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Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎160v] (321/540)

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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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slavery. On Ibn Sand’s side, his friendship in any case is always coloured by
Islamic feeling and Arab suspicion. He gave a notable proof of the latter in the
letter to the Sheikh of Koweit mentioned in paragraph 64 above. He suggested
that the blockade question should be settled secretty between the sheikh and
himself, and in a later passage said, with obvious reference to His Majesty s
Government, “ May God protect us from her evils. At the moment she is on
friendly terms with us, but we greatly fear the consequences. My reasons for
saying this are many, but my proofs are clear as the sunshine.”
70. The following paragraphs deal with the more important matters of
political interest which engaged attention during the year and which are not dealt
with in special sections of the report. Matters of less political interest are
reserved for Section XIII.
71. Harameyn Wakfs. —The Saudi Government continue to pursue, rather
disjointedly, their efforts to secure for the Hejaz the advantages which they think
should accrue from the pious foundations created in other Moslem countries for
the benefit of the Holy Places. They were advised in 1932 how to proceed in
regard to Wakfs in Palestine, and decided, in the first instance, to collect such
information as they could by their own means. They did not ask for further
assistance in 1933. Various British authorities were at pains to obtain
information regarding the one other Wakf, in which the Saudi mission had
manifested special interest in London in May 1932. It was not possible, however,
to make any final communication to the Saudi Government up to the end of the
year regarding this Wakf, one created under the will of an Indian who had died
in Java, leaving property in Burma, and had provided that part of his estate
should be applied to the benefit of the poor of the Holy Cities and of his place of
origin in the Bombay Presidency The name given to each of the three divisions of the territory of the East India Company, and later the British Raj, on the Indian subcontinent. .
72. Future of the Treaty of Jedda and the Question of Aqaba and Maan .—
The question of Aqaba and Maan was revived during the year in the circum
stances related in paragraphs 22 and 35 above. All that need be added here
is that this gave rise to some private conversation between Sir Andrew Ryan
and Fuad Bey Hamza regarding the future of the Treaty of Jedda, which either
party is free to denounce at six months’ notice any time after the 17th March,
1934. Fuad Bey’s language indicated that Ibn Saud was unlikely to wish to
denounce the treaty, but might take advantage of its denunciability to reopen
the Aqaba Maan questions and that of slavery. The attitude of His Majesty’s
Government in event of his taking this course was considered in a preliminary
way during Sir Andrew Ryan’s stay in England in the autumn.
73. Hejaz Railway. —Fuad Bey Hamza’s proceedings in Egypt and Syria
in the early autumn of 1933 gave rise to a good deal of gossip on this subject
and to a belief that it was to be discussed anew, or was even already under
discussion, with the French authorities in Syria, or with both the British and
French authorities concerned. There was no truth in this as regards any
reopening of the question with His Majesty’s Government. As regards Syria,
it seems probable that, following on interviews which he had given to the press
in Egypt, Fuad Bey was drawn into informal discussion of the subject in Syria.
On the 28th December, however, he assured Sir Andrew Ryan that there had been
no sort of negotiations and that, if the Saudi Government reopened the question,
as they had it in mind to do, they would approach His Majesty’s Government
in the first instance.
74. British Negotiations with the Yemen. —The long preliminaries leading
up to the despatch of a British mission to Sana to negotiate a treaty with the
Imam came to a head just when the tension between the Imam and Ibn Saud
had reached an acute stage. His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom
decided that this could not stand in the way of their arrangements, but in
November they explained their position semi-ofhcially to the Saudi Government.
I hey added that, far from implying any weakening of their friendly dispositions
towards Saudi Arabia, the establishment of contact with the Imam would, they
hoped, enable them to exercise a moderating influence, if, when the mission reached
Sana, the direct negotiations between the Imam and Ibn Saud had not already
produced a detente. Ibn Saud and Fuad Bey Hamza manifested some little
misgiving, but put a good face on the matter. ^

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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.' [‎160v] (321/540), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2085, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036362871.0x00007a> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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