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File 488/1920 Pt 3 ‘Hedjaz:- Relations between H.M. Govt & King Hussein. Question of subsidy. Negotiations for conclusion of a treaty.’ [‎81r] (166/940)

The record is made up of 1 volume (466 folios). It was created in 25 May 1921-25 Aug 1925. It was written in English, French and Arabic. 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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( 5 )
COPY.
Your /excellency:
After the official dinner given by Mr. Philby to
”~ n £ Husain and /cur Excellency at Axjsan on the 21st instant,
c.ueikri Fuad al Ahatib told iae tnat /ling Husain was anxious
to have a personal talk with me in view of the fact that I
nad been connected for so long a time with Arab affairs, and
had been one of the first British officers with whom he had
been in coiraaunication in connection with the Arab Rising
against the Turks and their participation with the Allies
in the Great War.
As you are aware# therefore, I regained in Amman after
Your Excellency's departure for that purpose.
I had about three quarters of an hour with King Husain,
and ue began the interview by recapitulating his usual statements
to the effect that he was placed in & very difficult position
in the eyes of Moslems in general, owing to the action which
he had taken and to the fact that His Majesty 1 s Government had
not entirely fulfilled the pledges which they had made to him
and which were the inducement which lad him to declare himself
against the Turks. It was evident that he wished to put his
whole case forward# so jl did not intervene until he had finished
his statement, which was, as usual, exceedingly vague. I then I
pointed ouc to him that after all if we looked back and
remembered his position at the outbreak of war and compared it
with the advance he had now made, it could not be denied that
he had made very considerable progress in the direction of
fulfilling his ends.
me was generally known and recognised as Monarch of
an independent Kingdom in the Mijassj his son Faisul was King
of Iraq, with whom His Majesty's Government had concluded a
Treaty which, if loyally carried out by the Iraq Government,
would lead to practical independence in that country; and his
other son, Abdullah, was installed as ruler in Trans-Jordan
under the British Mandate, with practical independence of
Administration, subject to the conditions of an Agreement
which it was hoped shortly to conclude with him. It was true
that there were certain difficulties in his path&nd that he
was subjected to some criticism, but it seemed to lae obvious
that the greater hie position became the more he would be
faced with troubles and difficulties created by his opponents.
I urged that his difficulty with Ibn Saud was far more likely
to be solved by the conclusion of a reasonable agreement
which would prevent any active hostilities and enable the
situation to develop normally, in which case the strong
economic position which he and his sons held as compared to
Najd could only militate in his favour and lead eventually to
co*»operation and economic connection between the various
States in Arabia.
The King appeared to listen with some attention to
these arguments, and at least they did not arouse his anger
or opposition. Further conversation gave me the impression,
however, that one of his difficulties was connected with
Palestine, and more especially with the suggested Article 9.
of the Draft Treaty with Great Britain. It appeared to me
evident/

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Content

The volume contains papers concerning relations between the British Government and the King of Hedjaz [Hejaz or Al-Hijaz].

Most of the papers relate to negotiations between the British Government and King Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashimi over the terms of an Anglo-Hashimite treaty, and revisions to the draft treaty. These papers mainly consist of correspondence and copies of draft versions of the treaty.

The file also includes correspondence regarding:

  • The proposed subsidy to the King of the Hedjaz
  • The Foreign Office’s objection to the India Office’s suggestion that King Hussein should be persuaded to publicly recognise the religious suzerainty of the Sultan of Turkey as Khalif (Khaliph) over the Holy Places of the Hedjaz
  • King Hussein’s threat to abdicate on 27 February 1922, and the question of whether he should be allowed by the British Government to remain in Mecca in the event of his abdication
  • The Foreign Office’s request for the views of the Secretary of State for India (Viscount Peel) on the advisability of requiring King Hussein to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, as well as to accept the treaty with HM Government, as conditions which would need to be met before Hussein would be invited to visit Great Britain
  • The refusal of the British Government to enter into further negotiations with King Ali ibn Hussein al-Hashimi for the conclusion of the Anglo-Hashimite treaty, following King Hussein’s abdication in October 1924 (after military defeat by Ibn Saud), ‘so long as present unsettled conditions in the Hejaz continue’.

The correspondence (and copy correspondence) is mainly between the following: 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. , the Colonial Office (John Evelyn Shuckburgh, John Ernest William Flood), and the Foreign Office; 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 the Government of India Foreign and Political Department; the Foreign Office and Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence; the Foreign Office and HM Agent and Consul at Jeddah (Major W E Marshall, Laurence Barton Grafftey-Smith, and Reader (William) Bullard, successively); the Foreign Office and Dr Naji el Assil, agent of King Hussein; the Secretary of State for the Colonies and the British Resident at Aden; and the Secretary of State for the Colonies and the High Commissioner of Palestine (Herbert Louis Samuel).

The volume includes a document entitled ‘Translation of a Report sent to His Majesty King Hussein 1st to Mecca’, signed Habib Lotfallah, Envoy Extraordinary of King Hussein, London, 24 October 1920, which includes translations in French and Arabic (folios 101 to 102).

The file 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 (466 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.

The subject 488 (Pt 1-2 Arabia, and Pt 3 Hedjaz) consists of two volumes, IOR/L/PS/10/880 and IOR/L/PS/10/881. The volumes are divided into three parts, with parts 1 and 2 comprising one volume, and part 3 comprising the second volume.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 468; 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. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.

Written in
English, French and Arabic in Latin script
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File 488/1920 Pt 3 ‘Hedjaz:- Relations between H.M. Govt & King Hussein. Question of subsidy. Negotiations for conclusion of a treaty.’ [‎81r] (166/940), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/881, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100085520014.0x0000a7> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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