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Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎153r] (306/540)

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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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3
[10178] B 2
to commit the other members of the Royal Family to fealty to the heir. In
foreign affairs Ibn Sand, always conscious that, however little in the way of
material help he may get from the United Kingdom, her hostility would be his
ruin, fell in whole-heartedly with her policy of promoting a treaty settlement
between him and the Amir of 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 , and the texts were signed in July.
About the end of May the King even made an approach to the Sheikh of Koweit,
although in the form of a singularly untempting offer, with a view to the
adjustment of their economic relations.
6. All the while there was growing in the south a cloud, which in the latter
part of the year overshadowed the whole sky. The Imam Yahya had never
forgiven the Saudi annexation of Asir, begun in 1926, completed in 1930 and
consummated by the elimination of the Idrisi at the end of 1932. In 1933,
however, the Imam struck, not at Asir, but in the little-known inland region of
Najran. All the Imam’s sons are Swords of Islam, an Islam most repugnant
to Wahhabi tenets. Two of these young blades followed up operations among
their father’s tribes by pushing across what Ibn Saud claims to be an agreed
frontier. Whether from firmness or from fear, the King proceeded to mobilise
what are for Arabia considerable forces, but he continued to negotiate with
prudent moderation. Despite much talk of a Saudi ultimatum in October and
November, the negotiations were still proceeding at the end of the year. Armies,
however, lined the frontier on either side. All was set for war, yet a settlement
or a compromise seemed at that stage more likely. What was passing in the
obscure mind of the Imam no one can say. As for Ibn Saud, he presented the
appearance of a man hesitating on the brink of an enterprise that, if undertaken^
would put his fortunes to the supreme test.
II.— Foreign Relations.
(1) Iraq (A) With States in Arabia.
7. No major incident occurred in 1933 to disturb the correctness which has,
on the whole, marked the relations between Saudi Arabia and Iraq since the
conclusion of the treaties of 1931. Any causes of friction were discreetly handled
on both sides. After the departure in June 1932 of Dr. Naji-al-Asil, their first
and unhappily chosen Charge d’Affaires, the Iraqi Government yielded to Ibn
Saud’s insistence that Jedda should be the seat of their Legation. They refrained
for some obscure reason up to the end of 1933 from appointing to it a Charge
d’Affaires en titre, but the junior whom they left in charge during the first half
of 1933 was a capable and debrouillard young man, and a successor of similar
status, who arrived in October, seems at least harmless. Oddly enough, the Saudi
Government, on their side, showed greater eagerness to normalise the diplomatic
intercourse between the two countries. The^had selected in 1931 a certain
Rushayd Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , a former hanger-on of the Beni Rashid of Hail, to represent
them at Bagdad, but he had never proceeded to his post. In May 1933 they
appointed this gentleman to be consul in Damascus and appointed a Nejdi, one
Ibrahim-bin-Muammar, as Charge d’Affaires and consul-general at Bagdad.
This personage had had experience abroad, though not in an official capacity,
and had more recently been principal private secretary to Ibn Saud and to his
heir apparent. He left for his new post in June.
8. No very serious trouble seems to have occurred on the frontier, although
some raiding was reported early in the year. An intrusion of Saudi tax-collectors
into Iraq in the neighbourhood of Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Arar in February gave rise to a protest
by the Iraqi Government, as a result of which the party were withdrawn. Some
publicity, designed to show how friendly and reasonable both sides were, was
given in the Saudi press to a meeting between frontier authorities about the end
of May to settle claims and devise means of collaboration. The Iraqi
Commandant in the Southern Desert visited Jauf and conferred with the Saudi
Inspector of Bedouin Affairs, Sheikh Abdul Aziz-bin-Zeyd, as well as with the
Governor of Jauf-Skaka. Claims were exchanged and some basis of co-operation
would appear to have been agreed upon. Further meetings were projected and
are said to have taken place in due course, but no particulars regarding these are
known to the Legation in Jedda.

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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.

Written in
English in Latin script
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Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎153r] (306/540), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2085, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036362871.0x00006b> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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