Coll 6/4(1) 'Asir: Assumption by Ibn Saud of control of internal administration of Asir.' [78r] (162/1104)
The record is made up of 1 volume (548 folios). It was created in 17 Nov 1930-12 Oct 1933. 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. .
Transcription
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3
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Bey Hamza and reported in Sir Andrew’s despatches Nos. 168 and 193 of the
5th June and the 23rd June respectively, that King Ibn Sand’s claim that
Nejran is definitely to be considered as Saudi territory can necessarily be accepted
as indisputable. It is to be observed that no reference to a settlement on this
point is contained in the official Saudi proclamation regarding the results of the
negotiations of 1931, a translation of which was enclosed in Sir Andrew Ryan’s
4 ^patch No. 486 of the 19th December, 1931. Nor does it appear, from the
information at my disposal, that Nejran had in fact been in the effective occu
pation either of King Ibn Saud or of the Imam in recent years. It is, therefore,
not absolutely clear that King Ibn Saifd, in contemplating the ejection of the
Yemeni troops from Nejran, can in fact be considered to be defending what is
indisputably his own territory in the same way as would be the case if it were
a question of resisting a Yemeni or Idrisi incursion into territory in his
effective occupation. It may, indeed, be that it would be more correct to regard
such action by King Ibn Saud as an attempt to occupy territory, the ownership
of which has hitherto been doubtful. Without further information, however,
as to the status and recent history of Nejran it is somewhat difficult to express
an opinion on this point.
15. Before taking his leave. Sheikh Hafiz Wahba reverted to the enquiries
which he had made at the interview recorded in the earlier part of this despatch,
as to the assistance which His Majesty’s Government might be able to give to
King Ibn Saud. He explained that His Majesty had in mind an understanding
“between himself and His Majesty’s Government—which should, however, be
kept strictly secret—by which His Majesty’s Government would promise him
their moral support and he, on his side, should guarantee all British interests
in the Yemen should he prove successful against the Imam. In reply to this
statement, the Minister was informed that the arrangement proposed would be
something very like an alliance between the two countries. 8 heikh Hafiz Wahba
replied that King Ibn Saud did not expect armed assistance from His Majesty’s
Government, but only desired material help in two directions, namely, a loan and
the supply of arms.
16. The Minister was informed that, as he was aware, the question oi a
loan to the Saudi Government was most carefully and sympathetically examined
last vear, when the matter was raised here by the Saudi mission headed b\ the
Emir Feisal, and that it had then been found impossible to accede to the Saudi
Government’s request. The position in this matter was unchanged. As regards
the supply of arms, there was no reason, as Sheikh Hafiz \\ ahba knew, why the
Saudi Government should not buy arms from the manufacturers whenever and
wherever they wished. It appeared, however, that King Ibn Sau ac
suggesting that His Majesty’s Government should arrange the supply to him ot
arms on especially favourable terms (to this the Minister agreed); this suggestion
appeared to amount in fact to a request for financial facilities m a i ere >
and the reply of His Majesty’s Government could only be the same as that w
they had been obliged to make to the Saudi Government s re ff 1 ^ a
JOHN SIMON.
About this item
- Content
This volume mostly contains copies of Foreign Office correspondence (forwarded by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the Under-Secretary of State for India) relating to the assumption by Ibn Sa'ud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] of control of the internal administration of Asir in November 1930, and its impact on his relations with the Imam of Yemen [Yaḥyá Muḥammad Ḥamīd al-Dīn].
Some of the Foreign Office correspondence refers to the Treaty of Mecca (1926), between Ibn Sa'ud and the Idrisi Ruler of Asir, As Sayyid Al-Hasan-al-Idrisi [Sayyid Āl Ḥasan al-Idrīsī], in which the latter handed over control of his foreign relations, whilst retaining control of his territory's internal affairs. The correspondence discusses the impact that the recent annexation of Asir is likely to have on 1) the present status of Asir, and 2) the Treaty of 1917 between Britain and the Idrisi.
Also discussed are the following:
- Whether or not the British Government should recognise the absorption of Asir into the territories of Ibn Sa'ud.
- Proposals made by the Hejaz and Nejd Government to the British Government for the establishment both of wireless communication between Aden and Jizan, and of postal communication between Jizan and Kamaran, and the difficulties that these proposals pose for the British Government in relation to its decision to withold formal recognition of the annexation of Asir.
- The Italian Government's view on the annexation of Asir.
- Reports of the Imam of Yemen having advanced troops over the Asir frontier.
- Details of a revolt by the Idrisi in Asir against Ibn Sa'ud, in which Abdullah [ʿAbdullāh bin Ḥusayn al-Hāshimī], Emir of Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan , is alleged to be complicit.
- The British Government's response to the alleged presence of anti-Saudi consipirators in Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan .
- Saudi objections to an Italian sloop entering Asir waters and disagreement between the British and Italian Governments regarding whether British warships have visited Jizan.
- Details of telegram reports from the Senior Naval Officer of the British Red Sea sloops (which are included in the volume).
- Reports of the surrender of the Idrisi rebels, and of Ibn Sa'ud's consent to As Sayyid Al-Hasan-al-Idrisi's permanent exile in Yemen.
- Reports of the alleged detention of a Saudi delegation at Sanaa.
- Extracts from Aden Political Intelligence summaries (which are included in the volume).
- Saudi suspicions that Italy has been supplying both the Idrisi and the Imam of Yemen with arms and ammunition.
The volume also includes copies of translated correspondence between Ibn Sa'ud and the Imam of Yemen dating from 1930 to 1931, and a copy of a translation of a treaty of friendship between the Hejaz-Nejd and Yemen, signed on 15 December 1931.
The volume's principal correspondents are the following:
- His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires, Jedda (Cecil Gervase Hope Gill, succeeded by Albert Spencer Calvert);
- British Minister at Jedda (Andrew Ryan);
- Foreign Office;
- Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Sir John Simon);
- Secretary of State for the Colonies;
- Minister for Foreign Affairs for the Hejaz and Nejd (later Saudi Arabia) [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd];
- His Majesty's Ambassador to Italy (Ronald William Graham);
- Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
- Ibn Sa'ud;
- Imam of Yemen.
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.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (548 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 commences at the first flyleaf with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 549; 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 present between ff 226-546 and is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out. The foliation sequence does not include the front cover.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2064
- Title
- Coll 6/4(1) 'Asir: Assumption by Ibn Saud of control of internal administration of Asir.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 1r:7v, 15r:18v, 21r:24r, 26r:26v, 28r:34r, 36r:66v, 69r:118v, 120r:124v, 126r:142v, 147r:151v, 153r:156v, 158r:212v, 214r:215v, 219r:329v, 331r:332v, 334r:336v, 338r:339v, 342r:354v, 357r:358v, 361r:373v, 382r:389v, 394r:396v, 398r:419v, 421r:454v, 461r:479v, 481r:494v, 497r:501v, 503r:519v, 524r:525v, 530r:545v, 547r:548v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence