مجموعة ١٠/١٧(٣) "شؤون داخلية: الوضع السياسي؛ العلاقات مع الحكومة البريطانية" [و‎‎١‎٨‎٤] (٥١٣/٣٦٧)

DISTRIBUTION
From: SAUDI ARABIA.
1940 j
Decypher*
No. 290.
Mr. Stonehewer Bird (Jedda)
9th December, 1940.
D. 1.58 p.m. 9th December, 1940.
R. 7.10 a.m. 10th December, 1940.
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My immediately preceding telegram.
After reading : .e Ibn Saud[‘s] message. Yusif Yasin said
he would like as a ' riend and not as the King s Secretary, to
give me his views. He understood everything of the soul of
the Arab and he could assure me that Iraqis were with very few
exceptions genuinely pro-British and.not one wished Germany to
win the.war. I was glad to hear this but thought that the
true soul might with advantage manifest itself m ways less
unintelligible to the Eurooean. \:hat about press? # Only
Istiqlal said Yusif Yasin"had published genuine anti-British
articles and Rashid Ali had reprimanded the writen In any
case talk and writing to which exception might be taken, were
[gp. undec.] directed against the British people but were,
inspired by disapproval of His Malesty s Government s policy
in Palestine. If only His Majesty’s Government would
satisfy Arab aspirations in Palestine there would be a
" it ‘ ~ ^ - - -- ** هذه التواريخ تقريبية
complete change"of attitude.^ I thought Iraq]
better employed in express[?ing] their gratiti
Majesty’s Government for attainment of their own aspirations
than concerning themselves with the affairs of neighbouring
state. Did Yusif Yasin himself or any thinking Iraqi
seriously expect His Majesty’s Government^to try out
administrative experiments at such a critical time? Yusif
Yasin said the chief concern was administrative changes but
Jewish immigration about which Ibn Baud also v/as most
concerned. ^ I thought the White Paper and subsequent actions
(e.g. recent expulsion of illegal immigrants) afford ample
proof of His Majesty’s Government’s intentions. Yusif
tasin thought a pronouncement now that His Majesty s
Government plainly in no circumstances permit number of legal
and illegal Jewish immigrants to exceed the number laid down
in the White Paper would be of great value in allaying Arab
fears, lest pressure be brought to bear by influential Jewry
to have the number of legal immigrants raised and lest the
numbers of illegal immigrants should be admitted on
humanitarian grounds.
Repeated to Cairo telegram No. 92 (please repeat to
Bagdad telegram No. 69 Middle Mast Intelligence Centre
telegram No. 59) Jerusalem telegram No. 75.
thought Iraqis would be