'File 8/15 Arab Series - 1933-1939' [‎36v] (72/434)

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shortcomings of his administration of the Hejaz are, however, fully appreciated
by the educated classes and they have no desire that he should extend his rule to
this country.
5. 1 am sending a copy of this despatch to H. M. Minister at Jedda.
Enclosure to Serial No. (15)
Letter from the British Embassy, Baghdad, to the Foreign Office,. No. (83|
2{3-l), dated the 18th January 1934.
Our despatch No. 20 of January 10th [Serial No .(15)]. We have now
discovered the reason for the bouquets handed out by the vernacular press here
to Ibn Sa’ud on the anniversary of his accession.
2. The Sa’udi Charge d’Affaires sent photographs to the offices of all the
newspapers and paid them each according to the worth of the articles which they
printed.
3. We are sending a copy of this note to Jeddah.
(17)
{Received on 3rd March 1934, with Political Secretary^ letter No. 7, dated 15th
February 1934.)
Enclosure in Foreign Office covering letter No. E.-717|717|25, dated 6th February
1934.
Lette from His Majesty’s Minister, Jedda, to the Foreign Office, No. 6
(98|23]3), dated the 12th January 1934.
With reference to previous correspondence ending with my despatch No. 172
(1611|134|20) of the 5th June last, relative to the constitutional evolution of this
country, 1 have the honour to state that the Umm-al-Qura of January 5th con
tained a short article on the subject of reports in the Egyptian press, of which
1 have no other knowledge, to the effect that Ibn Sa’ud proposed to separate
certain part of his dominions, like the Hejaz and to place them “ under the
supervision of one of the neutral Sherifs ”, the first of whom would be one of
those living at Beirut. The Umm-al-Qura states that, as a result of inquiries
in high official circles, it is authorized to deny this report categorically. The
officials consulted pointed out the impossibility of any suggestion that the King
would do anything to destroy the unity, which he has striven for thirty years to
create. /
2. I have thought it worth while to draw your attention to this curious
report and the emphatic contradiction with which it has been met. You will
remember that early in 1926, Sherif Ali Hayder, the head of the principal branch
of the Dhawi Zeyd, sought the assistance of His Majesty’s Government in
securing the position of Regent or Governor of the Hejaz under Ibn Sa’ud and
that at a rather earlier stage in the Sa’udi conquest of the Hejaz, it was suggest
ed that Sherif Sharaf Adnan Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. might be set up by the Ibn Sa’ud as ruler of
the Hejaz. Little has since been heard of the ambitions of Sherif Ali Haydar
and his sons Sharaf Adnan, who entered the employment of Ibn Sa’ud, has sunk
into obscurity in Mecca. Whatever his relations with these people, it is to my
mind almost inconceivable that he should willingly place any of the Sherifian
family in any position of ^Masi-independent authority.
3. 1 had already drafted the first two paragraphs of this despatch, when
I received a copy, kindly sent to me by Sir H. Satow of his despatch to the
Foreign Office No. 119 of December 16th, regarding the Sherif Ali Haydar and
his son Abdul Majid. It looks as though that family were letting off a little
flight of ballons d’essai. The ambitions of the son, wdio is or was married to a
daughter of his namesake the last Turkish Caliph, are no new thing. <IHe used
to ventilate them freely at the Embassy in Constantinople during the period
following the Armistice with Turkey. I was on terms of friendship with both
father and son at that time, but have had no recent communication with them,
except that Sherif Abdul Majid sent me ti Christmas card soon after my arrival
here. I acknowledged as briefly as politeness would permit.
4. I am sending copies of this despatch to His Majesty’s High Commissioner
at Cairo and His Majesty’s Consul-General at Beirut.
A