File 2182/1913 Pt 10 'N.W. Frontier: Proposed Russian zoological expedition' [‎289r] (169/664)

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty’s i
EASTERN.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[November 18.]
Srotion 1.
[1^2998] No. i.
Colonel C.E. Wilson to Major Young.—(Received at Foreign Office, November 18.)
My l i e SeIiDtoh the fr II • I The - v est i’ Ta P low ’ November 9, 1919.
, V-^ u y “ . ,^T mg r ? ma !' ks Wlth reference to Cheetham’s desnatch dealing
wd King Hussein s probable abdication—which you showed me on Friday last S
The considered opinion of Emir Abdulla, the Grand Kadi at Mecca aid every man
of influence m the Hedjaz I have met, is that, should Hussein abdicate there wolld be
something very like general anarchy m the Hedjaz, and I think it probable that this
unanimous opinion is correct. Such a state of'affairs would not beCoclfor British
Imperial interests. It is unlikely that the Akhwan would remain quiet and they
would probably attempt a serious invasion of the Hedjaz. q ’ d ' V
the Arabikn Illitiln'^th ’ I® Akh ^ an mov ement is the most troublesome feature of
Arabian situation, the longer the Indian Government supports Ibn Saud as thev
ave up to date the longer will be the series of difficult situations which will ’confront
“ J 78 G ° Vemment > whether -bdicates, dies, or remains in ^“re^t
„• u!™™. a p d the Aral ] chie , f ? ^ve that the Indian Government is subordinate to
mIsSpoLI ffi XTothrh M diffiCUl * f0r them t0 Understand -by the greatest
overthlow of orthodox rW Sh ° Uld SUPPOrt & SeCtarlan movement which aims at the
“ The D liTtW 1/thI’Akh 1 ’ Simla) ‘ n PriVat I e 1 ! tter t0 me ’ dated last Jul y> ^ote:
the lilting of the Akhwan menace was indeed a relief. Had it materialised the
effect m India would, of course, have been appalling.” materialised, the
not ! ™ nT d t0 ^? HeVe th , at Ibn Saud Personally is loyal to us, and is possiblv
w b° le bogge'' in wishing to convert Islam generally to Wahabism His
mation of the Akhwan was probably carried out with a view to political rather than
re igious aggrandisement, but we must take facts as they are, aid Ibn ’Saud is the
support given to the^Athwan movement. ^ US ’ SUpP ° rt th e former is really
Akhwalmolemmit thakthe ™ is ^difference between “ orthodox ” Wahabism and the
and aggressive nltme t6r " e8Sentlally " fanati ° al m ° Vement of a railita ry
for tL S mliLIS I !ra 0 defi t -t 0r rS d + 0 aU We XI Can to W Hussein from abdicating
they recognise ^Khurma Tnroh de I arat ‘ on °“ , Hls Majesty's Government’s part that
the HeX “would nrlbabwS T - a &S Wlthln the Jegitimate boundaries of
mes^ge to Silver lo^lm ^from^ l Hi?° I lvi^'' al J d » d s ][SS esk that I be given some such
Hussein should be a sIcppI rl i- H Majesty s Government. At the same time,
try and let Abdlnf d A d J epUte a res P onslble representative to go to Cairo (I would
y and get Abdulla sent) to meet a representative of Ibn Saud there to fix on a
delimitate th f t®’ 7 with PhUb y tbat a boundary comSLbn shoIld
sent ^o 0 W d somethin .g 011 these lines be approved, I would suggest that a message be
wholelituIlIIIftlflL*^*! Ir- 118 f ° r Jeddab sbortl y and wil1 discu ® the
•O T as f ln bas frequently expressed his intention of visiting England when oeace
I! wl t 7 t 1S u r lu d ed i be > S not previously resigned. I slggeft that I be Svel
I am nlZedm^K f tl ^ ^ ajest y’ s Government would welcome a visit next fear.
coX get a lot ‘‘Iff h \ lf ^ USS u n Came here the result wo,lId be beneficial he
thought of vlfaV I I 18 c . iest > ; ui< b it would prove a real education for him. The
view of the general "'I ’’r' 1 w ? uld also tend to keep him from abdicating, which, in
present time. 8 1 tuatlon ln the East > would, I think, be harmful for us at the
Abdulla as i.fa' eaCe Gheethams suggestion that we should get Hussein to nominate
Abdulla as his successor, I have g.ven a lot of thought to the situation which might
11378 s —1] b