Papers on British policy and the Arab movement [62r] (127/380)
The record is made up of 1 file (187 folios). It was created in 1 Jul 1916-7 Dec 1918. 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.
53
(THE DOCUIEHT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRtTAlTOIC Ib-.JESTY'S CTO VCTU?l'tEIiI__._)
SECRET.
M«E«C»23»
V
WAR CABII^ET.
MIDDLE EAST COMMITTEE,
v |
ir
Attitude of the Kin^ of the Hejaz toward
Ibn Saud,
Extract from a private letter from Major Cornwallis,
Director of the Arab Bureau, to Capt, Ormsby Gore, dated
from Sherif Abdullah*s Caiup at
Wadi
A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows.
Eis, 14th December,1917,
”1 saw King Hussein several times at Jeddah. He is a fine old
man, and I feel convinced has quite made up his mind what to do when
Medina falls, and he can turn his attention to his Arab neighbours,
only I am rather afraid that he is intending to do something foolish;
he continually spoke of Ibn Gaud and the Idrissi in terms of contempt
and abuse, in a way which did not augur well for the future.
Ibn Rashid he referred to as a fool, though I think he is
quite willing to have him back in the fold if ho will only come. He
was rather colourless in his views about Imam Yahya, and seemed to
regard his doubtful attitude as natural.
What I most disliked about his conversation was the apparent
absence of any real effort to work towards Arab unity.
Sherif Abdullah is quite different. He fully realises that
his father can only make good in Arabia by conciliating the other
Emirs, and is wise enough to see that a strong Chief, if friendly,
will be a great asset. He wants to see each of tne big Emirs self-
ruling in his own dominions, but recognising his father*s nominal
suzerainty as King of the Arabs. He is very suspicious of Ibn Saud’s
good faith, but will be open to reason about him. He would accept
Ibn Rashid if the latter came over to our side against the Turks,
otherwise he would put another member of his family in nie place.
He is
About this item
- Content
This file contains correspondence, memoranda, maps, manuscript notes, and other papers relating to the political and territorial settlement of parts of the Middle East following the First World War. Many of the papers were collected for the attention of the Middle East Committee (later named the Eastern Committee, following the mergence of the Foreign Office's Russia Committee and the interdepartmental Persia Committee) of the War Cabinet. Contributors include officials from the War Office, Foreign Office, Admiralty, and 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. , as well as indivduals such as Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence. Correspondence comes from representatives of the French and Italian governments as well as British officials in Cairo and other parts of the Middle East.
The papers deal with plans for the region presuming and following an Allied victory in the First World War and take into consideration the imperial ambitions of the victorious European Powers (France, Italy, Russia, Britain, and the United States) and the multitudinous commitments made by the British to various groups. The plans are based on evolving agreements rooted in the Sykes-Picot, or Asia Minor, Agreement between the British and French of 1916. Regions under consideration include the Hejaz (sometimes written Hedjaz), Syria, Northern Iraq, Southern Iraq, Palestine, Armenia, Turkey, the Idrisi state, Yemen, Persia, and Afghanistan. Various matters are covered in the file, but particular focus is given to plans for the Sherifian family of the Hejaz, led by King Husein [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī], which impacted upon policy in Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, and the Arabian Peninsula. Other matters include the situation between Jews and Arabs in Palestine, wartime commitments to ruling shaikhs in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , the French position in the region, and desiderata of the Government of India for any peace settlement.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (187 folios)
- Arrangement
The file is arranged in chronological order from the front to the back.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front first page with 1, and terminates at the inside back last page with 187; 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.
- Written in
- English and French in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Papers on British policy and the Arab movement [62r] (127/380), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F112/277, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100079857498.0x000080> [accessed 9 June 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- Mss Eur F112/277
- Title
- Papers on British policy and the Arab movement
- Pages
- 1ar:1av, 1r:14r, 14r:14v, 14v, 22r:59v, 62r:98r, 99v:120v, 125r:133v, 136r:165r, 166r:167r, 167av, 168r:173r, 175r:176v, 178r:187v
- 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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