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'File 8/15 Arab Series - 1933-1939' [‎141v] (282/434)

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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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55
iorward action in that area for the moment. Italy has trouble enough on
her hands, particularly in the economic and financial spheres, and of
course Abyssinia has still to be digested; indeed, the greater part of that
country has not yet even been swallowed.
Italy’s foreign policy is essentially opportunist and I therefore hesi
tate to venture any prophecy as to future trends. 'My own personal view
is that Italy will quietly but determinedly make a drive during the next
few years at undermining our influence in the Arab and Moslem world;
so we must be prepared for intrigue of every sort. But I doubt whether
they will “strike” just yet. They are more likely to concentrate on prepar
ing the ground, perhaps in the hope that they may eventually be able to get
what they want without having to “strike” at all.
( 81 )
Letter from the British Embassy, Rome, to the Foreign Office,
No. 950, dated the 29th August 1936.
I have the honour to inform you that, according to a recent Stefani
communique, the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce between Italy and
the Yemen dated the 2nd September, 1926, the text of which was enclosed in
Mr. (now Sir Charles) Wingfield’s despatch from this Embassy, No. 846
of the 4th October, 1926, has been extended until November 1937 by an
exchange of notes between the two Governments. I shall not fail to supply
you with the text of these notes as soon as they are published in the Official
[Gazette.
2. The extension of this treaty has been the occasion of considerable
comment in the press here. An article in the Popolo di Roma recalls that
the important points established by the treaty were the declaration by the
Government of the Yemen of their willingness to import technical material
from Italy and to admit Italian experts into the country to assist in its
economic development, and the declaration by the Italian Government of
their willingness to grant facilities in this sense. When the treaty was
concluded (continues the writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. of the article) a number of Arab journals
expressed the fear that Italy was planning to turn the Yemen into a zone
of exclusive Italian influence and that the provisions of the treaty were
not compatible with the full independence of that country. The ten years
which have lapsed since the treaty was signed have been sufficient to
explode this myth. Not only does the agreement not impinge in any way
on the liberty of action of the Yemen Government, who are not obliged by
it to accept Italian materials or experts against their wishes and whose
liberty to purchase in whatever market they wish is expressly reserved, but
Italy’s policy since the signature has given rise to no suspicions that she has ^
any other designs in the country than those compatible with true friend- '
ship.
3. In an article in the Messaggero it is stated that the prolongation
of the treaty corresponds with the plans of the Italian Government for the
development and maintenance of peaceful relations' with the countries on
the eastern coast of the Red Sea, where there exists a long tradition of
commercial exchange and affinity of custom and religion with Ethiopia.
Italy is determined, says the writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. of this article, through relations of
“bon-voisinage” maintained with these States, to contribute by all the
means in her power to their progress and civilisation. She has no designs
on their independence or their autonomy. This policy “is an aspect of the
Italian Empire which will assume more and more importance as time goes
on and which fits in perfectly with the programme of relations between
Italy and the Orient* on which the Duce insisted in two memorable
speeches.” The speeches to which reference is here made appear to be
those which he pronounced at the opening of the Congress of Asiatic
Students in December 1933, a summary of which was enclosed in Sir Eric

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' [‎141v] (282/434), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/310, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100025548487.0x000053> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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