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File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’ [361r] (726/898)
The record is made up of 1 volume (445 folios). It was created in 13 Mar 1924-18 Mar 1931. It was written in English. 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.
[This Documem is the Property of His Britannic Majesty’s Government. ]
[May 18, 1925.]
Section 2 .
.J* ,;f>
No.' t.
Consul Bullard to Mr. Austen Chamberlain.—(Received May 18.)
(No. 39. Secret.)
Sir, Jeddah, April 30, 1925.
I HAVE the honour to enclose a report on the situation covering the period
the 12th to 30th April.
2. Copies of this despatch and of its enclosure are being sent to India, Egypt,
Khartum (through Port Sudan), Jerusalem, Bagdad, Beirut (for Damascus), Aden,
Singapore, Bushire, Koweit, Bahrein and Muskat.
I have, &c.
B. W. BULLARD.
EASTERN (Arabia).
CONFIDENTIAL.
*>
[E 2879/10/91]
Enclosure in No. 1.
Report for the Period April 12-30, 1925.
(Secret.)
SHEIKH FUAD, the Hedjaz Foreign Secretary, has paid a visit to Ibn Saud
to talk about peace, and has returned unsuccessful. The suggestion for the meeting
probably came from Sheikh Fuad, though the Hedjaz Government attribute it
publicly to Ibn Saud. All hope of agreement was wrecked on the old rock : Ibn Saud
wants to secure himself against the Hussein family so far as the Hedjaz is concerned,
and he therefore still insists on Ali’s retirement. The King and Sheikh Fuad are
disappointed, but the Syrian adventurers, who are disguised as generals and what not,
profess to be pleased, and to be longing for battle; they have talked valiantly all
through Ramadan of the attack they would make after the feast. It is supposed
that Ibn Saud feels quite strong enough to contain the Hedjaz force until the end of
June, when the hordes of Nejd will come to the pilgrimage for the first time for
some years and enough men could perhaps be found to attempt an assault on Jeddah.
It seems almost certain that there can be no decision, either by agreement or by
battle, in time for pilgrims to go to Mecca through Jeddah for this pilgrimage.
2. Yambo is as it was—not safe, but still under the Hedjaz Government. V ejh
seems to have been lost, or at least all the country round has gone. Possibly all that
has happened is that the local tribe, the Billi, have gone over to Ibn Saud, and
that no considerable body of Wahabis has reached Wejh, but the information received
here is scanty.
3. The German, Steffen, is still here, but proposes to leave soon. He is enquiring
unobtrusively about ways of getting to Hodeidah—doubtless hoping to sell arms to
the Imam. He told me after his inspection of the Hedjaz war material that if the
Hedjaz Government spent some £200,000 on aeroplanes, tanks, &c., they might do
something, but—alas !—they had not the money. Before he formed the plan to go to
Hodeidah he was thinking of paying a visit to Hussein at Akaba not because
Hussein holds the purse-strings, but out of pure admiration for the character of at
grand old maniac. M. Steffen called on me to impart many pieces of information,
especially the news that the export of arms from Germany is absolutely impossible.
M. Steffen is a keen business man, but as a liar much too eager. To the know e ge o
most people here he has already exported from Germany to this country f 1 ^ 1 ^
throwers and machine guns and ammunition, and has bombing aeroplanes and omer
war material awaiting shipment to Jeddah at Hamburg. . ,
4. The departure of over thirty Palestinian and Egyptian soldiers imu a e
many others to demand their release. Fearing that they would lose the backbone o
their army, the military authorities caused several men whom they detected visi mg
this
agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
to be beaten and sent to Yambo and Wejh. In answer lo priva e
remonstrances at this method of dealing with legitimate grievances ± i assures me
that the beating was inflicted without his knowledge, and that he has issaec s rie
About this item
- Content
The volume mostly contains printed copies of despatches from HM Agent and Consul, Jeddah, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, enclosing reports on the situation in the Hejaz (also spelled Hedjaz in the file) [now a region of Saudi Arabia], from January 1924 to December 1930, and related enclosures to the reports. These despatches were sent to the Under-Secretary of State for India by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The volume also includes 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. Political and Secret Department minute papers, which include comments on the reports, and indicate that the reports had been seen by the Under-Secretary of State for India and the Political Committee of the Council of India.
The reports are monthly for January to August 1924, May 1925, September 1925 to March 1927, June 1927 to June 1930, and December 1930. Reports between these dates cover shorter periods, except July and August 1930, which are both covered by one report, and September, October and November 1930, which are also covered by one report.
The reports discuss matters including the actions of King Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi of the Hejaz, including his attempts to gain recognition as Caliph, and the military and financial situation in the Hejaz during the war between the Hejaz and the Saudi Sultanate of Nejd [Najd]. They report on events of the Hedjaz-Nejd war including: the capture of Taif (September 1924) and Mecca (October 1924) by Nejd; the departure of the ex-King Hussein from Jeddah; the fall of Medina and Jeddah and the surrender of the Hejaz to Sultan Abdul Aziz of Nejd [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd, also known as Ibn Saud] (December 1925); and the formal assumption of the title of King of the Hejaz and Sultan of Nejd and its Dependencies by Ibn Saud (8 January 1925).
The reports following the annexation of the Hejaz by Nejd cover internal affairs, including prohibitions introduced for religious reasons, the Hejaz Railway, the financial situation of the Hejaz-Nejd Government, and the Hejaz Air Force. They also report on foreign relations, including: the publication of an agreement, dated 21 October 1926, between Ibn Saud and Sayyid Hassan-el-Idrisi, establishing the suzerainty of Ibn Saud over Asir; relations between Ibn Saud and Imam Yahya of the Yemen; the situation on the frontiers between Nejd and Iraq, and Nejd and 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 ; and the Treaty of Jeddah between Hejaz-Nejd and Great Britain (20 May 1927). They also report Ibn Saud being proclaimed King of the Hejaz, Nejd and its Dependencies (4 April 1927).
In addition, other frequently occurring topics in the reports are: the Pilgrimage [Hajj], including the arrival of pilgrims in the Hejaz, from India, Java and elsewhere, arrangements for the pilgrimage, the welfare of pilgrims, and the repatriation of pilgrims; and the slave trade and slavery in the Hejaz, including the manumission and repatriation of slaves.
The volume includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (445 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.
The subject 1707 (Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)) consists of one volume only.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 447; 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 4-444; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/1115
- Title
- File 1707/1924 ‘Arabia:- Jeddah Situation Reports. (1924-1930)’
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 2r:88v, 90r:104v, 106r:108v, 110r:124v, 126r:128v, 129v:132v, 133v, 134v:137v, 139r:145r, 146r:161v, 162v:180v, 183r:205v, 206v:267r, 269r:271v, 273r:288v, 291r:308v, 309v, 310v, 311v, 312v, 313v, 314v, 315v, 316v, 317v:321r, 324r:335r, 337r:378v, 379v:381v, 383v:389v, 391r:393v, 395v:397v, 399r:400r, 402r:446v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence