Coll 6/16 'Future of: Royal Family. Probable happenings on the death of Ibn Saud.' [‎89v] (179/440)

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would work together in such a movement. A much more likely sympathiser is
Muhammad Tawil, Director of Customs in King Husain’s time, and at present
director (under compulsion) of the new Nejd Motor Transport Company, yet his
name was not mentioned. Nevertheless, the statements are of interest as voicing
Hejazi dissatisfaction at Saudi rule, and as referring definitely to discussions to
take place in Egypt, though no hint of the identity or of the number of the other "
malcontents was given. I do not think it likely that they are numerous or
important, and I attribute Muhammad Ali Riza’s statements largely to the
bragging of a rather conceited young man, whose inherited wealth would enable
him to play a much larger part in a world not dominated by the shadow of
Ibn Baud.
4. The conspirators, if they deserve this name, are probably well advised
to wait for the death of Ibn Saud. His contempt for the Hejazi and his intention
to stand no nonsense from them are well known : they were expressed in a speech
at Mecca which I reported in paragraph 6 of my despatch No. 91, dated the
| 8th May, 1937. Whatever the grievances of the Hejaz of of any other part of
| the country, no one expects that a revolt will be ventured upon in the lifetime of
I Ibn Saud. On the other hand, both Arab tradition and the particular circum
stances of the case suggest that the succession may be disputed at Ibn Baud’s
death. If the Arab custom has its advantages, under which the best man in the
ruling family tends to secure the rule, it has a drawback in that the succession is
. always liable to be contested. Ibn Saud has tried to secure the succession by
I appointing the Amir Saud, his eldest surviving son, as his successor, and
1 requiring the oath of allegiance to be taken to him as heir apparent. This is a
I compromise : it is not in conformity with Arab custom, yet it does hot recognise
| the principle of primogeniture, since Ibn Saq d ’s eldest sou. Tnrki. wbo died jn
t he influenza epidemic Of 19 18^ 1^£.a.son. "Faisal, who is still al ive,
5 There is'always much gossip about alleged differences between the sons
of Ibn Saud and the possibility of their quarrelling after their father’s death.
The Amir Faisal, for instance, is represented as being jealous of his eldest brother,
Saud, and as being not only cleverer but more popular because of his superiority
as a warrior and a horseman. But it is from the third sop. Muhammad fha|.
oppositi on -is .considere d to be mosl likely to come" During his stay in Riyadh
last summer, Mr. Ousman found that the Amir "Muhammad was considered the
most ambitious and unruly of all the princes, and it is suggestive that Muhammad
Ali Riza should mention him as a sympathiser. The name of the Amir
Muhammad is usually associated with that of his next brother, Khalid. Not
only are they full brothers, but among the older members of the family they are
supposed to bb the favourites of Ibn Baud, as the sons of his Queen, Jauhara,
whose death in 1918 is known to have cau,sed the King deep sorrow. It is known
t hat Muhammad,_shows jealousy towards Sand and tries to compe te_m xOi rn
magnificence and generosity, and at the time of the Athlonft^viait to Riyadh
Mr llrault noticed that he seemed to resent being asked by Saud to do anything,
and to sulk at having to help organise a tribal dance, whereas the other Amirs
took part with no sign of dissatisfaction. Possibly the King’s object in sending
Muhammad to England with the Amir Saud for the Coronation was the establish
ment of better relations between them.
6. It is not only from rival brothers that opposition to the succession might
perhaps come. The. hostility of the Amir Khalid-bin-Muhammad, whosp death
occurred a month ago, to his cousin the Amir Baud was always taken for granted,
and as a rule he accompanied the Amir Saud and remained under his observation.
He was in the suite of the Amir Saud during the recent visit to Bahrein, and the
political agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. has recorded what precautions were taken for the security of the
Amir Saud at night. Possibly the object of the arrangement by which Feisal-bin-
Turki, son of Ibn Baud’s first-born son, has been brought up as the son of his
uncle Saud is not only to give him a home, but also to take away any sense of
grievance he might feel and to enable him to be kept under supervision. Not long
ago the political agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Koweit mentioned several Saudi tribal leaders Ifving
in exile who were believed to have common plans for making trouble on Ibn Saud’s
death, while many people believe that the loyalty of the Governor of Hasa, son
of the greaTTtmtJuluwi. will not outlast tne life of Ibn Baud. Then tfiere are
the members of the Ibn Rashid family, who live m konourable but irksome exile
in Riyadh, with their womenfolk still in Hail. Finally, there are all the tribes
to whom paw saudica means boredom and deprivation of the opportunity for men