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Coll 6/21(2) 'Saudi Arabia: Relations with H.M.G.: Saudi Legation in London and British Minister in Jeddah. Prolongation of Treaty of Jedda.' [‎176r] (351/761)

The record is made up of 1 file (379 folios). It was created in 14 Jan 1935-12 Apr 1947. It was written in English and Arabic. 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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111
[981 m—1]
THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY 0}
— 1
f HisYiHlTTONlC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
EASTERN (Arabia).
'' o n
April 12, 1937.
CONFIDENTIAL.
1 1^3 7 j
Section 1.
[E 1960/92/25]
Copy No.
Mr. Bullard to Mr. Eden.—(Received April 12.)
(No. 40.)
Sir, Jedda, March 23, 1937.
Mr. RENDEL’S tour in the Near and Middle East brought him to Jedda
on the 17th March, a few days after Ibn Sand’s first appearance in Jedda since
my arrival at this post last September, and when I presented Mr. Rendel to him
I had myself only seen him once, a few days before, and that only for a short
call such as was paid by all the foreign representatives in Jedda. It was to be
expected that Ibn Saud would wish to use this opportunity to speak of various
matters affecting the relations between His Majesty’s Government and Saudi
Arabia, and after we had had two meetings on current questions with Sheikh
Yusuf Yasin and Sheikh Hafiz Wahba we were invited to call on His Majesty
for a conversation on matters of mutual interest. This resulted in three meetings
lasting some two hours or more each, and a fourth which might have lasted as
long had not Mr. Rendel been obliged to leave to catch his steamer for Egypt.
2. Fuad Bey had left Jedda unexpectedly a few days before Mr. RendeTs
arrival. The alleged reason for his departure at a moment when the presence of
the Deputy Foreign Minister might have been regarded as essential was the
health of his little boy, about whom he professed to be exceedingly anxious, but
information from other quarters does not bear out the plea that the child was
seriously ill, and it may be that his jealousy of Sheikh Hafiz Wahba, the Saudi
Minister in London, who would naturally be present at any interviews accorded
to Mr. Rendel, made him glad to leave, and that the King, who perhaps does not
trust him fully, was glad to let him take a holiday. During one of our
conversations the King mentioned with emphasis as the three men he trusted
Sheikh Hafiz Wahba, Sheikh Yusuf Yasin and his son Faisal, the Minister for
Foreign Affairs. The Amir joined the group on two occasions, the other two
were present throughout. From statements made during the conversations, I
am forced to conclude that I have been misled by Fuad Bey on one or two points,
and for this reason, and also because of the general pro-Italian reputation which
he has acquired, it is impossible to believe that conversations such as we had
could have been as full and as frank had Fuad Bey been present.
3. The lavish hospitality which Ibn Saud always displays to guests
threatened to assume an alarmingly public character in Jedda. We were
embarrassed to discover that not only were dinners to Mr. Rendel to be given by
the King and the Amir Faisal—festivities which might be taken as a reasonable
return for hospitality enjoyed by the Amirs Saud and Faisal in England—-but a
dinner was to be given by Sheikh Abdallah Sulaiman, the Minister of Finance.
At our request the third dinner was cancelled, but it was replaced by a tea-party,
which was attended by the King. The personal character of the party was,
however, emphasised by the presence of Mrs. Rendel. The King made a very
rare exception to his rule not to receive European ladies, and had her placed m
the seat of honour on his right.
4. Not only did we endeavour to avoid some of the external signs ot an
official visit, but Mr. Rendel was careful to explain, both at the beginning of his
visit to Jedda and also just before his departure, that his journey was personal
and private. It was undertaken, he explained, in response to the generous
invitation of His Highness the Amir Saud. Nevertheless, he had taken the
opportunity to study carefully on the spot various mattei s affecting Aaiglo-Saudi
relations, in particular the Qatar boundary, and he would be glad if he could
assist in arriving at a settlement of this or of any other outstanding question.
5. At my urgent request Mr. Rendel took the leading part whenever there
was a question of explaining the point of view of His Majesty’s Government on
matters of importance. This was not only reasonable in that he was merely
going again over ground covered on many occasions with the Saudi representative

About this item

Content

This file, like the previous volume (IOR/L/PS/12/2087), concerns relations between the British Government and the Government of Saudi Arabia.

The file largely consists of copies of Foreign Office correspondence, mainly between His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, Sir Reader William Bullard, Hugh Stonehewer Bird, and Stanley R Jordan successively) and officials of the Foreign Office. Other prominent correspondents include the following: the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires to Jedda (Albert Spencer Calvert, succeeded by Alan Charles Trott); His Majesty's Ambassador in Baghdad (Sir Kinahan Cornwallis); Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd]; Amir Faisal [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd], Minister of Foreign Affairs for Saudi Arabia; officials of the Colonial Office and the War Office.

The correspondence documents the progression of negotiations for a general settlement between the two governments, which would result in the initial prolongation of the validity of the Treaty of Jedda (the treaty signed between Britain and Ibn Saud in 1927, which initially expired in September 1934) for a period of seven years from 1936 (and for another seven years from 1943).

In addition to discussing matters relating to the proposed general settlement (e.g. the eastern and south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia, slavery regulations, arms traffic, and Saudi debts), the correspondence also documents various visits and meetings, including the following:

  • The visit of Amir Saud [Āl Sa‘ūd, Sa‘ūd bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz, heir apparent of Ibn Saud] to Britain (17 June-1 July 1935), accompanied by Fuad Bey Hamza, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs for Saudi Arabia.
  • Further meetings at the Foreign Office between Fuad Bey Hamza, Hafiz Wahba (Saudi Minister in London), Sir Andrew Ryan, George William Rendel (Head of the Foreign Office's Eastern Department), and other Foreign Office officials, in July 1935, following on from meetings in September 1934.
  • Sir Andrew Ryan's meetings with Ibn Saud in Riyadh in December 1935 and in Jedda in February 1936.
  • Four interviews held between Ibn Saud, Sir Reader William Bullard and George William Rendel, in Jedda, during March 1937.

Also discussed are matters relating to the Second World War, including:

  • An exchange of letters between Ibn Saud and the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, in early 1939, which principally relate to Ibn Saud's concerns regarding his country's security in the event of the beginning of general hostilities.
  • German radio broadcasts in Jedda during the first few weeks of the Second World War and their possible effect on the Jedda population.
  • The possibility of Iraq and Saudi Arabia formally joining the Allies in the Second World War.

In addition to correspondence the file includes the following: a copy of a programme for Amir Saud's visit to Britain (ff 339-348); exchanges of notes (in English and Arabic) between the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the British Legation at Jedda, confirming the prolongation of the Treaty of Jedda, dated 1936 and 1943 respectively (ff 189-192 and ff 4-5); a sketch map showing air routes over Saudi Arabia and Iraq (f 31v).

Although the material in this file falls inside the date range of 1935-1943, the final document in the file does include an additional date stamp which is marked '12 April 1947'.

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.

Extent and format
1 file (379 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 commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 380; 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. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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Coll 6/21(2) 'Saudi Arabia: Relations with H.M.G.: Saudi Legation in London and British Minister in Jeddah. Prolongation of Treaty of Jedda.' [‎176r] (351/761), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2088, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100048209024.0x00009a> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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