Coll 6/9 'Jeddah Reports Jany 1931–' [‎56v] (113/802)

pilgrim who claimed that his wife had disappeared in Mecca some weeks before
and was asked to refer the complaint to the proper authorities, it was possible to
inform the Ministry that, according to the man’s complaint, he had already
applied to the police, orally and in writing, and had then sent a written petition
to the Viceroy (who is also Minister for Foreign Affairs), and that no action had
been taken.
185. The Italian Minister asked Sheikh Yusuf Yasin whether the despatch
of the Iraq delegation to the Yemen (paragraph 171) had not been instigated by
the British. Sheikh Yusuf Yasin replied in the sense of statements made by him
and Fuad Bey to the Italian and French representatives at the time of the
signature of the treaty in 1936. He said that the treaty was a purely Arab affair,
and that not only was it not promoted by the British, but many observers thought
it was directed against the British, e.*/., in regard to Palestine. According to
Sheikh Yusuf Yasin, this reasoning appeared to satisfy M. Sillitti.
186. After an interval of about five months the Italian Legation resumed on
the 24th April the distribution of propaganda newspapers from Libya. Most of
them were full of articles about Signor Mussolini’s visit, and one contained
the notorious proclamation in which Marshal Balbo said : “ The Duce is the
protector of Islam.” But one article, published in the Barid-al-Barea of the
8 th March, was violently anti-British and slightly less anti-French. It cleverly
classed the Arabs with the Romans and the Fascists as enlightened colonisers, as
opposed, e.q., to the British, under whom the population of Australia has been
reduced from 20 million to 25.000 by massacre, exile and neglect, while wealthy
India has been brought down to poverty and misery bv colonists who suck her
blood while people die of hunger.
187. A message to Ibn Sand from His Majesty’s Minister, that the appre
hension about Italian designs which he had expressed on more than one occasion
should have been laid to rest for ever by the appearance of Signor Mussolini as
the protector of Islam, is said to have entertained him, and at the same time to
have stimulated a flow of remarks which would have given the Duce little pleasure
had he overheard them. A character in Roman history whom Signor Mussolini
"° es boast about is Galiguia, who would have placed a statue of himself in
the Holy of Holies at Jerusalem if he hadn’t died first.
188. Reports that there is to be an Italian hospital in Jedda continue to
circulate, but Sheikh Tusuf Yasin says that they are unfounded The Italian
dispensary is, however, to be reopened. The destitute Italian pilgrims (para
graph 130) were at length shipped off. 6 VF
18J. The staff of the Italian Legation is to be reinforced by the appoint
ment ot a first secretary, who is being transferred from Vienna. A very
prominent inhabitant of the Italian Legation is a Frenchwoman, whom the new
Minister refers to as the “ femme-de-chambre,” and as the Minister is a bachelor
tins has given rise to the malicious rumour that this is a high Roman retort to the
lad\ with an absent Italian husband who keeps house for the French Minister
190. r l he Turkish Charge d’Affaires did not go to Sana (paragraph 32). It
appears that the intention was that M. Palsay should spend about four months
ot the year in Jedda and four at Sana, and his appointment as Charge d’Affaires
to the Yemen was gazetted, but the sudden death of Mme. Palsay upset this
arrangement for this year. It is puzzling to a foreigner that the Turkish
Uovernment should have sent to this post, where they have almost no interests an
official who has held several of the highest positions in the Ministry for Foreign
Affairs at Angora The aim seems to have been to make handsome reparation
for the scandals referred to in paragraph 91. M. Palsay carries reparation to
extremes by refusing to take advantage of his diplomatic immunity in the matter
ot customs dues.
i V .—M isceuaneous .
m It was found that about twenty-five Indian pilgrims were being
prevented from leaving the country because they could not pay the fees due to
their mutawwifs. A private letter was sent to Sheikh Yusuf Yasin by His
Majesty s Minister, expressing sympathy with the mutawwifs, who were thus
deprived of their dues, but maintaining that once the Saudi authorities allowed
such people to land in Jedda and to perform the Haj, to prevent their return
home was inflicting needless hardship upon them without benefit to the
mutawwifs. The destitutes were allowed to go by the next boat. The difficulty