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Coll 6/8(1) 'Printed Series: 1929 to 1938.' [‎44r] (92/1062)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (527 folios). It was created in 6 Jan 1929-15 Jan 1938. It was written in English and French. 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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itself on the Arabian coast of the Red Sea. We had meticulously observed
our own part of this Understanding, even to the extent of holding aloof in
cases where we might have obtained a dominant position for ourselves in
matters connected with Saudi Arabia. X hoped that the Italian Government
would be equally scrupulous in keeping to their part of the Understanding,
but I felt bound to say that the words and actions of certain Italians had done
much to lend colour to the doubts which were felt in certain quarters here
as to the ultimate intentions of Italy in regard to the Yemen. Our own policy
was, however, perfectly clear and simple. We desired to see the independent
Arab States remain independent and strong. We had no desire whatever to
extend our influence beyond those limited spheres in Arabia in which we were
legally entitled to exercise it, and any rumours to the contrary were merely
malicious inventions.
5. As regards the particular cases to which Signor Crolla had alluded*
I could tell him quite frankly what had been the object of Sir R. Bullard’s
journey. As Signor Crolla knew, we were faced with an extremely difficult
problem in Palestine resulting from our conflicting obligations. The Royal
Commission had now produced a Report and recomendations, which might
well arouse strong feelings on both sides. We had felt it essential to ensure
that the Commission’s Report and recommendations should be clearly under
stood by the leading personalities in the Arab world, and that there should
be no risk of unnecessary misunderstanding owing to incomplete or inaccurate
information. We had therefore decided to send Sir R. Bullard to Riyadh to
explain the Report and recommendations of the Commission and the con
clusions of His Majesty’s Government thereon frankly and accurately to King
Ibn Saud the day before those documents were published in this country.
This had involved Sir R. Bullard reaching Riyadh with the Report and con
clusions of His Majesty’s Government not later than July 6th, and, seeing that
the Report had not been in our hands until the evening of June 22nd, it had
not been physically possible to arrange this without sending the necessary
documents to him by air. I had myself been responsible for the proposal,
to send the two aircraft to Jedda, and had only hit upon this way of sending the
papers to Sir R. Bullard after I had found that all the other methods of com
munication would have been too slow. It was quite possible that Sir B.
Bullard might take the opportunity of his visit to Riyadh to discuss any other
outstanding matters with the King, hut the object of his 3 ourne y wa "
ly simple and straightforward, and it was absurd to read deep ulterior pol
cal motives into it, or to represent it as implying any change of policy on
our part. ,
a As regards what Signor Crolla had said about our adopting a forward
policy hf the Wnterland 0/the Hadhramaot and extending our authonty
round to the back of the Yemen, this was equally off the rails. There had
Wn no ouestion whatever of our extending our authority m this area. T
bountoies^f the Adtn Protectorate dated from before f e war “d from the
legal boundaries of our sphere of influence both in Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
Protectorate and in that of our Arab protected States m3
were laid down m the *w°. noth i<m IS E June 1914, Nos. 71-
1S. E. Dec. 1903, Nos. 1-245] and March 9th, 1914 Lb.^June^^^
115], and the relevant article was Article 3 convention had been pub-
laid down the so-called blue and a t ies ' ( X933 Edition, Volume XI, page
lishedin Volume XI bntd hv it and as regards the north-west
42). The legal position was still governe by t ^ confirmed by the
frontier of the Aden Protectorate, their ' n 0 f which provided for the
Anglo-Yemeni Treaty of 1934 (Gmd 4630), Ar ° ever bee ^ any question
maintenance of the existing fron ler. , this line, and the last thing
whatever of our extending our ““^Xyondlt and adopt a forward
we should contemplate doing was to penet “ h y had n0 lega i claim. As
territorial policy in spheres m respect f whic d to the <■ V ioi e t
regards the Aden Protectorate, whichleg^ y 1 from Has Dharbat
line ” to the north-west, and up to a line running

About this item

Content

This volume compiles printed copies of letters, telegrams, memoranda and newspaper extracts relating to Britain's involvement across the Arabian Peninsula during the period 1929-1938. Whilst the correspondence encompasses all matters concerning British interests in the region, much of it relates to Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] and the Kingdom of the Hejaz and Nejd (later Saudi Arabia). Matters discussed in the correspondence include the following:

  • Reports of unrest in the Hejaz.
  • Relations between Imam Yeha Hamid-Ud-Din [Yaḥyá Muḥammad Ḥamīd al-Dīn, Imam of Yemen] and Ibn Saud.
  • Reports of raids and arms trafficking on the 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 -Nejd frontier.
  • Reports of the proceedings of British naval ships in the Red Sea.
  • Details of the Akhwan [Ikhwan] revolt against Ibn Saud, including the movements of one of the revolt's leaders, Faisal Dawish [Fayṣal bin Sulṭān al-Dawīsh], and his surrender to the British in Kuwait.
  • Relations between Kuwait and Nejd.
  • Relations between Iraq and Nejd, including a proposed meeting between Ibn Saud and King Faisal [Fayṣal] of Iraq, and reports of a treaty of alliance between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
  • Objections from the Hejaz Government to Royal Air Force aircraft flying over Nejd territory.
  • The purchase of arms by the Hejaz Government from Poland.
  • Ibn Saud's annexation of Asir.
  • The death of King Hussein [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī].
  • Harry St John Bridger Philby's conversion to Islam, his mapping of Rub-al-Khali, and his reported spreading of Saudi propaganda in the Aden Protectorate.
  • The currency exchange crisis in the Hejaz-Nejd and the financial situation in the kingdom generally.
  • Reports on a survey of the water and mineral content of the Hejaz coastal area.
  • Relations between Soviet Russia and Saudi Arabia.
  • The emigration of Jews from Yemen to Palestine, via Aden.
  • British fears that Italy might harbour ambitions to annex Yemen.
  • Saudi oil concessions.
  • Italian-Saudi relations.

Prominent correspondents include the following: the British Agent (later His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires) at Jeddah; His Majesty's Minister at Jeddah; the High Commissioner for Egypt; the High Commissioner for Iraq; the High Commissioner for 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 ; 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; 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. (later Chief Commissioner, and later still, Governor), Aden; 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. ; His Majesty's Ambassador to Iraq; His Majesty's Ambassador to Italy; the Secretary of State for the Colonies; the Minister (and Acting Minister) for Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom of the Hejaz and Nejd (later Saudi Arabia); Ibn Saud; King Feisal of Iraq; the Prime Minister of Iraq; various officials of the Colonial Office, the Foreign Office, the Air Ministry, and the Admiralty.

The French material in the volume consists of several items of correspondence and a copy of a treaty between France and Yemen, which was signed in April 1936.

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 (527 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.

The items of correspondence are divided (roughly) into various sections. Each extract or item of correspondence within these sections has its own number, which is enclosed in brackets. These numbers proceed in ascending (and approximate chronological) order from left to right; however, the sections themselves proceed in reverse, from the rear to the front of the volume, in distinct groups (e.g. for 1929 numbers 1-23, which are located at folios 517-526, are followed by numbers 24-49 at folios 509-516, which are then followed by numbers 50-89 at folios 494-508, and so on).

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 529; 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.

Pagination: each section of correspondence within the volume (as described in the arrangement field) has its own pagination sequence.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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Coll 6/8(1) 'Printed Series: 1929 to 1938.' [‎44r] (92/1062), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2071, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100061765163.0x00005d> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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