Coll 6/8(1) 'Printed Series: 1929 to 1938.' [249v] (503/1062)
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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
86
the Kind’s great achievement was that he had established security, a matter
of direct interest to us in the pilgrim area when it was complete and of
indirect interest to us in a more general sense. As regards the fifth point
on his list I did not know the position as regards flying over lersia, but
we should like to have freedom in agreement with the Powers concerned to
flv either way along the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
. In so far as Bolshevik propaganda
was still an active force in the East, it was our interest to counteract it,
(Fuad Bey said he wished to speak to me another time about Bolshevik
nroDaganda.)
T As regards Fuad Bey’s purely personal estimate of the ways in
which His Maiesty’s Government might help the King, I said as little as
I could I said that, if he wished in due course to speak about the Hejaz
Pailway I would report what he had to say; I had no instructions on the
subiect. I had said all I would say about Agaba and Maan another cpies-
tion wdiich had not arisen since I came here. He had referred to Persian
Gulf questions. There had been a talk of discussing them last year, but
eventually the Biscoe incident had held everything up. My Government
were anxious that these questions should be handled by Colonel Biscoe, as
they were in his sphere. I could not, therefore, speak of the desiderata on
both sides, but I might mention the impression produced by the King’s
prolonged blockade, as it were, of Koweit. As for AVakfs, the King had
discussed the subject with Sir G. Clayton in 1927 and had formulated
desiderata. They had been carefully considered, and later in the year a
reply had been returned, based on the constant policy of His Majesty’s
Government of not interfering in so purely religious a matter. I remarked
that I myself, though I sometimes made representations about Wakfs in
the Hejaz at the instance of British Moslem interested parties, a thing
rather different from interfering in Wakfs in a country which we admi
nistered or controlled in any way, always did so with hesitation and within
as narrow limits as possible. There were, I observed in passing, many
Wakfs for the benefit of pilgrims at Mecca, and the Hejazi Government
would do well to see that they were well cared for.
? 8. I turned to finance. It was true that in the past His Majesty’s
Government had assisted King Hussein and Ibn Sand. That was part of a
policy arising out of the war, when money was spent on many things—we
had, for instance, spent millions on buying fish in Norway merely to prevent
its going to our enemies. Economy was now the order of the day. It was
a plank in every political platform in England. It was practised by His
Majesty’s Government. Every Government must now stand on its own
feet. That was a hard saving, but true. I knew of the difficulties of this
country. I realised that it was too dependent on the pilgrimage. I saw
salvation only in the development of the fresh economic resources to which
the Government had been turning their attention. I had heard of press
statements about an application to Sweden for a geological mission. I
had nothing against that. I would not encourage any hope of direct finan
cial assistance from Great Britain, if that was what was in Fuad Bey’s
mind. British interest might possibly be enlisted in connexion with
economic schemes. If I could help with any advice in regard to such
schemes I would be happy to do so. 9
9. Time was running out and I could not follow up the one remaining
point in Fuad Bey’s statement of the 13th June; fortunately, perhaps, as
Fuad Bey might have harped on an idea, which emerged in the course of
our conversations, that Ibn Baud’s assistance, negative or even positive,
would be useful to His Majesty’s Government if ever they had trouble in
Iraq or
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
. I wound up the conversation by saying that I had
given him an exposition of my own ideas. If they were in some ways dis
couraging, he would not take it amiss. It would be easy enough, but not
honest, to intimate agreement with him; to say when he suggested our
working together on some particular line : “Yes, that’s splendid; I’ll put it
up to my Government,’’ and say two or three months later that my Govern
ment had turned it down.
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 View the complete information for this record
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2071
- Title
- Coll 6/8(1) 'Printed Series: 1929 to 1938.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:5v, 6v, 8v:10r, 11r:14r, 15r:20r, 21r:21v, 22v, 24v:26v, 27v:30r, 32r:41v, 43r:46v, 48r:48v, 49v:52v, 53v, 55v:58r, 59r:60r, 61r:70r, 71v:77v, 78v:79r, 80v:81v, 82v:93v, 95r:101v, 102v:104v, 106r:108r, 109v:110v, 111v:113v, 115r:120v, 122r:123r, 124r:126v, 127v, 128v:130v, 132r, 133v:137r, 139r:154r, 155r, 156r:157v, 159r:166r, 167r, 168r:171r, 172r:174r, 175r:175v, 176v:177v, 180v:181r, 182v, 183v:184v, 187v:188r, 191r:198r, 199r:199v, 200v:201r, 202r, 203r:203v, 206r:207r, 210r:211v, 213r:220r, 223v:224v, 226r:226v, 228r, 230v:234v, 236r, 237r:252r, 253v:257v, 259r:260v, 262r:262v, 264r:268v, 269v:276r, 277v:278v, 279v:281r, 282v:285r, 287r:288r, 289r:292v, 295r:296v, 297v:307r, 308r, 309r:316v, 318r:320v, 322r, 324r:325r, 327r, 329r:331r, 332r:335r, 336r:337v, 338v:345r, 347r:348r, 350v, 353v:358v, 360r:363r, 364v:365v, 366v:371r, 372v:375r, 376v, 377v:379v, 383r:383v, 384v:385r, 387v:389r, 390r:391v, 395v:400v, 401v:412v, 414v:420r, 422r:433v, 435v:437v, 440r:447v, 449r:449v, 451v:459r, 460r:463v, 465r:468v, 469v:471r, 474r:477r, 480r:485r, 486v:492v, 494r:507r, 508v:511r, 512r:513v, 514v, 516r:518v, 520r:522r, 523r:528v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence
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