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Coll 6/8(1) 'Printed Series: 1929 to 1938.' [‎90v] (185/1062)

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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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38 !
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t, j i / I,, W since gone on leave) recording his interview with Lord
Rendel (who has 8 j ^ go enc lose a copy of the telegram which
srssat&ci»»». w— f- *• ***.
w, will. .1 »«« top ,m informed of future development
T am sending copies of this letter to Clauson 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. and
Relton of the Department of the Overseas Trade.
p S _! a i so enclose a copy of the reply which we have just received
from Jedda to our telegraphic enquiry.
Enclosure 1 to S. No. (52).
(Enclosure in Foreign Office covering letter, dated 9th August 1935.)
Minute.\
Lord Castlestewart called this morning. Mr. Ward was also present
at the interview. . ‘ ,, a
After o-iving me the necessary particulars regarding his Syndicates
concession, Lord' Castlestewart began by explaining that the Saudi Govern-
ment had asked the Syndicate for a loan of one million silver rivals to be
minted bv the Syndicate. His views on this point and the enquiries he
made in connexion with it are recorded^ in the attached draft telegram,
which I agreed to send, at the Syndicate s expense.
Lord Castlestewart then discussed the general position. The gist of
his enquiries was verv much as we had expected, his main point being an
enquiry whether His Majesty’s Government might not think it worth their
while to give some kind of financial assistance to Saudi Arabia, wi a view
to maintaining the present regime in power, since, if they did not cio so,
other countries such as Italy might well take the opportunity of getting a
finger in the pie and might then, if Ibn Sand’s regime should eventually
collapse, find an excuse for political intervention in Arabia more parti
cularly as the mining concessions which his Syndicate had obtained weie
certainly of verv considerable value. Lord Castlestewart^ also wished o
know whether there might not be some possibility of securing the appoint
ment of a British Financial Adviser, or of getting some arrangement with
Saudi Arabia by which the Saudi customs receipts should be assigned as
security for a loan. He asked for any general information we could gwe
him.
I told Lord Castlestewart that we were on excellent terms with San i
Arabia and had, generally speaking, a high opinion of King Ibn baud,
who had done a great deal for his country and was much more direc
his methods and satisfactory to deal with than the great majority oi niers
in the East. At the same time, the country was organised on an extreme y
primitive basis and was exceedingly poor. It had no real budget and live
very much from hand to mouth, chiefly on the pilgrimage and on grazing
taxes, the collection of which was farmed out to local governors. I ^
not hazard any prophecy as to what might happen on the death of Ling
Ibn Sand 1 , particularly as he had comparatively few reliable officials, bd
Saudi Arabia was in definite treaty relations with a large number of coun
tries and with all her neighbours, and I doubted whether there was any real
danger of any European Power attempting adventures there in the circum
stances. Like other countries in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia was
intensely nationalist and jealous of her independence, and it was most im
probable that Ibn Sand would consent in any circumstances whatever o
assign any revenues as security for a foreign loan. The assignment oi

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.' [‎90v] (185/1062), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2071, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100061765163.0x0000ba> [accessed 23 April 2024]

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