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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.' [‎286v] (572/761)

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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2
would automatically continue to be valid if the Treaty of Jedda itself were to
be prolonged, and it accordingly becomes necessary to consider as a preliminary
to the formal extension of the treaty what modifications should be introduced in
the wording of the original undertaking.
5. The original assurance given by Sir Gilbert Clayton was qualified by a
reference to the conditions of the Arms Traffic Convention of 1925 as prescribing
the procedure which should be followed in connexion with orders for the export
of arms from the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia. This convention has never
come into force. Nevertheless, I am advised that it must still be considered
to represent the international standard for the control of the traffic in arms;
it has actually been ratified conditionally by the United Kingdom since 1927, and
it is clearly impossible to replace it for the purposes of the assurance to the
Saudi Government by a reference to the draft convention which was prepared
at Geneva in April 1935 by the Committee for the Regulation of the Trade in
and Private and State Manufacture of Arms and Implements of. War, and
which has only received a first reading. The convention of 1925 may, in fact, be
considered to have acquired more authority since the exchange of notes with
King Abdul Aziz in 1927, and it is noteworthy that its provisions are utilised
as a standard of control in the Four-Power Treaty of August 1930 regulating
the importation of arms and ammunition into Abyssinia. In the circumstances
I consider that the reference to the Arms Traffic Convention of 1925 should be
maintained in any new version of the assurance.
6. I am advised that the actual effect of the reference to the Arms Traffic
Convention of 1925 is to qualify the original assurance of His Majesty’s Govern
ment by making it subject to all the conditions specified in the convention,
including those concerning licences and the machinery to ensure that arms are
destined solely for the Government of the country ordering them. At the same
time articles 33 and 34 of the convention of 1925 introduce safeguards and
qualifications in regard to time of war and the obligations arising out of the
Covenant of the League of Nations and other treaty instruments. Nevertheless,
I remain of the opinion that these safeguards are not sufficient in present inter
national conditions, since it is desirable that His Majesty’s Government should
make provision for embargoes which they might be compelled to impose, not
merely in fulfilment of actual obligations under the Covenant of the League,
but also in accordance with any recommendations of the Council under article 11
of the Covenant; or even for the purpose of taking unilateral action to safeguard
^ 7 In order to enable His Majesty’s Government to fulfil their obligations
and to exercise an unfettered influence for the preservation of peace I consider,
therefore, that Sir Gilbert Clayton’s note of the 19th May, 1927, should not be
renewed but should be replaced, as soon as practicable, by a new assurance to
be given to King Abdul Aziz on the lines of the following formula
“ I am empowered by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom
to inform you that, subject to the conditions laid down in the Geneva Aims
Traffic Convention of 1925, His Majesty’s Government will not, so long
as the treaty signed at Jedda on the 20th May, 192/, remains m force,
prevent the export from the United Kingdom of arms, &c., purchased by the
Saudi Arabian Government for their own use from manufacturers m e
United Kino-dom, in normal circumstances. Nevertheless, having regard
to developments in the matter of the control of the exports of arms since
1927 His Majesty’s Government must reserve the right to suspend
temporarily the operation of this assurance in circumstances m which the
international obligations of His Majesty’s Government or any circumstances
connected with any war or threat of war should render it necessary.
8. At your own request I have furnished you, without delay, with the
explanations in the preceding paragraphs in order that you may be in possession
of^mv considered views for your guidance if it prove necessary to discuss the
subject wRhKTng Abdul Aziz or his Ministers. At the same time the question
of the supply of arms remains a subsidiary point connected with the renewal
of the Treaty of Jedda, which is in its turn dependent on a satisfactoiy settlement
of the important question of slavery. It would thus be premature for you to
take the mitiative in discussing this particular question until agreement has
been reached on the slavery issue, and the question of the prolongation o e

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.' [‎286v] (572/761), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2088, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100048209025.0x0000af> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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