'File 19/109 VI (C 45) Bahrain Relations with Foreign Powers' [‎27v] (71/520)

8
In the course of general conversation at Mr. Philby's tea party on February 28,
Ibn Sa ucl admitted that it was intended to bore for water at Has Tanuran, which
has been thought of as a possible site for a future port. His Majesty said that no
actual boring had taken place but that he had ordered a start to be made after
Ramadhan.
29. Yemen and A sir .—There were still no signs in January and February of any
serious repercussion on the relations between the Imam and Ibn Sa'ud as a result
of the latter s annexation of Asir. Both sides have been reported to be strehgthening
their military forces. In January the Italian Government manifested in London
anxiety lest the two parties should come to blows and suggested that they and His
Majesty s Government should exert a moderating influence on the Imam and the
King respectively. His Majesty's Minister was authorized, if at any time he re
ceived categorical information pointing to a danger of conflict, to make such re
presentations as he might consider useful. No situation arose up to the end of
February which would justify such intervention and on February 28 Sir A. Ryan
was directed to take no action. It seems improbable that Ibn Sa'ud, in his present
financial straits, would embark on an adventure in the extreme South, though the
temptation may ultimately be too strong for him; and there has been nothing to
shew that the measures which the Imam has almost certainly taken on his own side
of the Asir frontier are more than defensive.
i • —
. ^. n February 14, the Foreign Office reviewed the position in regard to
Asir in an important paper addressed to the Colonial and India Offices. It analysed
the legal situation as regards the consequences of Ibn Sa'ud's action on the status
of Asir and as regards the Treaty between Great Britain and Asir concluded in
1917. The legal conclusions were doubtful but tended, as regards the Treaty of
1917, to the view that, even if it had not previously ceased to operate for other
reasons, it• must now be regarded as having lapsed owing to the apparent extinction
i! u 6 £ 1S1 as an i n ^ erna tional person and as not being in its nature an instrument
the benefits and obligations of which could be held to have passed to a succession
TT^ii/r • 0 ^ er ^ ian d the Foreign Office cited the agreements reached between
is Majesty s Government and Italy in the course of the Rome Convention of 1927.
The final conclusion from all these considerations was that, in Mr. Henderson's
opinion, it would be best, subject to the concurrence of the departments addressed,
to instruct His Majesty's Minister at Jedda not to commit His Majesty's Govern
ment to recognition of the absorption of Asir into Ibn Sa'ud's dominions or to take
im Pty* n 8 Sllc h recognition without further instructions. It was suggest
ed that the position regarding the 1917 Treaty should be left intact in view of the
possibility that it might usefully be invoked, if a turn of the tide should restore
some measure of independence to the Idrisi.
HI-—Relations with States outside Arabia.
British Empires
Si. Courtesies.-—E\s Majesty the King telegraphed congratulations to Ibn
ba ud on the occasion of the anniversary of the latter's accession and a suitable
reply was returned after an interval just long enough to admit of its having been
ruc Wn XT- v, ^ ud himself at Riadh. After correspondence with the Foreign
6' His Majesty s Minister attended various ceremonies on Januarv 8 and 9
notmthstandmg the recent death of the Princess Royal, a bereavement on which'
m his father s absence, the Emir Feisal telegraphed condolences both to His Maiestv
the King and to the Legation in Jedda. The Hejaz-Nejd Minister in London nost-
poned his reception m honour of Ibn Sa'ud's accession until after the Court had eone
out of mourning. Ihe deferred reception was held at the Hyde Park Hotel on
rebruary20. ^ U11
Z2 Consuls at Bombay and Singapore.—The question of the proposed appoint-
ment of Hejaz-iNejd Consuls at Bombay and Singapore [December Report, Section
discussed between Sir A. Ryan and Sheikh Yusuf Yasin on Februarv 6
after it had been decided that the Singapore appointment might be agreed to in
principle subject to safeguards roughly similar to those suggested for Bombav
Sir A Ryan had been authorized to handle the matter on the lines suggested m
his telegram of December 29. He obtained from the Sheikh an admission tW
such appomtments must be the subject o£ international agreement. He empha
sized the readiness of His Majesty's Government to agree to the appointments in