مجموعة ٦ / ٨ (١) "سلسلة مطبوعة: ١٩٢٩ إلى ١٩٣٨". [ظ‎‎٢‎٥‎١] (١٠٦٢/٥٠٧)

90
<> He had been stung, I think, into unwonted frankness by trouble over
the Marconi contract. Trouble over the effective range of the wireless tele-
nhonv is still to oome-; the present friction centring round the refusal of the
Heiazi Government to take over the four mobile sets and their failure to pay
three of the monthly instalments of £1,000 each Mr. Philby was con- ^
templating drastic measures, such as sending Mr. Boucicault out of the
country He was only deterred by the fact that all the material has arrived
and is in Hejazi hands, and by the fear that they would begin monkeying
with it themselves. ^
3 He led the conversation on to financial matters in general and Ibn
Sand’s incompetence in particular. While the pilgrim hosts were stoning
the devil at Muna, the King held meeting after meeting to discuss the prob
lem of the nickel exchange. Mr. Philby attended them, silent but increas
ingly indignant. After much talk one day, it must have been the 30th
April, the King ordained that the Saudi piastre should henceforth stand at
44 to the rial; its par value was 22, but it had dropped into the 50’s; every
one applauded the King’s wisdom and his fiat went forth. On the next
day, after much further talk, the King decided that the piastre should sta id
at'22 and accepted equal applause from the same advisers. Mr. Philby
was furious, but waited until the King had left to tell the sycophants what
he thought of them. On the following day the King, whose ears are long,
chaffed him beyond endurance. After a heated discussion, Mr. Philby was
sent out into the streets with a gold sovereign and a silver rialdn his hand
and told to prove his assertion that, whatever His Majesty might ordain,
not one of his subjects would sell a silver rial for 22 pieces of nickel. In
vain he pointed out to the King that what he wanted for this purpose was
only a handful of nickel. Ibn Sand, he maintains, simply could not under
stand so simple a monetary point. He left in disgust at the ignorance of
Ibn Sand and the suppleness of his advisers, and has but rarely seen the
King since then. The incident may well have been distorted by Mr. Philby,
but there is probably enough truth in it to make it interesting. Its rela
tion is certainly illuminating.
t
4. Mr. Philby was not less cynical about the impossibility of obtaining
banking facilities for this country, though rather more guarded. It had
been understood that he was interested in Lutfullah’s Bank to the extent of
urging its advantages on Ibn Sand (see paragraph 7 of Sir A. Ryan’s des
patch No. 177 of the 15th May) [S. No. (67)]. He now holds Lutfullah
up to ridicule as that inordinately vain individual who, in King Hussein’s
day, had himself named his Ambassador at Rome and paid for the privilege
not only his own salary, but those of an imposing suite. Mr. Philby has
even stated that the banker is now bankrupt. His attitude seems to be one
of general disillusionment. The King has feet of mnd. The country, to
National Conference, has ruled out anyhing in the nature of a State Bank.
So much the worse for Lutfullah.
5, Mr. Philby also spoke of the benzine contract, to which Sir A. Ryan
referred in paragraph 7 of his despatch No. 280 of the 12th July (Enelo. to
S. No, (80)] He affirmed that, after threatening to close down his Lega
tion and to have himself withdrawn, the Russian Minister had at length
succeeded in securing the contract but nothing more, that is nothing in the
nature of more favourable terms for the entry of Russian goods. The
Hejazi Government had agreed to buy 50,000 cases of benzine at L50 dollars
a case, to be paid for in three instalments at three-month intervals beginning
three months after delivery. This agreement will enable the Hejazi Govern
ment to ensure something over a half-year’s supply of their fuel needs. It
is almost certain that no business house could afford to supply on these
terms, unless at a deliberate loss. *
* Ext. place 1 on F.-146-N./30. re. wireless in the Eejax.