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'File 61/11 I (D 41) Relations between Nejd and Hejaz' [‎33r] (78/600)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (295 folios). It was created in 19 Apr 1923-6 Nov 1924. 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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)rder that no suspicion should rast on him of wishing to defeat its
)bjeGt .Ha has stated sufficiently plainly since, that his enemies spoilt
'ihe conference while he ardently desired a peaceful soQ.iltion of the
lifficulties. He was forced to put himself in the wrong in not sending
lis son,when subsequently Hussain agreed to send Amir z&id.for had he
}ent him,*3^the^discussions been confined to only the two of uh- m,it
rould have been extrememly difficult for him to saroid making peace
dthout exposing his hand,and I believe,he wanted the conference to
ail,in such a manner th* t he could put the blame on the others to act
as an excuse for his future actions. On top of all this has come
ussains assumption of the JLh^lifate,which has be-n the sir .
I believe that hostilities would have broken outst before this
but that the season is wrong for movements of the Akhwan.They must
wait till next autumn rains provide grazing in the desert. Meanwhile
believe Bin aaud is laying his plans,firstly to stir up trouble as
far as possible among malcontents in the Hedjaz & Transjordania [±n
hich connection please see my 122^1^3 ^ secondly so to arrange matters
hat he can escape personal responsibility.To this end he is making, much
11
f his inability to restrain his subjects who have, so loggsuffered at
he hands of the 3harifian family A' while Hussains assumption of the
Oialifo te affords him an excellent means of rousing the ardour of the
ikhwan whose fanaticism has recently been declining.
I am inclined to believe that this is where the doQUEmtt under
^consideration comes in. Generally, documents sent in by some such
unofficial route, are aimed against the 'Sultan, but this one tauM be so
much to his liking / that there seems no reason why it should be got up
fc sent in behind his back. fOn the other hand / he could hardly,without
being accused of causing the trouble,write in direct, lb under his own
name,demanding that we deprive his enemies of assistance & stating tto?
that he is making preparations for war. I think if we were to r sk
him if the document came from him,he would at once deny all knowledge
of it,but say that it was definite proof of the fmt that his subjects
could no longer be restrained |j vere clamouring for war,* that as he
was holding them back, they had felt forced to get up this doQiiment
pretend it came from him,to force his hand. I may be unduly pessimi ti

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Content

The volume consists of letters, telegrams, and memoranda relating to relations between Najd and the Hejaz. The majority of the correspondence is between Reader Bullard, the British Agent 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 Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Bahrain, the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Kuwait, the High Commissioner in Baghdad, the Colonial and Foreign Offices, both in London, the High Commissioner in Jerusalem, the Government of India, and Ibn Sa'ud himself, or his representatives.

Most of the volume covers events leading up to, and immediately after, the Ikhwan's capture of Taif, including Hussein ibn 'Ali's abdication and his son 'Ali's attempts to retain control of the Hejaz. There is a detailed report of the capture of Taif by Bullard (folios 186-201, 273-281). The documents reflect British concern with the reaction of Indian Muslims, with duplicates of correspondence regularly forwarded to numerous offices back in India. Some papers are about the effort to evacuate British Indian refugees and pilgrims from the region.

Other subjects covered in the volume are:

  • the build-up to and ultimate failure of the Kuwait Conference of 1923-24;
  • King Fuad of Egypt's suspected financial backing of Ibn Sa'ud's takeover of the Hejaz;
  • the defining of the Hejaz-Trans-Jordan border;
  • the motivations and movements of St John Philby and Rosita Forbes, both of whom were thought to be trying to gain entryinto Central Arabia.

Notable in the volume are a newspaper cutting from The Times of Mesopotamia , dated 13 July 1923, regarding treaty negotiations between Britain and King Hussein (folio 4), and extracts of letters from Ameen Rihani to Ibn Sa'ud that had been intercepted by the British and which offer advice on foreign policy.

Extent and format
1 volume (295 folios)
Arrangement

The volume is arranged chronologically. The internal office notes at the back of the volume (renumbered as folios 247-258) include a chronological list of the main contents, together with a simple, running index number from 1 to 111. These index numbers are also written on the front of the documents they refer to, in red or blue crayon and encircled, to help identify and locate them within the volume.

Physical characteristics

Main foliation sequence: numbers are written in pencil and circled, in the top right corner on the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio. The numbering, which starts on the front cover of the volume and ends on the inside back cover, is as follows: 1A-1D, 2-262.

Secondary and earlier foliation sequence: the numbers 1 to 322 are written in pencil in the top right corner on the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. of each folio, except for the internal office notes at the back of the volume, which are paginated in pencil from 1 to 23. Published copies of four British Government reports at the front of the volume (renumbered as folios 2-63) also have pencilled page numbers written on them.

Condition: broken spine cover.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 61/11 I (D 41) Relations between Nejd and Hejaz' [‎33r] (78/600), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/564, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023872871.0x00004f> [accessed 19 April 2024]

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