"ملف 8/7 I تقارير الاستخبارات في جدة" [ظ‎‎٥‎٨] (٥٣٦/١١٦)

4
164. The position in regard to all important claims in which the Legation
is interested remained vague and unsatisfactory. Mr. Hope Gill pressed some of
them in May, notably the Egyptian Shell claim in respect of stolen benzine and
the claim of His Majesty’s Government for the Hejazi contribution to the cost
of the MacDonnell enquiry. Sir A. Ryan reviewed most of the claims in general
conversation with the Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs towards the end of
June, but did not press the individual cases owing to the predominance of the
of the Transjordan frontier question over all other matters. Earlier in June the
long-suffering chauffeurs employed in the Government companies had been offered
one-third of their claims in full settlement, and Sir A. Ryan had informed Sheikh
Yusuf Yasin on the 12th June that he could not encourage British chauffeurs to
accept so miserable an offer, but would not stand in the w T ay of its being voluntarily
accepted, subject to the provisos that he would regard the claims of any who
refused the offer as being valid for the full amount and that he would expect any
who accepted to be left free to leave the country when they had discharged their
E rivate debts. This intimation did not prevent the authorities concerned from
oodwinking some simple chauffeurs into accepting the offer by telling them that
it had been arranged with the Legation.
165. The Hejazi Mission appealed to His Majesty’s Government to make
a loan of £500,000 gold or to help them to raise one. They w^ere told that His
Majesty's Government regretted their inability to comply with the request, and
it w r as further explained to them at a meeting at the Bank of England on the
13th May that the conditions were wholly unfavourable for raising a loan in the
City of London. The mission presumably made similar efforts in other western
capitals—at any rate they tried Berlin. On the 19th June, Sheikh Yusuf Yasin
delivered to Sir A. Ryan a personal message from Ibn Saud renewing his appeal
for financial assistance on a much smaller scale than the mission had suggested.
The Soviet, he explained, w’ere willing to lend him anything up to a million—in
goods not in money. He did not wish to accept this help or to comply with the
Soviet conditions that he should conclude a treaty with them. He might be driven
to this course, though even if he w 7 ere he would confine the treaty w ithin narrow
limits. His Majesty's Government could only confirm their previous refusal, but
did it in the friendliest possible terms. Representatives of the lower types of
high finance visited Jedda. The “ Amir ” Lutfullah came from Egypt towards
the end of May to pursue his project of an Arabian National Bank and was
entertained at Taif. He left Jedda on the 4th June not having accomplished
anything definite. A representative of the ex-Khedive of Egypt brought about
the same time offers of financial assistance in return for a banking concession
and/or economic concessions. It w'as said that definite proposals were to be
communicated to the Hejazi Government on the 5th July. There may also have
been a financial side to the activities of Mr. Ydlibi, to be described in the
following sub-section.
166. There was an echo from India in May of the stale rumour that His
Majesty’s Government w r ere about to lend the Hejazi Government £500,000 on
various conditions including the provision of landing grounds on the Hasa Coast.
It had been reproduced in Bombay with comments relative to alleged British
designs on the Holy Places. His Majesty’s Government concurred in a proposal
that a formal denial should be issued by the Government of India, but without
reference to the reported conditions, as the question of landing grounds was in
fact under discussion with the Hejazi Government, though on quite different lines.
Economic Development.
167. Mr. Twitchell was again in Jedda during the greater part of May and
left towards the end of the month. It is understood that during this visit he w^as
in the pay of the Hejazi Government and not, as previously, of Mr. Crane. It is,
however, uncertain whether he will return to the Hejaz in view of the unfavour
able turn in the King’s disposition towards him. His colleague, Mr. Moseley, who
was prospecting for gold near Taif until he left in March, has not reappeared, but
hopes of exploiting gold somewhere or other are still entertained and seem to have
infected even the Dutch financial adviser. This gentleman is also impressed by
the possibilities of the wmter from the Waziriya wells outside Jedda, but it is not
confirmed that he supported a mad proposal which was spoken of in May to close
down the Jedda condensers in anticipation of more successful efforts to bring the
Waziriya water to the town—the idea apparently being that the failure of these