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Coll 6/67(3) 'Boundaries of South Eastern Arabia and Qatar.' [‎357r] (720/830)

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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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EASTERN (Arabia).
CONFIDENTIAL.
[E 3944/77/91]
Record of First Meeting with Fuad Bey Hamza held at the Office
on June 24, 1935.
THE following were present at the meeting :
Mr. Rendel.
Sir Andrew Ryan (His Majesty’s
Minister at Jedda).
Mr. Ward.
Mr. Malcolm.
Fuad Bey
Arabian
Affairs).
Sheikh Hafiz Wahba (Saudi Arabian
Minister in London).
Mr. RENDEL recalled the discussions which had taken place with Fuad
Bey in London in September 1934 and had been continued in Jedda during the
winter. The most important question dealt with during those discussions had
been that of the eastern and south-eastern frontiers of Saudi Arabia. The
position was that the Saudi Government had communicated a statement of their
claims to Sir A. Ryan on the 3rd April, and that Sir A. Ryan, on the instructions
of His Majesty’s Government, had offered the Saudi Government a strip of
territory to the east of the Anglo-Turkish boundary (generally known as the
“ blue line ”), which, as Fuad Bey was aware^although it had been agreed not
to stress this aspect of the question for the present—His Majesty’s Government
regarded as the present legal boundary. The concession which His Majesty’s
Government had now offered was shown on the map of which Mr. Rendel gave
Fuad Bey a copy, by a green line, and Fuad Bey would observe that it included
the whole of the western shore of the Dohat-as-Salwa, the important strategic
post of Qasr-as-Salwa, and the Akhwan settlements of Sakak and Mabak (Anbak)
at the base of the Qatar Peninsula, whence it ran due south to the Abu Dhabi
well of Banaiyan. The Saudi Government had not yet replied to this offer, and
Fuad Bey had left Arabia before it could be discussed. It had therefore been
agreed that the conversations should be continued in London, and Mr. Rendel
suggested that Fuad Bey should begin by giving his views on Sir A. Ryan’s offer.
FUAD BEY HAMZA replied that he had the impression that the frontier
line offered by Sir Andrew Ryan was not based upon any relevant material facts.
The proposals contained in the Saudi memorandum of the 3rd April were, on the
other hand, based upon the most important factor in the desert, namely, the
recognised grazing grounds (“ diras ”) of the various nomadic tribes. He was
convinced that it would be impossible to draw the frontier on anything but a
tribal basis of this kind, and he saw no alternative to the system proposed by the
Saudi G-overnment.
Mr. RENDEL observed that it would be difficult to base a line on purely
tribal considerations. The greater part of the area concerned consisted of an
immense expanse of featureless desert more comparable to a sea than to any
ordinary land area. According to the information of His Majesty’s Government
the various tribes wandered very widely over this area, and it would be impossible
to base territorial claims on the extent of these wanderings. Moreover, the
information in the possession of His Majesty’s Government was that many of
these tribes were of uncertain and shifting allegiance. There were, of course,
certain areas which were predominantly or exclusively frequented by certain
tribes, owing a definite and exclusive allegiance to a particular ruler. His
Majesty’s Government had taken such circumstances into full account in making
their proposals. But an arrangement based on tribal considerations alone would
certainly prove impracticable.
SIR A. RYAN supported Mr. Rendel’s view that a simple allocation of
tribal areas could not replace a territorial frontier. Every attempt to leave
[431 bb—3] B

About this item

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.' [‎357r] (720/830), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2136, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100046787907.0x000079> [accessed 18 April 2024]

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