Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎242r] (484/540)

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27. It must not be assumed that there were no faults on the side of Trans
jordan or that in those various matters Ibn Saud’s attitude was always
unreasonable. There is, however, no doubt that, while repeatedly professing that
he was entirely in the hands of His Majesty’s Government, he did everything to
^hamper the investigation and to establish grounds of possible objection to
Conclusions based on it. It says much for the tenacity of Mr. MacUonnell that
he completed his enquiry in a great final spurt in November, lie left for London
on the 17th November to report to His Majesty’s Government.
28. Investigation or no investigation, raiding from both sides of the frontier
went on merrily, though with varying intensity, throughout 1930. Each side
scores its points by recording protests through His Majesty’s Legation at Jedda.
One point was happily settled in the course of the MacDonnell enquiry, when
agreement was reached on the following formula : “ The present arbitral enquiry
shall be regarded as covering all raids committed before the 1st August, 1930,
and no claims shall hereafter be submitted in respect of such raids.” This makes
it convenient to divide the year into two periods for the purpose of summarising
the number of raids alleged by the contending Governments in their protests.
For the seven months January to July inclusive, 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 complained of nine
raids by Nejdis and Hejaz-Nejd of forty raids by Transjordanians. For the
months August to December, 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 complained of four raids, Hejaz-Nejd
of thirteen. The disparity in numbers leaps to the eye. Ibn Sand naturally puts
it down to the greater innocence of his own people and the superiority of his
measures of control. It may equally well be ascribed to his greater readiness to
base protests on imperfect information, to the superiority 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
measures for keeping raiders out and to the lure of the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Sirhan. It must
also be remembered that the number of raids does not necessarily indicate their
importance, either individually or in the aggregate. The two most considerable
raids in the whole series were those conducted from the Nejd side in February
by officers deriving their authority from Ibn Saud, one of them being the Governor
of Hail. The King at first disavowed these personages, but afterwards more than
half condoned their unauthorised action on the ground that the activity 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 tribes had driven them into punitive expeditions and he always made
reservations as to whether the raiders had actually penetrated into 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
territory.
29. Whatever the merits of these endless disputes, Ibn Saud’s protests
caused His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom to review the situation
closely in April, and the Minister then about to proceed to Jedda was instructed
to go into the whole matter with Ibn Saud; to endeavour as far as possible to get
away from the old atmosphere of recrimination; to explain to the King the
measures taken on 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 side; to urge him to take corresponding
action; to stress the deplorable results of his failure to punish the officers
responsible for the great Nejdi raids of February; and to press him to give effect
to article 3 of the Hadda Agreement, which provided for direct and constant
communication between the jBritish Resident at Amman and the Governor of
Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Sirhan, but which had never been brought into operation. These instruc
tions were carried out at an audience on the 11th June, when an exchange of
views took place, unsatisfactory and nebulous, but sufficient, in view inter alia
of the hopes founded on the MacDonnell mission, to relax tension for a time.
Unluckily, however, there had been a recrudescence of raiding in May which
continued during June and July. On receiving news of one particular raid
towards the end of the latter month, Ibn Saud went right up into the air and
delivered a violent general protest accompanied by assertions that the raids from
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 had assumed the character of organised expeditions and by
disclaimers of future responsibility. It was not difficult to prove that he was
grossly exaggerating the situation, but it was sufficiently serious to force on His
Majesty's Government a fresh review and the consideration of further measures
on 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 side.
30. The results were embodied in a considered Foreign Office memorandum,
drawn up in September and communicated to the Hejazi Government on the
25th October after Treasury sanction had been obtained for the further measures
contemplated. This paper reviewed the situation in detail; rebutted many of Ibn
Saud’s assertions; insisted on the need for co-operation between the authorities