'Najd-Transjordan Boundary' [‎119r] (242/358)

Lfhit Document is the Property of Hi. B ritannic Majesty's Government.!
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EASTERN (Ara bia) .
CONFIDENTIAL.
[June 6, 1927.]
Section 1.
[E 2582/116/91]
No. 1.
Sir G. Clayton to Sir Austen Chamberlain.
Jeddah for the purpose of negotiating a treaty wi^ ^ xvxu 8 ux me nejaz anu ox iNeja.
Journey to Po7t Sudan.
^ i 1 l e . ft Lonclon o 11 the 15th April, 1927, for Marseilles, where I embarked on
tne Hibby Line steamship “ Lancashire,” arriving at Port Sudan on the 24th April I
was accompanied from London by Mr. S. R. Jordan, and Mr. G. Antonins joined the
mission at Port Said on the 21st April.
Delay in proceeding to Jeddah.
o. On arrival at Port Sudan I received a telegram from His Britannic Majesty’s
consul at Jeddah mfoiming me that Ibn Saud was not expected in Mecca before the
4th May. I therefore decided that Mr. Jordan should proceed to Jeddah in H.M.S.
“Dahlia on the following day, while I remained for a few days in Port Sudan,
accompanied by Mr. Antonins. I considered this arrangement desirable as I did not
wish the mission to risk losing dignity by waiting about at Jeddah and affording
material for local gossip and intrigue.
Journey to Jeddah.
4. On the 1st May I embarked with Mr. Antonins in H.M.S. “ Dahlia ” ^Com
mander Cotton, R.N.), arriving on the following morning at Jeddah, where I was
received with due ceremony by the Hejazi authorities and conducted to His Britannic
Majesty’s consulate.
Arrival of Ibn Saud in Jeddah and Reception of Mission.
5. The arrival of Ibn Saud in Mecca was still further delayed until the 7th May,
and he did not reach Jeddah until the morning of the 9th May, on the afternoon of
which day the mission was received in audience by the King. The meeting was
restricted to the usual exchange of greetings and compliments, and was marked by
great cordiality anrl friendliness on the part of the King, who insisted that the mission
should leave the consulate and occupy a house on the outskirts of Jeddah which he
caused to be prepared for its reception.
Initiation of Negotiations.
6. On the following day conversations began, and are given in detail in a
subsequent despatch.
Main Points at issue.
7. It was evident from tS|p results of the conversations at Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. -al-’Aqiq,
conducted in December last by Mr. Jordan and Mr. Antonius, that the main questions
at issue wer —
(a.) Recognition of the special position of His Majesty’s Government in mandated
territories.
(b.) Mutual recognition of national status.
(c.) Retention of the right of manumission of slaves by His Majesty’s consular
officers.
(d.) The Hejaz- 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.
The first two questions appeared to present no difficulty, as His Majesty’s
Government had consented to meet Ibn Saud’s point of view in both cases. It was
to be anticipated, however, that the requirements of His Majesty’s Government in
respect of manumission and the Hejaz- 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 would meet with strenuous
opposition, and this forecast proved to be correct; indeed, at the close of the sixth
meeting agreement was not yet in eight.
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