"ملف ١١/٢ يوميّات وتقارير: سلسلة الجزيرة العربية" [و‎‎٥‎٧] (٢٢٢/١١٣)

17
(23)
{Received on 10th March 1934 with Political Secretary’s letter No. 8, dated the
22nd February 1934.)
Enclosure in Foreign Office covering letter dated 19tli February 1934.
Letter from H. M.’s Minister, Jedda, to the Foreign Office, No. 16 (172|124i3),
‘ dated the 23rd January 1934.
With reference to my telegram No. 2, saving of January 11 [Serial No.
(8)1,1 have the honour to state that on January 22, Mr. Philb} related to me in
confidence a conversation he had recently had with Abdul-Hamid
Bcv Shedid about his new proposals for the creation of a State
Bank in this country. Shedid stated that he was now representing J. S. Bartho
lomew and Company, a firm with an address in (?) Berkeley Square, who had
formed a company under the name of the Hejaz Development Company, with a
small capital of which £15,000 was paid up. The registration of this company
was «o recent that Shedid had only heard by telegraph after his arrival here on
January 9 that the formalities had actually been completed. He gave the names
of certain directors, but as Mr. Philby was not sure of these and as we could not
identify two knightly names, which he thought he remembered, I refrain from
reproducing them. Indeed I would ask you to regard all the details in this
despatch as being open to doubt, as I wnte from memory of what Mr. Philby
told me from his own memory of a conversation.
^ The promoters hoped, according to Shedid, to interest considerable per-
sonsln London, like Viscount Goschen (Westminster Bank), Lord Glenconner,
^ir F Mountain (presumably the insurance magnate) and a Mr. Brown ot
Andrew Weir and Company. ' He did not, however, represent their support as
assured.
The scheme propounded bv Shedid was to create a Bank on the same lines
t ,.' nroiected when he was acting or professing to act for the er-Khedive
nst vear with the exception that the loan of £ 200,000 gold was to be paid m two
Vvn-ts i e £50 000 when the concession was granted and the balance at some later
date'’ The croup sought in return various concessions including the construc
tion of a port at Jedda, the reconditioning of the railway to Medina road-build
ing and any other industrial objects which might be available, e.g., gold-mining.
4 Air Philbv is one of those who were deceived by Shedid last year and
were disappointed of the hopes to which he gave rise His present attitude,
therefore is one of interest combined with much scepticism. He said he had
,ii aiipiiiii that he could not wonder, if on this occasion he found the Sa udi
Government anions to be assured of his credentials before they entertained
t is nronosals though the proposals seemed in themselves attractive enough. He
burned a Warded answer when Shedid asked whether he, Mr. Philby, h.msell
believed in him.
5 I am sending copies of this despatch to the Department of Overseas Trade
and to the Acting High Commissioner at Cairo.
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(Received on 17th March 1934 with Political Secretary’s letter No. 9, dated the
MfP 1st March 1934.)
-[Enclosure in Foreign Office, covering letter dated 22nd Februan 19,>4.
Memorandum No. 58 (169|1|34), dated the 9th February 19.34.
His Maiesty’s Minister at The Hague presents his compliments to the Sec-
retirv of State "for Foreign Affairs and, with reference to the Hague despatch
403 0 f December 18, 1933, has the honour to report that the acts of ratifica
tion ot the Treaty of Friendship between the Netherlands and Yemen, of March
12th, 1933, were exchanged at San’a on the 4th Februaij 1,. .
V T n accordance with article 5 the treaty entered into force for the Kingdom
of the Netherlands in Europe immediately after the exchange of the acts of
ratification.