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Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎211v] (423/540)

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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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24
58. The King’s desire for a good understanding with His Maiestv’s
Government was obviously sincere, if not as disinterested as might have been
relative to the Eastern Telegraph Company, the Hejazi Air Force, the raid on
the Egyptian Shell Company’s benzine, and the manumission of slaves, but there
were several others which necessitated pressure on the Hejazi Government.
54. Two other factors of a more general kind contributed to the strain.
One was the aloofness of His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom
when confronted with advances by the King with the object of getting British
backing all along the line, accompanied by professions of his readiness to
accommodate His Majesty’s Government in all that they might desire of him.
The other was the dislike which the King and some of his advisers had conceived
for the British Minister in Jedda. The first of these elements in the situation
falls to be considered in some detail in this section; the second more succinctly.
55. The King was greatly startled by the vigour of the action taken in
connexion with the 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 frontier question at the end of February. His
misgivings were increased by the accidental circumstance that His Majesty’s
Minister, about the same time, took a strong line about the constant remissness
of the Hejazi Government in settling the cable account of the Eastern Telegraph
Company. As soon as the correspondence on the former subject had been steered
into a more or less normal course, he sent Sheikh Yussuf Yasin, still Acting
Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, to see Sir A. Ryan on the 1st April. The
rr- described the perplexity created in the King’s mind by the recent severity
of His Majesty’s Government and their representative. Sir A. Ryan assured
him that there was no change in the fundamental attitude of His Majesty’s
Government towards Ibn Saud, which was one of friendship. He explained that
it was their practice to deal with all questions as they arose on their individual
ments. He emphasised the gravity of the 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 frontier affair, a matter
which might well react unfavourably on general relations, whereas that of the
Fastern Telegraph Company was on a lower plane. He showed how careful
His Majesty s Government had been not to let the admittedly acute situation to
which the frontier question had given rise become further envenomed and how
restrained his own action had been in certain other directions.
, ™s conversation helped to clear the air. Fuad Bey Hamza returned
a fortnight later from sick leave. He was, perhaps, not sorry to have an
opportunity of attempting to prove that things would not have gone so far wrong
as they had done if he had had the management of them. He was more con
versant with the machinery of foreign affairs than Sheikh Yussuf Yasin, a little
more independent of the King, and on sufficiently good terms with Sir A Ryan
with whom he had always been genuinely friendly, to think that he could build
up with the Minister s assistance a new structure of good relations between Ibn
Saud and His Majesty s Government. The King was probably all the more ready
to listen to him as his internal affairs and his financial situation were going from
bad to worse. His Majesty s stay in Jedda from the 14th to 17th June provided
i U A?n ty T f ° r a 17 de ^ n ' te demonstration. In two long conversations on the
13th and 16th June Fuad Bey urged the strong desire of the King for a good
understanding on all points He analysed what he understood to be the
desiderata His Majesty s Government and what he conceived to be those of
mh m fnn er ‘ Those interviews paved the way for a two hours’ audience on the
17th June, when Ibn Saud himself explained his point of view to Sir A. Ryan.
fripnH 7 r ° f these convers ^ions was that the King looked to his old
fnend Great Britain for support, and, if supported, would do anything asked
him. He requested Sir A. Ryan’s assistance in arriving at a clear under-
v t fl ! ndamental kmd - He referred to possible future changes in an
Fuad B^^id a lfr nt ga 7 CaU - Se f °i anxiet y> hinting at a thesis which
had stated more plainly, viz., that Ibn Saud could offer a true and
useful friendship, whereas there could be no real friendship between Great
Britain and Hashimite-ruled countries, where His Majesty’s Government must
tnve to maintain a privileged position. He spoke of his desire to use what
influence he had elsewhere in a sense favourable to His Majesty’s Government
P e 7 as , not . S if e w ing ^/r h ^ Sai( ?’ t? drive a bargain, but he did want to know where
he stood with His Majesty’s Government.

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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.' [‎211v] (423/540), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2085, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036362872.0x000018> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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