"الملف 53/54 V (D 129) حصار الكويت" [و‎‎٣] (٣٨٤/١١)

3
coupled with their own good offices, would give him all the assurance which is
either necessary or obtainable. I trust that these arguments will not fail of their
effect, but if they do, you may use your discretion to inform King Abdul Aziz that
His Majesty's Government regard this matter as a test of his desire to establish
Anglo-Saudi relations on an even more cordial basis than at present, and that it
will increase the beneficial effects of your visit to His Majesty if it results in a
happy solution of this long-standing and dangerous dispute.
12. There is one further argument of which you may find it possible to make
some general use in conversation with King Abdul Aziz or with his Ministers.
In his despatch No. 256 of the 10th September, His Majesty's Charge d'Affaires
mentioned that Sheikh Muhammad Tawil, the Saudi Director of Customs in Hasa,
had expressed himself to a member of His Majesty's Legation as being in favour
of a radical reduction of Saudi customs dues, a policy which he professed to have
recommended to King Abdul Aziz. There appears to be little doubt that such
a policy, if applied, would remove the cause of much of the smuggling which is
now carried on into Saudi Arabia from Koweit, by reducing the disparity between
the Saudi and the Koweiti customs dues. This policy would also encourage
importers to land their goods on the Saudi coast rather than at Koweit, and would
thus tend to promote one at least of the objects for which it is understood the
present Saudi blockade of Koweit was instituted. I fear that it would be too
much to expect that King Abdul Aziz can be easily induced to see the unwisdom
of maintaining his customs duties at an almost prohibitive level, fiuTT consider
that, subject to your views, there may be advantage in explaining this aspect of
the matter to him.
I am, &c.
SAMUEL HOARE.
>
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^ f i ylJ i
(Secret.) Enclosure 1.
PoHfical Resident in the Persian Gulf to Secretary of State for India.
(No. 892.) . ,a
(Telegraphic.) ^ 4 ^ Risher, October 25, 1935.
ADDRESSED to Secretary of State for India and repeated to Government
of India, Jedda. Copy by mail, Koweit.
Jedda telegram No. 192 to the Foreign Office: Koweit blockade. Attitude
of Saudi Government, which is apparently still that by which they deliberately
torpedoed Koweit Conference, is most disappointing.
2. Sheikh, on my return through Koweit, again appealed to me most
earnestly on question of blockade. As result of his conversations in England he
has evidently high hope that His Majesty's Government mean to implement their
assurance on the subject of blockade, and failure to do so now on our part, even
though circumstances may be difficult, will mean that his trust in our good
intentions towards him will receive a severe and most undesirable shock, which
will have repercussions in other Arab States of the Gulf,
v 3. T quite realise the importance of treating Ibn Saud liberally, but I have
always felt (see, for instance, my telegram of the 8th June, T-112) that Koweit
blockade should be made the acid test of desire of Saudi Government for our
friendship. I venture to suggest, therefore, whether, in view of persistent
unfriendly attitude of the Saudi Government over this point, it would not be
[ ? equitable] for [ ? Ryan] on his coming visit to Riyadh to intimate to Ibn Saud
that any new offer from His Majesty's Government regarding the blue line
[? to-day] is dependent on Ibn Saud adopting a reasonable attitude towards
the eminently practicable suggestion of the sheikh regarding [ ? manifests]
et cetera {vide paragraph No. 3 of sub-enclosure to my printed letter of
28th June).
[531 hh—1]