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Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [35v] (71/540)
The record is made up of 1 file (268 folios). It was created in 18 Apr 1931-18 May 1945. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
42
167. Having been informed by His Majesty’s Government in confidence that
they proposed to ratify the Anglo-Italian Agreement and to recognise the Italian
conquest of Ethiopia about the middle of November, Ibn Saud asked foi advice
as to his own attitude. His hand was forced, however, by the premature announce
ment of His Majesty’s Government’s intentions in the Italian wireless broadcasts,
and he sent a message to the Italian Minister in Jedda, who had raised the
subject again, that Saudi Arabia was prepared to recognise the conquest of
Ethiopia. When the birthday of the King of Italy arrived a day or two later, the
Saudi telegram of congratulation was addressed to the King of Italy and Emperor
of Ethiopia.
168. The Italian offer of arms (paragraph 134 of 1937) ended in the arrival
in March of some guns and some cases containing other war material. Fuad Bey
brought to His Majesty’s Minister a message from Ibn Saud, to say that he had
been obliged to accept some arms from Italy but that no material advantage would
ever affect his friendship for His Majesty’s Government, but he was rather vague
—studiously vague it seemed to Sir R. Bullard—about the nature of the consign
ment. He described them as specimens and said that if they were satisfactory,
orders might be passed. The legation never heard what the financial terms of the
transaction were.
169. The Italian air mission is still in Jedda, getting little professional
satisfaction out of its duties (see Aviation Section, paragraph 229).
170. At the reception for Saudi officials and notables which was held at
the Italian Legation on the 11th November the guests were treated to a special
broadcast from Bari telling them about the passionate interest which the Italian
Government take in the Mecca pilgrimage. They do in fact bring subsidised
pilgrims to the Hejaz, and the shipping and currency difficulties do give them a
great deal of trouble. For the 1938 pilgrimage they provided a military transport
fitted to carry 1,500 pilgrims, and it brought about 660 from Mogadiscio and went
back to Massawwa for some 560 more—a total considerably smaller than that of
the Italian pilgrims from East Africa, who, according to Italian figures, were
brought under State auspices the year before. Hostels for Italian pilgrims have
been established in Mecca and Medina. A Tripolitanian who had been inter
preter to the Italian Legation for many years was appointed as manager of the
Mecca hostel. The appointment was obviously political, but the Saudi circular
designed to check foreign propaganda (paragraph 16) will have hampered his
activities.
171. The alleged violation of Saudi territorial waters by a cruiser, and of
Saudi territory by two aeroplanes, all of which are believed to have been Italian,
is mentioned in paragraph 11.
Germany.
172. It is several years since Germany was mentioned in the annual report
from this post. But it was too much to hope that Germany would not sooner or
later fish in the troubled waters of Palestine. The reports about orders for arms
placed in Germany by Palestinian extremists could not perhaps be substantiated
in full, but in November, when the harsh measures against German Jews were
the subject of strong criticism in Great Britain, the Germans came out into the
open with violent anti-British propaganda on the subject of Palestine. The first
German broadcasts on the subject were made when His Majesty’s Minister was
in Riyadh, and Ibn Saud warned him of the danger, which he said was only
just beginning. The Arabs did not trust the Germans and the Italians, he
declared, but desperate men would accept help from any quarter. At another
interview he reaffirmed his friendship for His Majesty’s Government in spite of
approaches “ from other countries.” It was about this time that news was
received from His Majesty’s Embassy in Bagdad, that Ibn Saud had concurred in
a Syrian suggestion that the German Minister in Bagdad should be accredited to
Saudi Arabia also, and divide his time between the two posts. This news was
confirmed late in December by Fuad Bey, who told His Majesty’s Minister that
Dr. Grobba, the German Minister at Bagdad, was coming to jedda for the pilgrim
season, and that he had wanted to make an experimental flight direct from Bagdad
to Jedda—a request which had been refused by the Saudi Government.
About this item
- Content
This file contains copies of annual reports regarding the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd (later Saudi Arabia) during the years 1930-1938 and 1943-1944.
The reports were produced by the British Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, succeeded by Sir Reader William Bullard) and sent to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (and in the case of these copies, forwarded by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the Under-Secretary of State for India), with the exception of the reports for 1943 and 1944, which appear to have been produced and sent by His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires at Jedda, Stanley R Jordan.
The reports covering 1930-1938 discuss the following subjects: foreign relations; internal affairs; financial, economic and commercial affairs; military organisation; aviation; legislation; press; education; the pilgrimage; slavery and the slave trade; naval matters. The reports for 1943 and 1944 are rather less substantial. The 1943 report discusses Arab affairs, Saudi relations with foreign powers, finance, supplies, and the pilgrimage, whilst the 1944 report covers these subjects in addition to the following: the activities of the United States in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East Supply Centre, and the Saudi royal family.
The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (268 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 269; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at 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 present in parallel between ff 2-12 and ff 45-268; these numbers are also written in pencil but are not circled.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2085
- Title
- Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:269v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence