Coll 6/9 'Jeddah Reports Jany 1931–' [‎196r] (392/802)

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT
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EASTERN (Arabia).
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October 22, 1934
CONFIDENTIAL.
Section 1.
[E 6499/715/25]
No. 1.
Mr. Calvert to Sir John Simon.—[Received October 22.)
(No. 301. Confidential.)
Sir, Jedda, October 2, 1934.
I HAVE the honour to submit herewith the Jedda report for September 1934.
2. Copies have been distributed as in the list appended to the report for
212. Ibn Saud left Taif for Riyadh on the 16th September, and evidently
travelled in leisurely fashion, for he arrived at his Nejdi capital seven days later.
He was accompanied by his son Amir Khalid, his brother Amir Abdullah-bin-
Abdurrahman, and his nephew Amir Saud-bin-Saad.
213. Amir Feysal resumed his duties as Minister for Foreign Affairs on
the 18th September. Sheikh Yusuf Yasin, who had paid a flying visit to Jedda
on the 8th, when he saw His Majesty’s Charge d’Affaires, left for Riyadh with
the King on the 16th. Fuad Hamza has been travelling in Europe, and was
expected in London during September.
214. The Amir of Jedda, Sheikh Abdul Aziz-bin-Mu ammar, towards the
end of August, left to join Amir Feysal in Taif. He had not returned to Jedda
at the end of September. There have for some time been rumours of his transfer
to some other post, but they appear to be unfounded.
215. The Minister of Finance, though not yet completely restored to health
(see paragraph 189 of the report for August), was fit enough to leave about the
20th for Nejd. Several days after his departure, the Saut-al-Hijaz announced
his appointment as Deputy Minister of Defence, a post which Sheikh Abdullah
Suleiman is to hold in addition to his present office.
216. The new Deputy Minister of Defence, who has already played the role
of War Minister in the recent affair with the Imam Yahva, instead of enjoying
a period of recline upon his Yemeni laurels, may soon find himself confronted
with a troublesome problem nearer home. Reports are widespread and fairly
credible that considerable disaffection exists and has recently been expressing
itself in the north-western districts of Jauf and Teima. The loyalty of Abdul
Karim-bin-Rumman, the Governor of Teima, has long been suspect, and his
attitude towards the central authority is said to have shown increasing truculence
recently. Ibn Saud and his advisers are reported to be supremely unperturbed,
but, nevertheless, recruiting is stated to be going on unostentatiously in Medina,
whilst 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 report increased Saudi military forces along their frontier.
Sheikh Abdullah Suleiman’s own departure into Nejd, either to Riyadh or to the ;
Aneiza, his own tribe, may not be unconnected with these present manifestations
of unrest.
217. The foreign community in Jedda was agreeably aroused from its
customary summer social lethargy by the appearance at the beginning of
September of a Syrian-Venezuelan pearl-fisher, accompanied by a charming
lady of Czechoslovakian origin, and a troupe of some seventeen Venezuelan and
Chilean divers. They are here, it is understood, as the result of a five-year
pearl-fishing concession granted gratis by Ibn Saud to the Qusaibis, to whom
he is still heavily indebted. The Syrian bears a somewhat elusive name, but is
believed to answer to that of Selim Sekundar. He is variously represented to
January.
I have, &c.
A. S. CALVERT.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Jedda Report for September 1934.
I .—Internal Affairs.
[231 y-1]