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Coll 6/7(1) 'The Yemen: Relations between H.M.G. and the Imam.' [‎153r] (316/782)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (387 folios). It was created in Jan 1906-16 Jun 1932. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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is already ensured by the Royal Air Force and the existence
of a treaty might lessen our freedom to take immediate air
action in case oi aggression or interference on the Imam , s
part'h flie Air Staif consider that the correctness of this
point of view is well borne out by the reaction of the Imam
to the threat of immediate air attack following upon his
recent interference with Protectorate tribesmen in the region
of Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Beihan. In this instance the existence of a treaty
would have necessitated negotiations and the futility of
negotiating with a potentate possessing the mentality of the
Imam can be appreciated in the light of past experience.
Furthermore the Air Staff wish to draw attention to the
effect which the negotiation of and possible agreement on a
treaty with the Imam might have on questions affecting the
Protectorate tribes and the problem of air control,, It is
the degree of protection afforded to Protectorate tribes
against Imamic aggression which decides their attitude towards
British administration, If the active protection to which
the Tribes have now become accustomed is replaced by the less
direct method of negotiation with its inevitable delays the
allegiance of the tribes will cease to be so ready and
adverse reaction on internal security will be the likely result
The Air Staff have put forward these views in order
to show that from the purely military aspect there is more to
be lost than to be gained by the conclusion of a treaty.
If 5 however, political or commercial interests are
considered to override the military aspect the Air Staff feel
that should press for terms no less favourable than
those contained in the proposals submitted to the Imam hy
Sir Stewart Symes in November 1929,
In connection with the specific proposals now put
forward by the Imam it is considered that reversion to the
original frontier, that is, evacuation of Audhali territory and
the restoration of Protectorate chiefs held as hostages must
be a pre-condition to the opening of negotiations. Moreover
the Air Staff are of the opinion that a treaty should contain
definite acknowledgment by the Imam of the boundary
settlement of 1903, 1904 and 1905 and. of the special relations
existing between the chiefs of the Protectorate tribes and
His Majesty 5 s Government.
The Air Staff agree with Lt.Col. Reilly that the
insertion by the Imam in
M -• T —_T- «- tt
ill
draft
article
III of the words
original rights” in place of ’'claims" as in the H.M.G. draft
of 1929 and the omission of the words "or that His Majesty's
Government recognise any part of his claims" is not acceptable
in view of our obligations under the treaties with the
Protectorate chiefs. In addition it is considered that the
Imam should be required to omit his reference in article III
to the "islands of the Yemen*
j-iie
sovereignty of Perim,
which we have occupied continuously since 1857, cannot be
called in question,. Nor should we al]_ow even a hypothetical
claim by the Imam to "the islands of the Yemen" in view of
the strategic value of these islands. Their status is already
sufficiently indeterminate without adding this additional
complication.
- 2 '
*ur
iJS
1.0

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Content

This volume concerns relations between the British Government and Imam Yehia bin Muhammad Hamid Uddin [Yaḥyá Muḥammad Ḥamīd al-Dīn, Imam of Yemen]. It largely consists of correspondence between the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. at Aden (Sir George Stewart Symes, succeeded by Bernard Rawdon Reilly) and officials of the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , the Colonial Office and the Foreign Office. Also included are copies of correspondence between the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. and the Imam.

The correspondence includes the following subject matter:

  • The Imam's wish to conclude a treaty between Yemen and Britain, and British objections to some of the Imam's terms for a proposed treaty, such as the Imam's demand for the recognition of his sovereignty over the tribes of the Aden Protectorate.
  • The Imam's refusal to accept the boundaries of the Aden Protectorate, as laid down between Britain and the Ottoman Empire before the First World War.
  • The possibility of sending a British official representative to visit the Imam, with the objective of establishing a 'clearer understanding of each other's policy and aims'.
  • Discussion as to how the British should respond to reports that the Imam's troops have occupied Al 'Ain [Am ‘Ayn] (a group of villages in the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Beihan [Wādī Bayḩān] region, deemed by the British to be part of the Aden Protectorate), with a threat of aerial bombardment being among the considered options.
  • Discussion of matters that the British may wish to raise in treaty negotiations with the Imam, including the evacuation of the Imam's troops from the districts of Audhali and Sanah [Sanāh, near Qa‘ţabah], and the Sultan of Upper Yafa's claim to Rube'aten.

Also included in the volume are the following:

The French material in the volume consists of one letter. Most of the material in this volume covers the period 1931-1932; however, the volume also includes several maps dating from an earlier period, of which the earliest is dated 1906.

The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 volume (387 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this volume commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 383; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. The front and back covers, along with the two leading and two ending flyleaves have not been foliated. A previous foliation sequence, which is present between ff 253-382 and is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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Coll 6/7(1) 'The Yemen: Relations between H.M.G. and the Imam.' [‎153r] (316/782), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2068, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100044800844.0x000075> [accessed 7 May 2024]

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