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File 756/1917 Pt 2-3 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 66-114’ [‎283v] (575/834)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (411 folios). It was created in 1917-1920. 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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— 364 —
THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN THE YEMEN.
A leading clansman of the Bakil, Nakib Mohammed ibn
Yehia esh-Shaif, wrote to Aden on November 7, asking that the
British Government should refuse to support the Imam in
future on the ground that he had, for many reasons, lost the
confidence of his subjects. Among the charges brought against
him were that he had confiscated property wholesale ; that he
had imprisoned the sons of various notables as hostages ; that he
had systematically obstructed education ; that he had deliberately
sown dissension among his tribes ; and that he had been guided
mainly by personal prejudice and interest in his distribution of
the Zikat.
The letter, which was vague in its terms, closed with a
suggestion that Great Britain should intervene, call a council of
Yemen chiefs, and assist them to replace the present despotism
by ordered government.
Colonel Jacob has used these representations—typical of
many which have emanated from the same source—as the occa
sion for a brief survey of Yemen affairs in general. It may be
summarized as follows
The Imam has not yet had a fair chance. Turkish misrule
is responsible for the chaos in the Yemen. The reason for the
defection of the Bakil and Hashid has been a purely pecuniary
one. The Turks paid them a regular subsidy on the Imam’s
behalf till shortly before the war ; it then dwindled and, during
the war, ceased altogether. At the present moment the Bakil
are, as they realise, between the devil and the deep sea. If
Great Britain supports the Imam and pays him a regular subsidy
their chances of benefiting, in view of their recent activities, will
be smaller than ever. Therefore their policy is to blacken his
reputation and strike for independence. The Idrisi probably had
a hand in the dictating of the letter, which suits his own purpose
very well.
It must be borne in mind, too, that, if the Imam is intolerable
to his subjects, it is their job not ours—in these days—to
evict him.
Accordingly it would seem inadvisable for us to tamper with
any of his tribesmen behind his back. But it is highly desirable
that we should be able to act as mediators in the final settlement.
The best policy would appear to be to give him every chance of
success by furnishing him with money and support, so long as
he behaves himself properly. With regard to his antagonism
to the Idrisi, we can firmly point out that the latter is our actual
and his potential friend. It is not likely that he will fail to
realize now where his interests lie in such matters. Apart from
anything else we can, as he knows only too well, bring immediate
pressure to bear upon him by our control of his ports at any time.
With such a policy w r e should be able safely to let the
forces in the Yemen work themselves out, acting where necessary

About this item

Content

The volume consists of individual copies of the Arab Bulletin produced by the Arab Bureau at the Savoy Hotel, Cairo numbers 66-114. These publications contain wartime, and post-war intelligence obtained by British sources. They deal with economic, military, and political matters in Turkey, the Middle East, Arabia, and elsewhere, which – in the opinion of British officials – affect the ‘Arab movement’; the bulletins cover a wide range of topics and key personalities.

The volume contains the following maps:

  • A map of Central Arabia showing St John Philby's route from Uqair to Jidda 17 November to 31 December 1917: folio 103.
  • Sketch map prepared from RNAS photographs and reconnaissance by HMS City of Oxford of Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Mur February to March 1918 : folio 170.
  • Sketch map of Hejaz (1919): folio 317.
  • Tribal sketch map of the Hadhramaut ‘showing only tribes of fighting value’: folios 333v.

Towards the back of the volume is a small amount of correspondence respecting the distribution of Notes on the Middle East ; the Arab Bulletin was superseded by this publication. Copies of numbers 3-4 of this publication can also be found at the back of the volume.

Tables of content can be found at the front of each issue. A small amount of content is in French.

Extent and format
1 volume (411 folios)
Arrangement

The Arab Bulletins are arranged in numerical order from the front to the back of the file. The Notes on the Middle East follow on from the bulletins at the back of the file in reverse numerical order.

The subject 759 (Arab Bulletins) consists of two volumes. IOR/L/PS/10/657-658.

Physical characteristics

Condition: the edges of some of the folios towards the back of the volume have suffered damage to their edges due to general wear and tear. The affected folios are 389-390, 407-409, and 412.

Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the first folio with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 413; 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 cover and the leading flyleaf have not been foliated. A previous foliation sequence, which is present between ff 357-363 and ff 374-412 and is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

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English in Latin script
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File 756/1917 Pt 2-3 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 66-114’ [‎283v] (575/834), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/658, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100048056856.0x0000b0> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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