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'File 8/7 I Jidda Intelligence Reports' [‎88r] (175/536)

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The record is made up of 1 file (266 folios). It was created in Jul 1931-Dec 1934. 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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o
THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY S GOVERNMENT
EASTERN (Arabia).
( p 7'. |
March 21, 1933.
CONFIDENTIAL.
71 QQ
Section 1.
[E 1495/902/28]
' 1955 ^
*~No. 1.
i
Sir A. Ryan to Sir John Simon.—{Received March 21.)
^ ^ Jedda, March 6, 1933.
’ I HAVE the honour to submit herewith the Jedda report for February 1933.
Copies have been distributed as in the list appended to the report for
January.
I have, &c.
ANTTIRFW RYAN
Enclosure in No. 1.
Jedda Report for T^vruary 1933.
Chapter I .—Internal Affairs.
(Confidential.) ,
13. The King remained at Riyadh throughout the month. He is expected
to return to Mecca about the middle of March, about three weeks befoie
Pilgrimage Hay, which should fall on or about the 4th April.
14. The Amir Feisal visited Jedda from the 7th to the 9th February.
Besides receiving Sir Andrew Ryan and Mr. Hope Gill (see paragraph 23), he
visited the local hospital, the reconditioning of which was foreshadowed in
January, and presented £100 to it. .
15. There was marked activity in February in connexion with financial and
economic schemes for the betterment of Saudi Arabia. The following were the
principal developments—
{a) Abdul Hamid Shedid, the ex-Khedive’s agent (paragraph 2), seems to
have made considerable progress with negotiations for the creation of a national
bank, with a capital of £1 million gold, to be subscribed as to one-half by the
ex-Khedive. It is understood that the Saudi Government will have the option
of subscribing £250,000, but that, in the almost certain event of their not doing
so, the promoters have another source in view. The remaining £250,000 will be
offered for subscription in the Hejaz. The bank will serve as State bank, and
receive all revenue on deposit. A loan of £200,000 is to be made to the Saudi
Government. The bank will have the privilege of issuing notes, but it is not
clear that their use will be made compulsory at the outset. It is not known what,
if any, economic concessions have been promised to the ex-Khedive and his
associates. The financial basis and prospects on which they are working are
obscure; the possible political motives of Abbas Hilmi Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. even more so.
(5) Dr. S. A. K. Jeelani of Madras left for India on the 24th February,
after concluding laborious negotiations for a fifty years’ concession to build
and exploit a railway between Mecca and Jedda. The Government secured very
favourable terms, including a 50 per cent, share in gross receipts and a loan of
10 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. , repayable in annual instalments. It seemed probable that
Dr. Jeelani had moral support in India, but had still to get the definite financial
backing required. The scheme is almost certainly unsound as a practical
economic proposition, but may nevertheless find support on religious grounds.
{c) The American, Mr. Twitched, who conducted extensive surveys for the
Saudi Government in 1931-32, returned to Jedda on the 15th February, with a
Mr. Hamilton, who represents the Standard Oil Company of California. He no
longer serves the Saudi Government, but has interested American concerns in the
[739 x—1]

About this item

Content

The file contains intelligence reports on the Kingdom of Hejaz, Najd and its Dependencies (after September 1932, Saudi Arabia) written by the British Legation at Jeddah.

Between July 1931 and December 1932 the reports are issued every two months, with the exception of the January-March 1932 and April 1932 reports. From January 1933 the reports are sent on a monthly basis.

Between July 1931 and December 1932, each report is divided into sections, numbered with Roman numerals from I to IX, as follows: Internal Affairs; Frontier Questions; Relations with States outside Arabia; Air Matters; Military Matters; Naval Matters; Pilgrimage; Slavery; and Miscellaneous. Each section is then further divided into parts relating to a particular matter or place, under a sub-heading. Some reports contain an annex.

From January 1933, when the reports become monthly, they take a new format. Each is divided into sections, as follows: Internal Affairs; Frontier Questions and Foreign Relations in Arabia; Relations with Powers Outside Arabia; Miscellaneous (often containing information on slavery and the pilgrimage).

Most reports are preceded by the covering letters from the Government of India, who distributed them to Political Offices in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and elsewhere, and the original covering letter from the Jeddah Legation, who would send them to the Government of India and Government departments in London. From May 1933, most reports were sent directly to the 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. at Bahrain from Jeddah.

Up until January 1933, each report began with an index giving a breakdown of the sections with references to the corresponding paragraph number. From January 1933 onwards no index is included.

Extent and format
1 file (266 folios)
Arrangement

The file is arranged chronologically.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover and terminates at the back cover; 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 incomplete foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 6-11; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'File 8/7 I Jidda Intelligence Reports' [‎88r] (175/536), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/295, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100025543724.0x0000b0> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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