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'File 61/11 V (D 95) Hejaz - Nejd, Miscellaneous' [201r] (418/530)
The record is made up of 1 volume (261 folios). It was created in 12 May 1932-28 Dec 1933. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
ill"
THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT
Mr. Calvert to Sir John Simon.—(Received Auqust 16.)
(No. 237.)
Sir, Jedda, July 26, 1933.
WITH reference to my telegram No. 140 of the 20th instant regarding the
present position between Saudi Arabia and the Yemen, I have the honour to
transmit to you herewith copies, in translation, of the confidential note from the
Minister for Foreign Affairs, and of a document, purporting to be a telegram
sent from Eiadh by King Abdul Aziz to Amir Feisal at Taif, both of which were
left with me by Sheikh Abdullah Suleiman, Minister of Finance, upon his visit
of the 20th instant, the nature of which was recounted in my telegram under
reference. The absence of Fuad Bey Hamza at Jerusalem has left the Ministry
for Foreign Affairs with no really responsible and capable official, so that it is
not a matter for surprise that Ibn Saud should have instructed his son to entrust
his appeal to His Majesty's Government for advice to so experienced a Minister
as Sheikh Abdullah Suleiman.
2. I do not propose to retrace the conversation, which has already been,.
I think, sufficiently outlined in my telegram under reference, save to record the
exceptional earnestness with which the Minister described the very delicate
relations now subsisting between this country and that of the Imam Yahya. He
reiterated the charge of bad faith and of a deliberately provocative policy which,
if pursued much further, would soon leave Ibn Saud no alternative but a resort
to force. Ibn Saud's policy was pacific, but any encroachment upon his territories
would be resisted " until not a man is left alive."
3. The claims for the restitution of territory that have so thoroughly upset
the Saudi Government are defined in the telegram from Ibn Saud to Amir Feisal
as '' the territories of the Idrisi and the districts of Qahtan and Hamazan in
Asir." I am not clear that this is a cool demand for the evacuation of the whole
of Asir, but it unquestionably means a very considerable slice of that province.
Qahtan is a little obscure, and Hamazan I have so far been unable to identify.
The Handbook of Arabia, vol. I, Chapter V, on Asir, p. 132, states "in the
south-eastern interior of the region live the six Qahtan tribes, each an autonomous
unit, and none of them to be confounded with the nomad Qahtan of the south
western region of Central Arabia." Yet no mention of the Qahtan is made in
the list of inland tribes at p. 134, though they are referred to at the foot of
p. 137 as breeders of horses and the most enterprising traders of the interior.
It would therefore seem likely that the perturbation of Ibn Saud arises from
attempts of the Imam to suborn these tribes from their nominal, and perhaps
divided, allegiance to King Abdul Aziz. I have recently received reports, in
which I do not at present place much reliance, that Imam Yahya, through the
intrigues of his eldest son, by subsidy and by the taking^pf hostages, has, indeed,
established himself strongly with the tribes of the Naj^tn.
4. Copies of this despatch are being sent to His Majesty's Ambassador at
Rome, His Majesty's High Commissioners for Egypt and
Transjordan
Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan
, to His
Majesty's Chief Commissioner at Aden and to the senior naval officer in the
Red Sea sloops, and a paraphrase of my telegram under reference is being sent to
His Majesty's High Commissioners for Egypt and
Transjordan
Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan
.
I have, &c.
A. S. CALVEET.
[879 q—1]
About this item
- Content
The volume consists of letters, telegrams, and memoranda relating to the Hejaz and Najd. Much of the correspondence is from the British Legation in Jeddah, with regular reports on the situation in that region sent to Sir John Simon, the Foreign Secretary in London. The rest of the correspondence is mostly between the Political Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. in Bushire, the Political Agencies in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Muscat, the Colonial Office, and the Government of India.
The main subjects of the volume are:
- the change in name from 'The Kingdom of the Hejaz-Nejd and its Dependencies' to 'The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia';
- the announcement of Ibn Sa'ud's eldest son, Prince Sa'ud, as the heir apparent to the throne;
- the territorial dispute between Yemen and Saudi Arabia after the latter's absorption of the 'Asir region into its kingdom.
A copy of the 23 September 1932 issue of the newspaper Umm al-Qura is contained in the volume (folios 57-58). It features the Royal Order proclaiming the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Other miscellaneous subjects covered in the volume include:
- relations between Italy and Saudi Arabia;
- a dispute between Ibn Sa'ud and his agent in Bahrain, al-Quasaibi [‘Abd al-‘Azīz al-Qusaibi], over a debt the former owes the latter;
- a revolt against Ibn Sa'ud by tribes loyal to ex-King Hussein coming from Sinai;
- a request for a loan made by Ibn Sa'ud to the British Government;
- relations between the Soviet Union and Saudi Arabia;
- relations between the USA and Saudi Arabia, including the visit of a Mr Gallant looking for oil concessions;
- concessions for the building of the railway between Mecca and Jeddah;
- the prospect of Saudi Arabia joining the League of Nations;
- the case of two slave girls seeking refuge at the British Legation in Jeddah.
Other documents of note contained in the volume are:
- a copy of a new customs tariff for Saudi Arabia (folios 122-134)
- a 'Who's Who' of Saudi Arabia, produced by the British Legation in Jeddah and covering all those deemed important to know by the British (folios 183-200);
- an envelope containing the torn-out pages of an article in the International Affairs journal (Vol. 12, No. 4, Jul., 1933, pp 518-534) entitled 'Ibn Sa'ud and the Future of Arabia.'
At the back of the volume (folios 245-251) are internal office notes.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (261 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume is arrranged chronologically.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio and continues to the inside back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, circled and located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Note that following f 1 are folios 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D. The sequence then continues as normal from folio 2. There are two other foliation systems present but both are inconsistent and neither are circled.
- Written in
- English and French in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/1/568
- Title
- 'File 61/11 V (D 95) Hejaz - Nejd, Miscellaneous'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 1r:1v, 1ar:1ev, 8v:11v, 15r:43v, 45v:56v, 59r:64r, 69v:118v, 120v:127v, 128v:133v, 134v:149v, 151v:161v, 162v:164v, 166r:166v, 168r:171v, 172v:174v, 175v:179v, 181r:201r, 202v:212v, 222r:225r, 226r:243v, 244v:256v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence