"ملف 8/15 سلسلة الجزيرة العربية - ١٩٣٣-١٩٣٩" [و‎‎٤‎٨] (٤٣٤/٩٥)

27
(38)
Enclosure in Foreign Office covering letter No. E. 1848[72|25, dated 24th March
1934.
{Received on 4th April 1934, with Political Secretary’s letter No. 13, dated the
29th March 1934.)
Letter frotvt the High Commissioner for Egypt, to the Foreign Office, No. 180
(177!6|34), dated the 24th February 1934.
With reference to Mr. Yencken’s despath No. 77 of January 25th last
[Enclosure to Serial No. (18)1 and to Sir Andrew Ryan’s Despatch No. 393 : f>l|
10 of the 13th instant 1 Enclosure to Serial No. (31)J, copy of which he for
warded to you, on the subject of Saudi debts to Polish arms manufacturers, I
have the honour to inform you that the First Secretary of the Polish Legation,
in the course of conversation with a member of my staff on the 22nd instant,
stated that the Saudi Government’s offer of a special monthly draft on the
Jeddah customs for two thousand pounds (£2,000) was conditional on the supply
by the Polish consortium of a further seventy thousand pounds (£70,000) worth
of arms and ammunition, making the total debt to be liquidated in these monthly
instalments one hundred thousand pounds (£100,000). Ibn Saud had also asked
the Polish consortium to supply him with aeroplanes, and to reorganise the
Government workshop.
2. Mr. Benis again asked whether the Polish consortium would do well to
accept this offer and was again informed that the matter was not one in which
• we could advise him.
3. He professed anxiety to do nothing which might embarrass His Majesty’s
Government whose paramount interests in Arabia he recognised, and said that
if His Majesty's Government preferred that no arms or aeroplanes should be
supplied to Ibn Sand the Poles would not supply them. Was there, he en
quired, any risk that, if the Polish arms-manufacturers accepted the Saudi
terms, Sir Andrew Ryan would oppose the settlement 1 Mr. Benis was re
minded that Sir Andrew Ryan had a certain number of British dept claims
against the Saudi Government to sponsor, the settlement of which he would not
wish anything to prejudice.
4. Mr. Benis took this point at once and stated that he would recommend
his Government to enquire of your Department whether Polish acceptance of
the Saudi Government’s conditions would in any way embarrass His Majesty’s
Government. If so, the consortium would be advised against acceptance.
5. I am sending a copy of this despatch to His Majesty’s Minister in
Jeddah.
(39)
Enclosure in Foreign Office covering letter, dated 24th March 1934.
{Received on 4th April 1934, with Political Secretary’s letter No. 13, dated the
29th March 1934.)
Telegram from the Foreign Office, to His Majesty’s Minister, Jedda, No. 29,
DATED THE 16TH MaRCH 1934.
Cairo despatch No. 180 of the 24th February [Serial No. (38)], Saudi
Government’s debts to Polish anns-manufacturers.
If Polish Government approach His Majesty’s Government, it might
provide opportunity to ensure that Saudi Government’s debt to Poles for these
arms is not more favourably treated than Saudi debt to His Majesty’s Govern
ment. We might ask Poles to agree to our informing Ibn Saud that His
Majesty’s Government could not acquiesce in proposed arms transaction with
out assurance that they will receive debt-payments due to them pari passu
with those due to Polish firm and on at least similar scale.
On the other hand such attempted pressure on Ibn Saud even if Poles agreed
might be open to political objections outweighing any advantage. Please
telegraph your observations.
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