Coll 6/67(1) 'Boundaries of South-Eastern Arabia and Qatar.' [‎251v] (507/794)

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16. Towards the end the King expressed his surprise on learning that the
Turks had agreed to alienate rights, which were not in their lawful disposal. He
denied all knowledge until recently of the Anglo-Turkish conventions. I said
that surely the Saudi Government had been aware of the Anglo-Turkish Con
vention of 1913, which, if I remembered rightly, was referred to specifically in
the Koweit-Nejd Boundary Convention of 1922. Both the King and
Sheikh Yussuf were positive that they had no previous knowledge of the con
ventions of 1913-14, and made the point that they were not among the treaties
communicated to Ibn Saud after the conclusion of the Treaty of Jedda.
Sheikh Yussuf recalled a reference to the old Koweit boundary in the Koweit-
Nejd Boundary Agreement of 1922, but did not think that the Anglo-Turkish
Convention as such was referred to (I subsequently verified my own recollection,
which was correct).
17. I did not feel that I could invite the King to make a further com
munication to His Majesty’s Government during my absence on leave, as
suggested in my instructions, having regard to the fact that the last official note
of the Saudi Government remains unanswered, and to the extreme vigour of the
King’s personal reaction. I promised to report all that he had said. The
audience ended at 5-30 p.m.
18. Shortly after 6 Sheikh Yussuf called on me to break the news that the
King wished to give us presents. I am dealing separately with this.
19. We dined with the King at 6 • 30. He was in the best of form before and
during dinner; chaffed Mr. Philby over his unwillingness to adopt the Royal
suggestion that he should take a wife; expounded his own views as to the
excellence of matrimony up to the extreme limits allowed by the holy law; and
spoke freely of the way in which he was served by the sons of his former enemies.
He laughed at reports in the press that one of the Beni Rashid was raising the
Shammer against him, when the person named and others of that family were
with his sons at the front. All the sons of Dawish, he said, were also at the front.
20. He started on business again about 7-30. I broached the question of
the King’s relations with Koweit, the adjustment of which was strongly desired
by His Majesty’s Government with special reference to the desirability of ending
the present restriction on trade between Koweit and Nejd. A proposal, I
observed, had been made quite a long time ago to seek a basis of settlement, but
it had been held up by the question of the claims of the Sheikh of Koweit, a
matter which also required settlement. The King expressed eagerness for a
settlement of the blockade question on a basis of reciprocity. I asked what he
meant; whereupon he developed, not very clearly, various views as to the effect of
different prices for commodities in Nejd and Koweit and of smuggling. He said
that he could not agree to customs posts on the frontier, as they would cost more
than they would produce in the way of revenue, and smuggling would still go on.
I suggested that the control exercised by his blockade officer, A1 Bagawi, seemed
to be pretty effective, and that A1 Bagawi might be better employed in collecting
revenue than in stopping trade. The King was not impressed by this, but, finally,
said that he would welcome a meeting of representatives of himself and the
sheikh to devise a settlement. He did not revert to the question of the sheikh’s
claims. I preferred not to carry the discussion further in view of the sheikh’s
attitude since the meeting of commissioners was first proposed.
21. I asked the King generally how he wished our discussion to be followed
up. I was not very clear, I said, as to the plans of Fuad Bey Hamza. If Fuad
Bey was coming to London and was authorised to express His Majesty’s views;
he would have an opportunity of doing so, while I was at home. Alternatively’
the ground might be prepared during my absence for the final handling of the
questions on my return from leave. The King said that Fuad Bey was to spend a
month m Pciiis cind would bo nblo to spofik for him in London. Ho suggested thnt
I should report our discussions at Taif and that any expression of His Majesty’s
Government’s views should be conveyed to his Government, whereupon Fuad Bey
would be instructed. I pointed out that this would take time and the Kino 1
presently agreed to my counter-suggestion that Fuad Bey should be acquainted
with what had passed at Taif, and should be instructed at once as to the line on
which he should pursue the discussion in London.
22. At this point I said that, althougn there were other outstanding
questions, I did not wish to trouble His Majesty personally with them, and I