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Coll 6/8(1) 'Printed Series: 1929 to 1938.' [‎379v] (763/1062)

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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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7 T nm sending copies of this despatch to His Majesty’s Minister at
Jeddah His Excellency the High Commissioner tor Iraq and.the Government
of India. ..
Enclosure 2 to Serial No. (44). ,
LE1TEE FE.OM 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, TO THE^HoK BLE' THE POLITICAL
(/)
KeSIDENT IN THE PERSIAN GULF The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , BuSHIRE, No. 260, DATED THE 21 ST J UNE
1930.
In continuation of my confidential despatch No. 243, dated the 26th May last,
I have the honour to forward for your information translations of the follow
ing letters :—
( a ) From Ibrahim bin Arfaj to 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 No.
dated nil, 1349 (received on 10th June 1930) with enclosure.
(b) From 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, to Ibrahim bin Arfaj, No. 351,
dated 12th June 1930.
(c) From 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, to H. E. the Shaikh of Kuwait,
No. 255 (confidential), dated 12th June 1930.
(d) From H. E. the Shaikh of Kuwait, to 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. , No. nil,
dated 14th June, 1930.
(e) Two camel lists sent by H. E. the Shaikh to 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. on
15th June 1930.
A “ Mulhaq ” or supplement to a letter received on 15th June 1930
by H. E. the Shaikh of Kuwait from H. M. the King of Hijaz and
Najd under his letter No. 2070, dated 21st Dhil, Hujjah 1348 (20th
May 1930).
2. From the above correspondence it will be seen that Ibn Arfaj (presum
ably acting under the orders of Bin Sand) has followed up the activities of
Barjas ibn Othman and Mohomed ibn Sultan and has come to the charge with
a fresh list, this time of 321 camels, which he says are with certain Kuwait
subjects (names given), and which he demands on behalf of his master.
3. Ibn Arfaj in his letter (a) makes two wrong statements. Firstly. It
is incorrect that I told Yusuf bin Abdullah al-Nafisi to inform ibn Arfaj that
he was “ to submit a list of losses (of camels) which were to be recovered
What I did say was that ihn Arfaj should do nothing' foolish and attempt to take
the law into his own hands and that if he had any complaints to prefer against
the Shaikh of Kuwait, he should inform me, sending a copy to the Shaikh.
Secondly. —In the third paragraph of his letter he uses the words “ and
this al-Nafisi explained to you He did nothing of the sort, and the state
ment is a pure invention.
I think, to enable yon to understand
The above explanations are necessary,
ibn Arfaj’s methods.
4. Enclosures (b), (c), (d) are self-explanatory, but (a) requires a little
elucidation. On receipt of ibn Arfaj’s letter, I asked H. E. the Shaikh to let
me know whether any of the names of persons who were in possession of the
53 camels mentioned in Ibn Sultan’s list, had again been mentioned by ihn
Artaj. The Shaikh replied that 24 men’s names mentioned by ibn Sultan had
been entered in ibn Arfaj’s list but that whereas the former had only found 36
camels with them the latter now claimed, and without examination or search,
that there were 68. See List I and II.
5. Enclosure (/) forms part of a courteous letter on general subjects re
cently received (20th May 1930) by H. E. the Shaikh from H. M. King Ihn
Sand and deals with the letter sent by the Shaikh regarding the 53 camels
ound by Ibn t-ultan and which the Shaikh had said would be handed over if
payment were made for them. See paragraph 5 of my confidential despatch
No. 231, dated 13th May.
XO III lYXCt J •
ma ^ er lias . now reached a climax and unless something is done to
THnQ A, question once and for all, we must expect a recrudescence of
x _ au v s thunder , as well as possibly more serious consequences. Hither-
Hiv, d A -T ,, ; clllu iUI ail > we must expect a recruaebutm^ -
, £ c . s thunder , as well as possibly'more serious consequences. Hither-
e?o?Jjjo 0 tL C Ji ha a been /J f! 1 c °sts to prevent any of Bln Sand’s' armed partioj
crossing the border and takino- +l-»o law i-nirv i __ often did
prnscWn. ilJi a Tv f. 10 Prevent any of Bin Sand’s' arme
in i qoR^pmrl an( ^ taking the Jaw into their own hands, as they so -
ever u f 0 \ 1()lls War^- In this I have so far been snccessful. It has how-
menlike Bn m I, J ar §’ el y matters into my own hands and dealing with
.en like Barjas ibn Othman and Mohomed ibn Sultan direct, for if I had left things
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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.' [‎379v] (763/1062), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2071, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100061765166.0x0000a4> [accessed 9 June 2026]

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