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'File 61/14 VIII (D 55) Relations Between Nejd And Iraq' [‎260r] (525/782)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (389 folios). It was created in 22 Dec 1928-29 Apr 1929. It was written in English and Arabic. 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

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the 'UraiM^r, ^
In this connection it misht not be out of place
to point out that the 'Uraitxiar are not a tribe, ae one
would laafeine froia paragraph 77 of Intelligence Report Ho.6
dated the 13th March 1929, issued by the Secretariat of
Hie Excellency the High Comalssioner for 'Iraq, but are, as
their name iaplies the "Household Arabs" of Kuwait. They
are also sometimes called Fidawfyah, and are usually spoken
of by the Shaikh himself as 'our servants'. Actually they
belong to yarious tribes: Rashaidah, 'AJman, Mutair, etc.,
all of which however are of the Najd type.
To revert to Captain Glubb's notes: it is per
fectly true, of course, that the Mutair are allowed to buy
supplies in Kuwait, and I absolutely agree with Captain
Glubb that an agreement has undoubtedly been arrived at by
which the Kuwait 'Uraibdar are to be left in peace in
return for this privilege. The Shaikh naturally never told
me when he made this agreement, and has no doubt all aloag
been nervous that we might stem in and force him to close
Kuwait to the Mutair - which from his point of view would
mean plunging his country into a state of insecurity simi
lar to that of last year, and denying a source of trade to
his subjects. He has however always said that Kuwait is
open to all who like to come to trade there. This is cer
tainly as far as he has gone, and to say that this agree
ment has ripened a regular alliance and that the Shaikh
helps the rebellious Ikhwan in every way possible, i», in
my opinion, merely absurd.
With regard to Ibn Hithlain's raid on 21st Janu
ary, I can show^ that he definitely tried to frustrate it
in so far as he could without embroiling himself with t he_,
Ikhwan , as, as soon as he received information about it,
in addition to informing me (which he could hardly help
doing) he sent a private telegram to Zubair for a taxi to
be sent out to warn as many shepherds as possible, and it
was this taxi coming back which the late Mr. Bilkert and
his party met shortly before they were fired on. I agree

About this item

Content

The volume consists of letters, telegrams, and reports relating to affairs between the British Mandate of Iraq and the Kingdom of Najd. The majority of the correspondence is between Leo Amery, Secretary of State for the Colonies, Austen Chamberlain, Foreign Secretary (both in London), Henry Dobbs, High Commissioner in Iraq (later Gilbert Clayton, Acting Hich Commissioner in Iraq), Lionel Haworth, Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in Bushire, Cyril Barrett, Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. in Bahrain, James More, Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. in Kuwait, Ibn Sa'ud, King of Hejaz-Najd and its Dependencies, John Glubb, Administrative Inspector in Iraq, Gerald De Gaury, Special Service Officer in Kuwait, the British Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Jeddah, and the Government of India.

The volume covers the period of unrest after a revolt by the Ikhwan , including a number of raids on Kuwait and the Battle of Sabila, which effectively brought the crisis to an end. Subjects raised are:

  • a raid on Kuwait by the Ikhwan;
  • an attack on a car on the Kuwait-Basra road in which an American Missionary, Henry Bilkert, is killed;
  • intelligence of tribal movements and activities, particularly those of the Ikhwan tribes of Mutair, 'Ajman, and 'Utaibah, and the threat and occurrence of cross-border raids, all gathered from reports by John Glubb, Flight Lieutenant Howes (Special Service Officer in Kuwait), as well as local rumour and reports;
  • issues concerning the defence of Kuwait;
  • the failure of Gilbert Clayton and Ibn Sa'ud to come to an agreement over the legitimacy of the desert 'police posts' in Iraq;
  • the thoughts, motivations, and capabilities of Ibn Sa'ud;
  • a second meeting between Ibn Sa'ud and Ikhwan leaders in Riyadh to try and resolve the crisis;
  • the idea of a blockade of Hasa ports to force the Najdi tribes into submission;
  • the Battle of Sabila and its aftermath.

Other subjects included are:

  • the imprisonment of Nuhaitar ibn Juraiyid of the Dhafir tribe in Hail;
  • the channels through which communication with Ibn Sa'ud should be made (i.e. through Bushire or through Jeddah).

Notable within the volume is a sketch map and extensive notes by Harold Dickson on the seasonal migrations of the shepherd tribes of the Lower Euphrates.

At the end of the volume (folios 378-382) are office notes.

Extent and format
1 volume (389 folios)
Arrangement

The volume is arranged chronologically. There is an alphabetical subject index to the contents, at the front of the volume (folios 3, 4). The index entries include the folio numbers of relevant documents, to help identify and locate them within the volume.

Physical characteristics

Main foliation: the sequence starts on the first page and continues through until the inside back cover. The numbering is written in pencil, circled, and positioned 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. There are the following irregularities: there is no folio numbered 2, instead, the second, third, and fourth folios have been numbered respectively 2A, 2B, and 2C.

Secondary, earlier foliation sequence: the numbers1 to 341 are written in pencil, but not circled, on folios that were subsequently renumbered 5 to 377.

Condition: the top left corner of folio 47 has been torn away, obscuring some text.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 61/14 VIII (D 55) Relations Between Nejd And Iraq' [‎260r] (525/782), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/584, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023663088.0x00007c> [accessed 19 April 2024]

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