Coll 6/4(2) 'Asir: Relations between Saudi Arabia and the Yemen.' [‎64v] (135/796)

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many important contacts. He said that a meeting was to take place at Abha
between Fuad Bey Hamza and a representative of the Imam, and that Fuad
Bey was only awaiting news of the Yemeni representative s movements before
himself starting Mr. Philby did not think, and represented Fuad Bey as not
thinking, that this meeting could produce an agreement. He regards war as
inevitable. His second bit of news was that both the King and the Amir Feisal^
his son were going a hunting and that they were to meet. The Amir Feisal, he
sa d waTmade kL to go to the front, but had not been authorised to do so.
Mr. Philby did not think that Ibn Saud would be persuaded to deprive the
Hejaz of its Viceroy, but the convergence of the two hunts would take the King
himself within easier distance of the front „ tv. ^
6 I regret that my information should be so imperfect. I share a general
ignorance of what is really toward. Fuad Bey has lam low m Mecca since
the 16th December, until to-day, when he arrived unexpectedly in Jedda about
midday, and I could not put the questions I should like to ask him by telephone^
Humours reach me in waves, but they are of no value. The latest is that 8,000
of the Atayba have left Taif for the front. The only thing that I can at present
with my own eyes is three-fourths of the Saudi fleet, the three barges
see WJ.UU my vj vr— * ~~ _ ' ^ ,
mentioned in my telegram No. 6_of the 16th January. It was generally supposed
that they would follow iheUesfe steamer, which embarked anything up to 800
soldiers of sorts for Jizan on the 16th December; but they have continued to lie
peacefully in full view of my house.
7. The one good result of all these singularities is that they enabled me,
in spite of my earlier doubts, to suggest in my telegram NojFof the 21st January
a form of communication to Fuad Bey, which would show both the Saudi and
the Italian Governments that His Majesty’s Government were concerned to do
what little they could do by words to attempt to restrain Ibn Saud from rushing
into war. I received early this morning the telegram, in which you were good
enough to approve of this suggestion. I enclose a copy of a letter which I have
addressed to Fuad Bey. As I have said above he has arrived in Jedda
unexpectedly to-day. The news reached me while my letter was being prepared for
signature and while I was drafting this despatch. Being anxious that the
letter should reach him before we met, I arranged for Mr. Calvert to deliver it
to him personally at 4-30 p.m. I will report any further developments as soon
as I have myself seen Fuad Bey.
8. I am sending copies of this despatch and enclosures to His Majesty’s
representative at Rome and to the Commissioner at Aden. Motives of economy
have prevented me from repeating my telegrams to the latter, since I warned him
on the 15th January that the situation had deteriorated to an extent which made
war a possible eventuality, but I trust that this paper will bring his information
up to date.
I have, &c.
ANDREW RYAN.
-SA
Enclosure 1 in No. 1.
Extract from the Mecca Umm-al-Qura, No. 475 of January 16, 1934.
Between Riyadh and Sana.
(Translation.)
THE exchange of telegraphic communications between His Majesty the
King and his Highness Imam Yahya to settle the trouble between the two
countries is still going on and His Majesty is still strongly persisting in his
efforts for a settlement of the questions in dispute. After a long exchange of
communications, the two parties agreed telegraphically on the question of the
Idrisis and their position. The Imam Yahya then agreed that the frontier
between the two countries should be delimited and that a Treaty of Friendship
and Fraternity should be concluded between the two parties for a period of
twenty years. The question of Najran has remained unsettled up till now. His
Majesty the King finally suggested to his Highness the Imam Yahya that the
two questions already agreed upon should be definitely settled and that the