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Coll 6/67(3) 'Boundaries of South Eastern Arabia and Qatar.' [‎337v] (681/830)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (411 folios). It was created in 7 Feb 1935-20 Dec 1935. 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. .

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4
elaborate his views. Apart from these considerations, Mr. Rendel felt that the
claims put forward in the Saudi memorandum of last April were so extensive on
the south and south-east, and included so vast an area which was manifestly
outside the dominions of King Abdul Aziz, that little would be gained by
criticising it in detail. He could say at once that His Majesty’s Government
would never be able to agree to concessions on so immense a scale involving the
cession of territory belonging to rulers to whom they were bound by ancient
treaties. Moreover, the Saudi claims in the south and the south-east were merely
defined in the memorandum, and were not supported by any detailed information
such as would be essential if they were to be subjected to detailed criticism.
Another point was that the tribes claimed by King Abdul Aziz in the Ruba-al-
Khali were (on Fuad Bey’s own statement to Sir A. Ryan) only three and part of
a fourth in number, whereas the tribes of the Hadhramaut were very numerous.
It would therefore be much simpler for the Saudi Government to state the limits
which they claimed for the diras of their three and a half tribes than for His
Majesty’s Government to produce a detailed exposition of the rights of the tribes
of the Aden Protectorate and of the other rulers concerned.
SIR ANDREW RYAN then joined Mr. RENDEL in urging Fuad Bey to
accept the line which His Majesty’s Government had now offered— i.e., from the
intersection of the “ violet ” line of 1914 and parallel 18 to the intersection of
meridian 52 and parallel 19—as a basis of negotiation, and to obtain and supply
a detailed statement of the views of the Saudi Government upon it.
FUAD BEY insisted that the line proposed by the Saudi Government in
fact followed as closely as possible the limits of the diras of the tribes he had
mentioned to Sir A. Ryan in April as owing allegiance to King Abdul Aziz. He
suggested that it was unreasonable to ask for a further statement regarding them,
and lepeated that King Abdul Aziz would not be able to give way on anv part
of the line he claimed. But, after a long further discussion, he eventuallv agreed
to meet the lequest of the Foreign Office representatives and to supply a further
statement of the views of his Government on the southern sector of the proposed
boundary. r r
The meeting then proceeded to discuss the future of the Treaty of Jedda.
inis part ot the discussion is recorded separately.
Foreign Office, July 3, 1935.

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Content

This volume primarily concerns British policy regarding the south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia, specifically those bordering Qatar, the Trucial Shaikhdoms, Muscat, the Hadramaut and the Aden Protectorate.

It includes interdepartmental discussion regarding the approach that the British Government should take in reaching a settlement with King Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] over the demarcation of the boundaries.

References are made to various existing and proposed lines, including the 'blue line' and the 'violet line' – boundary lines that formed part of the Anglo-Ottoman Conventions, concluded in 1913 and 1914 respectively, a 'green line' and a 'brown line', which represent more recent territorial concessions proposed by the British to Ibn Saud, and a 'red line', which is referred to as the Saudi Government's claim for its country's south-eastern boundary.

The volume features the following principal correspondents: 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir Samuel Hoare); the Acting Chief Commissioner, Aden (Lieutenant-Colonel Morice Challoner Lake); officials of the Colonial Office, 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 Government of India's Foreign and Political Department.

The correspondence includes discussion of the following:

  • The extent of territory that the British should be prepared to include in any concession made to Ibn Saud.
  • The abandonment of the idea of a proposed 'desert zone'.
  • The future of the Treaty of Jedda of 1927.
  • Meetings held at the Foreign Office with Fuad Bey Hamza, Deputy Saudi Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Hafiz Wahba, Saudi Arabian Minister in London, during June and July 1935.
  • The eastern boundary of the Aden Protectorate.
  • The possibility of the British Government employing Bertram Thomas to carry out enquiries and investigations regarding the question of Saudi Arabia's south-eastern frontiers.
  • Wells and territories of the Al Murra [Āl Murrah] tribe.
  • Preparations for Sir Andrew Ryan's forthcoming visit to Riyadh for negotiations with Ibn Saud.
  • Abu Dhabi's claim to Khor-al-Odeid [Khawr al ‘Udayd].
  • Details of a British aerial reconnaissance of the Qatar Peninsula, which took place on 11 October 1935.

In addition to correspondence the volume includes the following: copies of the minutes of meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Ministerial and Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, dated 15 April 1935 and 24 September 1935 respectively; photographs of the Qatar Peninsula, taken during the aforementioned aerial reconnaissance; a map showing the route of the aerial reconnaissance.

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 (folio 4).

Extent and format
1 volume (411 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 (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 411; 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 foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers.

Written in
English in Latin script
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Coll 6/67(3) 'Boundaries of South Eastern Arabia and Qatar.' [‎337v] (681/830), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2136, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100046787907.0x000052> [accessed 23 April 2024]

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