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Coll 6/67(1) 'Boundaries of South-Eastern Arabia and Qatar.' [191v] (387/794)
The record is made up of 1 volume (392 folios). It was created in 13 Jun 1934-13 Dec 1934. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
P. 4902/14.
Yic. tel.,
2.1.15,
P. 43/15.
P. 697/15.
P.R. to Gr. of
I, 18.1.15,
P. 975/15.
To P.R.,
4.1.15,
No. S. 13,
Yic. tel.,
29.1.15,
in the eviction of the Turks from Basra, H.M. Government would be prepared to
recognise him as independent Ruler of Nejd and Hasa and enter into treaty
relations with him, and to guarantee him against attack by sea.
Ibn Sand's Response. f
183 Ibn Saud on the outbreak of war took the field against his rival,
Ibn Rashid, and used his preoccupations in this quarter as an excuse for not
responding: to the Turkish request for active military support against the Allies.
It proved impossible to pursue discussions with him as to an understanding on
the lines referred to in the preceding paragraph until the end of 1914, when
Captain Shakespear, on the instructions of H.M. Government, met and discussed
the position with him. Ibn Saud intimated that he was entirely on the British
side and that he would commence verbal negotiations on the subject of the oilers
made him by H.M. Government in the near future. In a letter to the -Political
Resident of 28tli November 1914 he referred to the British promise of recognition
of his independence as “ Her recognition of the independence of my Chielship oi
all the parts of Nejd, El Hasa and Katif.”
Ibn Sand’s terms, January 1915.
184 In January 1915 further discussions took place between Ibn Saud and
Cant a in Shakespear. The Amir’s attitude was that being ultimately dis
appointed of British intervention on his behalf in April 1914 he was obliged to
come to an understanding with the Turks sufficient to secure his immunity from
their aggression. He was now anxious for a signed treaty giving him a solid
guarantee of his position under the segis of Great Britain. If the treaty was no
soon concluded, force of circumstances might drive him to give some overt demon
stration of his intention to side with the Turks. On the other hand once it was
concluded he would use all his resources and influence on our side. He proposed
a draft.
185 The following are the portions of the draft submitted by Ibn Saud,
which bear on the question of his boundaries and of his abstention from inter
ference with the territories of the Arab proteges of H.M. Government
“ (1) That the British Government will acknowledge and admit that Nejd,
El Hasa, Katif, their surroundings and the ports appertaining to them on
the shores of the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
are to me and (are) the territory of my fathers
and forefathers; that I am the independent ruler of them and after me my
sons and their descendants by inheritance; and that the above-mentioned
territory is an independent territory in which there is no (right of) inter
ference'by any Foreign Power; ^ , \
“ (2) That they (the British Government) will declare its (the territory s)
boundaries north, south, east and west, by land and by sea, and that
(regarding) the nomads who wander between neighbouring towns, which are
either under British protection or (directly) under British Government, it
there should arise differences between me and the Chiefs of the said towns
and complaints be made in (these) matters, they should be decided accoidmg
to the ownership of fathers and ancestors ”
186. Captain Shakespear, in his letter forwarding this draft, remarked that
the addition to our responsibility did not appear heavy. The Turkish menace
from the west and north of Nejd, though very real to Ibn Saud, need give us no
anxiety; and while we should probably be called upon to act as arbiters somewhat
more frequently than hitherto between Arab Sheikhs along the coast and Ibn
Saud, this was a duty largely to the advantage of our own interests.
187. Sir Percy Cox saw no special difficulty as regards the clauses referred
to in paragraph 185 above, but remarked, as regards protection against external
aggression by land, that, “ apart from the Turks, Central Arabia is practically
inaccessible by land to any power but ours, and I venture to think that we should
incur little risk by giving the desired undertaking, subject to the reservation
that aggression be unprovoked.”
Vieivs of Government of India.
188. The Government of India pointed out that Ibn Sand’s proposals
involved many matters of detail which would require lengthy consideration, and
About this item
- Content
This volume primarily concerns British policy regarding the south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia.
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.
Much of the correspondence discusses the legal and international position of what is referred to as the 'blue line' (the frontier which marked the Ottoman Government's renunciation of its claims to Bahrain and Qatar, as laid down in the non-ratified Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913 and redefined and adopted in the Anglo-Ottoman convention of the following year), a line which is not accepted by Ibn Saud as being binding upon his government.
The volume features the following principal correspondents: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); 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. , Kuwait (Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Richard Patrick Dickson); 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); the Chief Commissioner, Aden (Bernard Rawdon Reilly, referred to in the correspondence as Resident); the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister); the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir John Simon); the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs; officials of 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 Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, the War Office, and the Air Ministry.
Matters discussed in the correspondence include the following:
- Whether the British should press Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] for a general settlement of all outstanding major questions.
- The extent of territory that the British should be prepared to include in any concession made to Ibn Saud.
- The British response to what are referred to as Ibn Saud's 'ancestral claims' to territories east of the blue line.
- Sir Andrew Ryan's meetings with Ibn Saud in Taif, in July 1934.
- Meetings held at the Foreign Office between Sir Andrew Ryan, George Rendel (Head of the Foreign Office's Eastern Department), Fuad Bey Hamza (Deputy Minister for Saudi Foreign Affairs), and Hafiz Wahba (Saudi Arabian Minister in London), in September 1934.
- The boundaries of a proposed 'desert zone', suggested by Rendel, where Ibn Saud would hold personal rather than territorial rights.
- Saudi-Qatari relations.
- Whether tribal boundaries should be considered as a possible solution to the boundary question.
Also included are the following:
- Two copies of an 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. memorandum entitled 'Historical Memorandum on the Relations of the Wahabi Amirs and Ibn Saud with Eastern Arabia and the British Government, 1800-1934', dated 26 September 1934.
- Copies of the minutes of meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, dated 8 November 1934 and 12 September 1934.
- A copy of a report by Bertram Thomas regarding a Trans-Oman air route reconnaissance, which was undertaken in May-June 1927.
The Arabic material consists of one item of correspondence (an English translation is included).
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 (392 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 394; 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 View the complete information for this record
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2134
- Title
- Coll 6/67(1) 'Boundaries of South-Eastern Arabia and Qatar.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:197v, 199r:199v, 201r:281v, 283r:328v, 340r:362v, 363ar, 363r:389v, 390ar, 390r:393v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence