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Coll 6/91 'Saudi Arabia. Policy of H.M.G. Qn. of credits and guarantee of assistance to Ibn Saud.' [51r] (102/680)
The record is made up of 1 file (338 folios). It was created in 24 Oct 1939-1 Jan 1945. It was written in English. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
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[The text of this telegram nfust first he paraphrased if
ccmmunicated to persons outside British or;United States
Government service or if retransmitted in & cypher system
other than O.T.P. ]
[Cypher]
FROM (RESIDENT MINISTER)'CAIRO: TO FOREIGN OFFICE.
i ^ - i’ J
DEPARTI'IENTAL NO; 1.
Lord Moyne 4
No, 1295.-
19th May, 1944,
0 . 8,45 p.m.. ‘ 21 st May,.. 1944*
R. 11.45 p.m. 21st May, 1944.
Repeated to Jedda Saving.
c c c
My telegram No.158 and, paragraph
No. 1 750«ad dressee “go M. E. Mm.
Following from Jordan.
1 of your telegram
2. I do not consider that Ihn Saud will welcome joint
Anglo-American Military Mission containing Christian
elements and any effort to press for acceptance of such
a mission may provoke him to abandon the idea and he may
later employ Moslem Mercenaries whose activities might well
be -inimical to interest of both United States and ourselves
He appears intent on re-organising Saudi Army but only
with Moslem assistance and with British Moslem assistance
for preference. Such a mission composed of well chosim
officers would appear to be in best interest of both
United States and ourselves.
5. You are aware he is extremely sensitive to
criticism by his Hashimi and other Moslem enemies and
endeavours to avoid giving them cause for criticism where
possible. Moreover, once his enemies can assert with any
justification that he, guardian of the Holy Places of
Islam, has come under foreign influence, he will lose much
of his present prestige and be of considerably less value
and assistance to us and to Americans from a political
point of view.
4. Since Americans admit our predominant political
and military interests in Saudi Arabia it appears
illogical for them to press for a joint ^i.s^ion composed
of some Christian elements and I sugge c , that their
insistence arised from their ignor^noo of his special
position in the Moslem world.
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5. We have never endeavoured to ’’horn in” on their
oil enterprises nor on agricultural assistance which they
are giving to Ibn Saud at El Hari where many United
States engineers are employed and, as an absolute fifty-
fifty division of effort in Saudi Arabia is impossible of
application, I recommend they be invited to drop their
interests in Military Mission against a promise on our
part to leave oil and agricultural development in their
hands.
6 . His acceptance of small parties of United States
and British instructors to train selected Saudi officers
in modern equipment now being supplied is no criterion
of his attitude over proposed Military Mission since
instructors will be in Saudi Arabia for few weeks only and
...nowhere
About this item
- Content
This file concerns British policy towards Saudi Arabia during the Second World War (the abbreviation 'Qn' in the title stands for 'Question'). The correspondence discusses the question of providing financial or material assistance to Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd], as well as the United States' growing economic and strategic interests in Saudi Arabia.
The file features the following principal correspondents: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Reader Bullard, Hugh Stonehewer Bird, and Stanley R Jordan successively); the Secretary of State for India (Leo Amery); the Viceroy of India (Archibald Percival Wavell); the Chancellor of the Exchequer (John Anderson); officials of the Foreign Office, 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 Treasury, the Government of India's Finance and External Affairs Departments, and the United States Embassy in London.
Related matters of discussion include the following:
- The idea (initially discussed in correspondence dating from 1939) of an alliance or a bloc of Arab states (chiefly comprised of Saudi Arabia and the Yemen), which would support the Allied cause.
- The Italo-German reaction to Ibn Saud's refusal to receive German diplomat Dr Fritz Konrad Ferdinand Grobba, a decision that was applauded by the British.
- Italian influence in the Middle East.
- Anglo-French co-operation in the Middle East.
- Details of the Saudi Government's finances (i.e. expenditure and revenue) during the early war years.
- Arrangements for loans and payments from the British to the Saudi Government, as well as details of royalties and loans paid to the Saudi Government by the California Arabian Standard Oil Company (Casoc).
- Proposals for an irrigation and agricultural mission to Saudi Arabia, headed by a United States agricultural expert.
- Conversations between Ibn Saud and United States General Patrick Hurley during the latter's visit to Riyadh in May 1943.
- The Government of India's decision in 1942 not to allow pilgrim ships to sail from India to Saudi Arabia, because of a risk of the ships being attacked.
- Ibn Saud's requests in 1944 for the British Government to send to Saudi Arabia financial and military advisers, preferably Sunni Moslems [Muslims].
- The proposed appointment of Ibn Saud's requested financial adviser, which is delayed and eventually abandoned, following the United States' suggestion that the position be given to a United States adviser, because of the United States' 'preponderant interest' in the Saudi economy.
The file includes two dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence (folio 2).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (338 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 339; 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 262-286; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Coll 6/91 'Saudi Arabia. Policy of H.M.G. Qn. of credits and guarantee of assistance to Ibn Saud.' [51r] (102/680), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2163, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100046518046.0x000069> [accessed 6 May 2024]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2163
- Title
- Coll 6/91 'Saudi Arabia. Policy of H.M.G. Qn. of credits and guarantee of assistance to Ibn Saud.'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:36v, 39r:57v, 59r:110v, 113r:182v, 184r:189v, 191r:310r, 311v:339v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence