Coll 6/9 'Jeddah Reports Jany 1931–' [‎14v] (29/802)

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persons we had punished the innocent and not the guilty. There was no evidence
to show that they were responsible for the murders .... the Arabs were
convinced that our main object had been to get rid of the leading critics of our
policy of partition ” It is permissible to wonder how much of this
emanated from the fertile and biased minds of Yusuf Yasin and Fuad Hamza,
and why the written word had been so different from the spoken.
*182. 1 he arrival at Jedda on the 17th October of the arms and ammunition
recently purchased from His Majesty’s Government seems to have given rise to
an extraordinary crop of rumours. A German ship had recently supplied arms;
an Italian ship had landed 1,000 camel loads secretly at Ruess (a village near
Jedda), whence they were secretly transported to Mecca; Ibn Saud was preparing
to make war on Iraq, on the Yemen, or on 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 ; all the other Arab
countries were going to make war on him because he is too pro-British; he was
mobilising 60,000 troops at Riyadh, and so on. Actually, what happened was
that the steamship Tabaristan began to land the munitions at Jedda on the
17th October; a half-hearted and absurd attempt was made to keep the matter
secret by dumping all the cases on the shore north of Jedda instead of at the
usual quay; and what must have been a record number of camels was impressed
to transport the heavy cases, &c., to the interior, assisted by a few lorries. It
took them several days to move the whole consignment.
383. Local rumours continue to say that the King, contrary to established
practice, will visit Mecca during Ramazan, and will therefore probably visit
Jedda, too; and that he will visit Medina, for the first time as a King.
384. A dispute between the Amir Saud and the Amir Faisal is also-
reported; their father is said to be trying to act as mediator.
385. Colonel and Mrs. Dickson from Koweit paid a private visit of a week’s
duration to King Abdul Aziz at Riyadh, leaving Koweit on the 23rd October.
386. Abdullah Suleiman seems to have stayed at Mecca during the first week
of October. The Ministry of Finance transferred its headquarters to Mecca, with
the Ministry for ioreign Affairs, early in the month. Abdullah Suleiman visited
Jedda towards the end of the month and had many conversations with the
Dodge agents.
387. According to the press, His Royal Highness the Amir Faisal passed
most of the month shooting at a place named Soja. His Ministry, so far as it
functioned at all, seems to have confined itself to moving its offices io Mecca from
Taif. He himself left his summer residence at Taif on the 26th October and
proceeded to Mecca.
388. The Egyptian newspapers during this month seem to have been very
hard up for copy, and to have supplied the deficiency of news by inventing
sensational reports about Aqaba and 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.
389. The Cairo journal Al Masri on the 5th October, for instance, quotes
from its Jedda correspondent a long story about the sinister designs of His
Majesty’s Government on Aqaba. It seenis that Major Jarvis’s article in the
Morning Post of the 28th September, 1937, has been the source of inspiration.
A railway is to be built from Aqaba to the north of Maan for strategical reasons.
Haifa will thus be connected with Aqaba, and an alternative to the Suez Canal
will be opened. But, the editor remarks, we do not think that this project is
likely to be realised except by friendly discussion with Ibn Saud, and even then
only the year after next, when the Treaty of Jedda expires. Ibn Saud, however,
is apprehensive about the plan, not only on account of its bearing on his
sovereign rights, but because it may lead to a still further plan, viz., the linking
of Maan with Basra, by rail, leading to another route to India.”
390. The Al Ahram of the 12th October has the following message from
its “private correspondent” at Amman, who is careful to state at the
beginning that, though he believes the report to be true, he sends it with all
reserve. New military posts are being established by the Saudi Arabian Govern
ment on their northern frontiers at five places : one near Aqaba, a second near
Zat-ul-Haj, a third at Al-Masheetiyah, 2 miles from Mudawwara station, a
fourth at Al Tsawiyyeh in the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Sirhan, and the last near Al Amri fort.
The names of two new detachment commanders are given. Abdul
Aziz-bin-Musaid, the Amir of Hail, was reported on the 10th October to have
arrived at 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 in order to command a large force. These
activities caused 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 authorities a great deal of anxiety, to such a