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Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [87v] (175/540)
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.
dealt with in some detail elsewhere, but it is appropriate to quote here from a
despatch addressed to His Majesty’s Minister by the Foreign Office on the
29th December, in which was given the tenour of statements made on various
occasions in the course of conversations between representatives of the Foreign
Office and the Saudi Minister in London. The Minister was informed, with
reference to King Ibn Saud’s natural anxiety at the apparent development of
Italian designs in South-Western Arabia, that His Majesty’s Government were
under no illusions regarding the activities of the Italians. On the other hand,
the extent to which the Italians might be prepared to go in violating their under
takings to His Majesty’s Government under the Rome understanding of 1927
would necessarily depend to a very large extent on the course of Anglo-Italian
relations in Europe and the Mediterranean. If, as seemed probable, some kind of
detente were reached with the Italians over these major questions, it would be less
likely that they would provoke a conflict with His Majesty’s Government by
violating the obligations which Rome had assumed towards them in Arabia in
1927. The key to the situation was, in fact, in so far as Italy was concerned, out
side Arabia. In these circumstances, while His Majesty’s Government
appreciated intensely the friendly and correct attitude which King Ibn Saud had
continuously maintained towards them, and more particularly in so far as the
question of their policy in Palestine was concerned, and while their policy in
Arabia was based, as His Majesty knew, on the principle of the maintenance of a
strong well-governed and wholly independent Saudi Arabian State, it would not
be possible for them, for the reasons which had already been explained by
Sir Andrew Ryan a year ago, to give King Ibn Sand any direct guarantee in so
far as Italy might be concerned. This did not mean, however, that they would
view any Italian penetration in Arabia with indifference, or that their attitude
towards King Ibn Saud was in any way less cordial or friendly. It merely meant
that they were unable to enter into any specific commitment in regard to Arabia
in matters where the deciding factors would depend primarily on the develop
ments of high European policy.
57. The troubles in Palestine gave to Ibn Saud a remarkably favourable
opportunity to enhance his position in the Arab world, and at the same time to
place His Majesty’s Government under an obligation. Within the limits of the
occasion he gave proof of those sentiments towards His Majesty’s Government
which he had always claimed to possess, and if he looked beyond-that occasion to
the possibility that the entire Arab world might some day be free from European
domination, we cannot be surprised at that. His conduct throughout the Palestine
crisis tended to bear out the definition which was given in paragraph 6 of the
1935 report, where Sir Andrew Ryan described the King’s attitude as evolving
not in the direction of promoting the creation of a single united Arabia under
one head, but of consolidating the mutual relations of the principal independent
Arab States already in existence and making this serve the realisation of national
aspirations in other Arab areas.” If the first proposals placed before the Iraq
Government for a treaty of alliance contained provisions for a policy of inter
ference in Arab territories with which His Majesty’s Government and the French
Government are in special relations, those provisions were dropped very quickly
and in other respects Ibn Saud showed no tendencv to interfere in this way His
relations with Koweit improved, and his denial that Mr. Philbv’s expedition into
the Aden Protectorate had had any express or tacit authorisation from him was
accepted. There is reason to believe that the Turkish claims in respect of
Alexandretta and Antioch administered a salutary shock to him. It could hardlv
fail to bring home to him the weakness of the “ Arab world ” against assault by a
powerful and resolute enemy like Turkey. Fuller consideration of this question
however, belongs to the following year. ’
58. Official relations in Jedda were very good, except for one or two breezes
raised out of policy as a warning to the Minister for Foreign Affairs not to be too
tiresome. I he Saudi Government took pains to show the greatest consideration
on the sad occasion of the death of His Majestv King George V and sent thp
Amir Faisal and a number of high Saudi officials toLh^Sgation to present
condolences; and on being invited to send a mission to represent Saudi Arabia
at the Coronation in May 1937 they decided that it should be headed by the
heir apparent, the Amir Sand, who would be accompanied by Sheikh Yusuf Yasin
They were particularly friendly, too, on the departure of Sir Andrew Ryan and
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