ملف رقم ٢١٨٢ لسنة ١٩١٣، الجزء ٥، "منطقة نجد بالجزيرة العربية: سياسة ابن سعود" [و‎‎٢‎٩‎٢] (٣٠٨/١٥٩)

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From .Sir' P. Cox, Basra, 27th September 1916
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(Addressed to foreign, repeated to Secretary of State, andHdig
Commissioner, Cairo.)
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Please see correspondence regarding Bin Sand ending with Secretary of
State’s telegram dated 20th, and my Bureau telegram 4890.
New Commander-in-Chief in India is expected within next few days, and
during his visit all questions having direct or indirect bearing on our
operations in Mesopotamia will doubtless be discussed.
As regards Bin Saud, I imagine that he has some qualms of conscience
in respect of undertakings given by him to Turks in his Treaty with them
of May 1914, and will not, if he can avoid it, enter actively into lists against
them. If we confine ourselves to exhortations in general terms he will
probably do no more than continue to worry Bin Rashid in a desultory way
at a respectful distance from Hail.
I am of opinion that he is not able and would not be willing to attack
Hail without assistance from us in guns with men to man them as well as
money. If he were willing to do so with such assistance, would it be worth
our while to give it ? Short of that^he could be ^ definitely pressed to arm
and equip with transport a contingent of, say (five or-eixA)“ hundred ”
.omitted}'of his own tribesmen mounted on camels and send them to join the
Sherif. » .
I have already urged him to arrest Turkish^ emissary, Ibn 1 araoon and
him getfxamels. He may do latter but certainly not the former. Hoes
any other farm of assistance w, could render suggest itself.
As regards expression “ (iCutitul.ion ?) " The word Kingdom in
English or Arabic pre-supposes a king, and my fear was that Sherif in
sending letter or emissary to Bin Sand might quote term to him, and that
Bin Saud would certainly be alarmed by it. The terms “ Arab Confederation
or “ Arab League ” present to my mind a widely different conception which
admits of frank discussion with any Arab Chief.
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