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PZ 5636/35 'Egypt: Annual Reports 1934 -1938' [‎29r] (64/342)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (166 folios). It was created in 15 Aug 1935-22 Sep 1939. 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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122. Ihe successful negotiation of the Anglo-Italian (Rome) Agreement in
April produced a detente in the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and led
at first to exaggerated hopes among the Egyptians that it would be possible for
them to relax their defence preparations. Apart from the provisions of the
agreement relating to Lake Tsana,^ the Sudan frontiers and the Suez Canal which
are dealt with elsewhere in this report, Egypt was concerned with the under
takings by His Majesty’s Government and the Italian Government:—
(a) To respect the status quo in the Mediterranean :
(b) To exchange information regarding their military forces in Libya and
East Africa and in Egypt and the Sudan respectively : and
(c) The arrangement whereby the Italian Government were to reduce the
strength of their military effectives in Libya to peace strength.
As regards (r), some thousands of regular Italian troops were repatriated to Italy
following upon the signature of the Rome Agreement. But the recrudescence of
difficulties over Spain and the hesitation of His Majesty’s Government to bring
the agreement into force led to a suspension of further withdrawals from the
beginning of June, and the Italian forces in Libya were reinforced during the
September crisis until they reached a level of strength which was probably higher
than ever before. They remained thus throughout the rest of the year. Mean
while, even during the period of withdrawals of men, the Italian Government
were steadily accumulating war material of every sort in Libya.
123. It. was not long, therefore, before Egyptian optimism received a cold
douche, and with the September crisis fear of Italy became stronger than ever and
was not diminished by the Munich Agreement, especially as in October Libya was
proclaimed to be an integral part of the metropolitan territory of Italy.
124. During the last stages of the Rome negotiations the Prime Minister
put forward a proposal for some sort of political agreement between Egypt and
Italy, which he variously envisaged as a “ Bon Voisinaqe ” Agreement covering
the Libyan frontier or a general non-agression pact. The ambassador was success
ful in riding off an attempt to incorporate this nebulous idea into the Rome
conversations at the eleventh hour. As the Prime Minister was apparently keen
on pursuing his scheme and had given instructions for a draft agreement to be
prepared, Sir Miles Lampson warned him after consulting the Foreign Office that
while His Majesty’s Government had naturally no objection to any agreement
designed to improve relations between Egypt and Italy, it would be essential to
ensure in the drafting and negotiating of the agreement that nothing was included
which conflicted with the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of Alliance. The Prime
Minister gave a categorical assurance that this condition would be observed and
that His Majesty’s Government would be fully consulted throughout. At the
beginning of June, Mohamed Mahmoud Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. informed the ambassador that he
proposed to postpone the whole idea until the Rome Agreement had come into
force.
125. During the September crisis the Italian Government approached the
Egyptian Government again with assurances of their desire to remain on friendly
terms with Egypt; and definite overtures appear to have been made to both King
Farouk and the Prime Minister to the effect that if Egypt remained neutral m a
European war Italy would guarantee not to attack her. According to the Prime
Minister these overtures were rejected, and the Italians were informed that it
was the intention of Egypt to remain loyal to the British Alliance.
126. In November the Egyptian Government followed the lead of His
Majesty’s Government in recognising the Italian conquest of Abyssinia. The
Prime Minister revived at this juncture his vague idea of the spring for a
political agreement between Egypt and Italy, which he later turned into a
proposal to include, in the exchange of notes recognising the Italian conquest of
Abyssinia, an undertaking by the Italian Government to safeguard the free
exercise of the Coptic religion in Abyssinia and the connexion of the Abyssinian
and Egyptian Coptic Churches. This idea came to nothing and eventually the
Egyptian Government decided to recognise without any attempt to attach condi
tions to their recognition. Notes were also exchanged between the Egyptian
Charge d’Affaires at Rome and the Italian Foreign Minister at this time recording
that the declarations regarding Lake Tsana and the Suez Canal had come into
force.

About this item

Content

The volume comprises five printed Foreign Office annual reports (for the years 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938) relating to Egypt.

The printed reports follow the same format. They start with a letter from the High Commissioner to Egypt (Sir Miles Lampson) to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir John Simon, Anthony Eden, Viscount Halifax) with a summary of significant developments.

Accompanying these letters is an enclosure with the annual report for each year. Each report starts with a contents section. The reports have an introduction and sections on internal politics and relations with the United Kingdom and the British Empire; international relations by country; relations between Egypt and the Sudan; economic and financial situation; and general matters.

Extent and format
1 volume (166 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 inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 168; 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 5-165 ; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

Written in
English in Latin script
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PZ 5636/35 'Egypt: Annual Reports 1934 -1938' [‎29r] (64/342), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/171, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100054923672.0x000041> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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