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Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [135r] (270/540)
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.
13
[11812] b 7
51. The combined effect of these factors was a complete impasse as regards
the Neutral Zone. The Saudi Government had created it by treating with two
interests in succession without reference to the position of the Sheikh of Koweit.
Fuad Bey urged strongly in London that TIis Majesty’s Government should
help them to find a way out by promoting a combine of interests.
^Te threw out subsidiarily a suggestion that in the last resort the
Neutral Zone might be divided. His Majesty’s Government were not disposed
to move quickly as regards the Neutral Zone concession, partly because they were
anxious to see the negotiations between the sheikh and the Koweit Oil Company
brought to a successful conclusion, as they eventually were, but not until the
23rd December. The balance of opinion in British circles was against any division
of the Neutral Zone, and it was eventually decided not to pursue this idea, unless
Fuad Bey should revert to it.
52. It will be understood that the above is merely an attempt to summarise
the main lines of transactions of a peculiarly tangled kind, involving, moreover,
factors so remote from Jedda that it is difficult for the Legation to see all of
them in their exact proportions.
(B)— With Powers outside Arabia.
(1) British Commonwealth of Nations.
His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom.
53. The relations between Saudi Arabia and His Majesty’s Government in
the United Kingdom were on balance not less friendly in 1934 than in 1933.
This statement is, however, more than ever subject to the qualifications indicated
in paragraph 69 of the last report, where it was stated that ‘ ‘ the value in Ibn
Sand’s eyes of the friendship shown by His Majesty’s Government is impaired
by their policy of showing at least equal friendship to other Arab rulers, by their
inability to give him material assistance, and to some extent by their hardness in
regard to various matters, e.g., debts and slavery and as regards Ibn Saud’s
own attitude, that “his friendship, in any case, is always coloured by Islamic
feeling and Arab suspicion.” In 1934 the situation between Saudi Arabia and
Transjordan
Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan
practically ceased to trouble Anglo-Saudi relations, but other
circumstances threatened them with an even greater eventual strain and gave the
King even greater reason to regard the policy of His Majesty’s Government as
being unforthcoming, harsh, and even, from his point of view, unjust.
54. During the early part of the year Ibn Saud’s whole outlook was
dominated by his difficulties with the Yemen, and he did his best both to enlist
the friendly interest of His Majesty’s Government in his cause and to avoid
giving them offence. When H.M.S. Penzance arrived at Medi on the 27th April,
the day after its occupation by Saudi forces, the Amir Feisal mishandled the
situation and the King himself was perturbed, but he quickly came to see that
British naval visits to ports which were only in his occupation should not be
resented, whatever might be thought of similar Italian visits, so that at Hodeida
the relations between His Majesty’s ships and the Saudi authorities were
uniformly friendly (see paragraph 192 {a) below). In May the King, who had at
certain earlier stages of the Yemen business deluged the Legation with
bursts of confidence, caused Fuad Bey to press Sir Andrew Ryan hard as to the
attitude of His Majesty’s Government towards the possibility of Italian inter
vention. It was only with difficulty that he was headed off putting embarrassing
questions in a very definite form. This delicate matter was removed from the
sphere of practical politics by the termination of the war, but in the meanwhile
a question much more directly affecting Anglo-Saudi relations had come into
prominence. It was unfortunate that by a pure coincidence it arose when the
King was at grips with the Imam and might easily suppose His Majesty’s
Government to have chosen the moment purposely to take advantage of his
embarrassment. The question was this.
55. Doubts had arisen in the latter part of 1933 (see paragraph 57 of the
report for that year) as to what should be considered the southern boundary of
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