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Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎129v] (259/540)

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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. .

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2
Paragraph
Paragraph
III.—Internal affairs—
VII.—Legislation...
170
General situation
113
Constitutional development and
VIII.—Press
177
administration
122
IV.—Financial, economic and com
IX.—Education ...
180^^
mercial affairs—
Finance
127
X.—The pilgrimage
182
Economic conditions and development
136
Communications, roads and ports ...
144
XI. —Slavery and the slave trade
186
Commerce
152
V.—Military and naval organisation ...
158
XII.—Naval matters
189
VI.—Aviation and connected matters—
XIII.—Miscellaneous matters of British
Air force...
162
interest ...
194
Other aviation ...
166
Landing grounds on the Hasa coast
167
Appendix. —An account of the adminis
Alleged violations of Saudi territory
168
trative system of Saudi Arabia.
I.—Introduction.
THE war between Saudi Arabia and the Yemen early in the year, and the
peace settlement in which it ended, dwarfed all other happenings in Saudi Arabia
in 1934. It would be interesting to speculate in detail on their effect on the
evolution of Ibn Saud and his regime, but the subject is still too conjectural to
merit lengthy treatment.
2. Broadly speaking, it may be said, now that more than six months have
elapsed, that Ibn Saud’s position in his own dominions has been very little
affected. It was suggested in the autumn in Koweit, that he had lost prestige
among his tribes, who attributed the moderation of his peace terms to inability
to extract more. His permanent prestige must, however, depend on factors more
directly affecting the sections of his subjects concerned. The elements of
disaffection always exist. The King rules not by the love which he may inspire
in some but by the fear he inspires in all. There have been no serious signs of
his losing his grip on his tribes as a whole, even though he may have had to
acquiesce in the unwillingness of some of them to go to the Yemen front. His
hold in the towns and settled areas seems to be at least as strong.
3. If there be any gradually growing weakness, it is at the centre. Ibn
Saud has of late shown signs of a certain lethargy. It may be true, as one critic
says, that the passion for sport, to which he now gives such free play, exhausts
his energies. He probably continues to believe, too ardently for a man of his
age, in the excellence of ‘‘woman in our hours of ease.” Anyhow, the King
does not perhaps impose himself on his advisers as effectively as of old or drive
them as an united team. Rumours of dissension in his own family are doubtless
exaggerated, but they are not without some foundation.
4. Material prosperity is still to seek. The 1934 pilgrimage was only a
little better than that of 1933. No economic schemes productive of immediate
money materialised in 1934, except in so far as the Standard Oil Company of
California, persevering with a good hope in Hasa, paid a substantial further
sum under their agreement. On the other hand, the finances of Ibn Saud and
his Government survived the strain of war, and money was found somehow or
other, if not to keep the salaries of officials up to date, to meet essential current
requirements.
5. The King’s appearance of victory in the war and the moderation of the
settlement enhanced his prestige in the outer Arab world, many elements of which
would be glad to hail him as the great Unifier. The attempts made in 1934 by
Nationalists from Syria, Palestine and elsewhere to give a new impetus to
pan-Arabism may derive some inspiration from the spectacle of Ibn Saud fillino-
the role of the one really great man among the Arabs now that King Feisal of
Iraq has gone, a spectacle seen close up by the mission of leaders mentioned in
paragraph 32 of this report. Whether Ibn Saud is himself ready to lend himself
to pan-Arab schemes and to take the incidental risks, including the risk of
embroilment with European Powers, is another question.

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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.

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English in Latin script
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Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎129v] (259/540), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2085, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036362871.0x00003c> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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