xMcMahon
(No. 880) that the Sherif might be congratulated but not yet accorded recognition, and
that the French Government desired to conform their action to that of His Majesty's
Government. 35
On the 6th November, 1916, the Foreign Office telegraphed to Sir R. Wingate
(Khartoum) the following instructions for a replv to Sherit Abdullah on behalf of the
Governments of Great Britain, France and Russia:—
" His Majesty's Government and the Governments of France and liussia,
though they regard, and will continue to regard. His Highness as the titular head
of the Arab peoples in their revolt against Turkish misrule, and are glad further to
recognise him as the lawful and de facto ruler of the Hejaz, are unable to
recognise the assumption by him of any sovereign title which might provoke
disunion among Arabs at the present moment and thus prejudice the final
political settlement of Arabia on a satisfactory basis. That settlement, to be
durable, must be come to with the general assent of other Arab rulers, of which at
present there is no evidence, and must follow, rather than precede, military
success.''
On the 9th November, 1916, Sir H. McMahon telegraphed to the Foreign Office
(No. 991) demurring to the expression " titular head ; and the French Government
proposed the substitution for the words " Arab race' of the words " population
of Arabia." 37
30 24 ( j 121/1(). (Translation from " El Qibla," the 30tli October, ItllG.) The Address is also translated
iu Colonel Wilson's despatch. No. 12, of the 81st October, li<16, to Sir H. McMahon (283117/l(i). Kor the
ceremony, compare Colonel Bremond'ti accouut derived from Mo >*lrm officers of the FreuCh Mission who
were present (22u784/lt>). 31 217652/16. 32 222840 /16. 83 242008/16. 44 220880/16.
35 220882/16. See also 222021/16. 36 221869/16. V 227874/16 and 228969/16.
[883] E
About this item
- Content
This is a printed memorandum outlining British commitments made to King Husein [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] compiled by the Political Intelligence Department of the Foreign Office. The memorandum is split into seven sections as follows: 'General Guarantees against the Restoration of the status quo'; 'Guarantees regarding the Moslem [Muslim] Holy Places'; 'Boundaries of Arab Independence'; 'Foreign Administration of Irak [Iraq], Syria and Palestine'; 'Relation of Sherif Husein to Great Britain'; 'Sheif Husein's Title'; and 'The Caliphate'. References to various sources, including Foreign Office correspondence, the Meccan El Qibla [al-Qiblah] newspaper and La Verité sur la question syrienne (Fourth Turkish Army Command: Stamboul, 1916), are made in the text and in footnotes.
- Extent and format
- 10 folios
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The foliation for this description commences at folio 102 and terminates at folio 111, as it is part of a larger physical volume; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between folios 11-158; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and can be found in the same position as the main sequence.
- Written in
- English and French in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/18/B292
- Title
- 'Memorandum on British Commitments to King Husein'
- Pages
- 102r:111v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence