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'File 8/15 Arab Series - 1933-1939' [‎11v] (22/434)

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The record is made up of 1 file (214 folios). It was created in 31 Aug 1933-20 Mar 1939. 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. .

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18
Abdullah has, by his co-operation, materially assisted His Majesty’s Government
are the Druse rebellion of 1925, and the Pelestine disturbances of 1929. More
over, His Majesty’s Government are bound to King Feisal of Iraq by the Anglo-
Iraqi Treaty of Alliance of 1930, and have a special responsibility to support the
Amir Abdullah’s regime which has been set up in Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan under their direct
protection as mandatory. On the other hand His Majesty’s Government are
bound by special ties to King Ibn Saud in Saudi Arabia. They have main
tained friendly and indeed cordial relations with Ibn Saud ever since the
conclusion of the Treaty of Jedda in 1927. King Ibn Saud has not only main
tained and developed these friendly relations but has proved himself capable
of establishing and maintaining a stable and ordered Government in Arabia. It is
moreover important for His Majesty’s Government with their great Moslem
interests in India and elsewhere, to remain on friendly terms with the ruler of the
Holy Places of Islam. In these circumstances all that His Majesty’s Government
can do is to attempt to hold the balance evenly between the Hashimites on the
one hand and the Saudis on the other, and, while doing all in their power to pro
mote friendly relations between the two, to refrain from any action which might
lead to the predominance in Arabia of either house at the expense of the
other.
7. Apart from this major difficulty, there are also other elements in Arabia
proper which are unlikely to- be capable of combination in any unified system.
The most important of these are the independent kingdom of the Yemen, whose
ruler is short-sighted and quarrelsomy and on uncertain terms both with Ibn
Suad and King Feisal, though he ostensibly has treaties of friendship with
both ; and the various minor Arabian rulers, such as the Sheikhs of Koweit,
Bahrain, Qatar and the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. , who are extremely jealous of each
other and of their own independence, and have never shown any sign of
capacity for political co-operation. The Sultanate of Muscat and Oman
and the Aden Protectorate need not for the moment be considered in this
connexion. On the other hand if the protagonists of the political ideas of
“ Arab unity ” were ever to succeed in translating their ideal into practice,
it is probable that they would exercise strong pressure on the Sheikhdoms
of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. and of Southern Arabia, and on the Sultanate of Muscat and
Oman, to join in furthering their aim. Such Sheikhdoms as Koweit and Bahrain
are in close touch with Iraq and Saudi Arabia, both commercially and politically.
Moreover, all these States, including Muscat, maintain a fairly close link with
Saudi Arabia through the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, which is attended by many
members of their ruling families. The pilgrimage offers exceptional opportuni
ties not only for religious and cultural, but also for political, propaganda; and
if Mecca were at any time to become a political centre of a united Arabia, or of
a great Arabian confederation, it is possible that the political ideal for which it
would stand might exercise a considerable attraction over the Arab rulers of the
South Arabian and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. States and stimulate them to a greater desire
to co-operate with the leading States of Western Arabia at any rate from the
negative point of view of combatting western political and cultural influence in
the Middle East.
8. As regards the minor Arab States of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , an im
portant consideration is the fact that, save in the case of the Sultanate
of Muscat and Oman (where, however, we exercise a dominating influ
ence), the foreign relations of the rulers concerned are by treaty exclusively conduct
ed by His Majesty’s Government and that His Majesty’s Government are bound
by a series of treaties to give these States varying degree of protection against
foreign aggression and to assist them to maintain their independence. Apart from
these treaty obligations, it is a basic principle of the policy of His Majesty’s Govern
ment in the Middle East that these states should not be absorbed by any of their
powerful neighbours, but should remain as far as possible independent units under
effective British control. The development of inter-imperial air comunications,
both civil and military, has, in the last few years, given this well-established prin
ciple a new importance. In the case of Koweit, both King Feisal of Iraq and King
Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia have at various times shown signs of wishing to acquire
a hold over this territory, which would be a useful acquisition to either. Both on
treaty grounds, however, and on grounds of imperial policy, it is important to us that
Koweit should not be absorbed by either Saudi Arabia or Iraq.. Similarly as re
gards Bahrain, apart from our treaty obligations to protect the Sheikh against

About this item

Content

The file contains the Foreign Office confidential prints of the Arabia Series for the years 1933 to 1938. It includes correspondence, memoranda, and extracts from newspapers. The correspondence is principally between the British Legation in Jedda and the Foreign Office. Other correspondents include British diplomatic, political, and military offices, foreign diplomats, heads of state, tribal leaders, corporations, and individuals in the Middle East region.

Each annual series is composed of several numbered serials that are often connected to a particular subject. The file covers many subjects related to the affairs of Saudi Arabia.

Included in the file are the following:

  • a memorandum on Arab Unity produced by the Foreign Office dated 12 June 1933 (author unknown), folios 11-13;
  • a memorandum on petroleum in Arabia produced by the Petroleum Department dated 5 August 1933 (author unknown), folios 23-26;
  • a record of interviews with Ibn Sa‘ūd, King of Saudi Arabia, conducted by Reader Bullard and George William Rendel between 20 and 22 March 1937;
  • a memorandum on Yemen by Captain B W Seager, the Frontier Officer, dated 20 July 1937;
  • several records of proceedings of ships on patrol in the Red Sea, including that of HMS Penzance , Hastings , Colombo , Bideford , and Londonderry .

Folios 213-15 are internal office notes.

Extent and format
1 file (214 folios)
Arrangement

The file is arranged chronologically.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the back cover with 217; 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 ff 2-215; 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 and French in Latin script
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'File 8/15 Arab Series - 1933-1939' [‎11v] (22/434), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/310, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100025548486.0x000017> [accessed 19 March 2024]

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