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'File 61/11 V (D 95) Hejaz - Nejd, Miscellaneous' [81r] (178/530)
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.
THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OP HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT /I
EASTEKN (Arabia).
itio, ^CONFIDENTIAL.
B'{l([P 5269/1484/25]
October 12, 1932.
Section 2.
mt* .
isween tial hwf
^ 'No. IT
egi
Mr. Hope Gill 1,0 Sir John Sim — 12.) ' '
\No. 401.)
Sir, ^edda, $ept ember/Hb, 1932.
WJTH reference to my telegrams Nos. 180, 181 and 182 of the
22nd September, announcing the formal adoption of a new style and title by
Ibn Saud for himself and this country, I have the honour to transmit herewith
translations of—
(1) A circular memorandum from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to the
foreign representatives, dated the 21st September^ 1 ) and covering
(2) A certified copy of Royal decree No. 2716 of the 18th September^ 1 )
which makes the change effective as from the 22nd September and
charges the Council of Ministers with the elaboration and submission
to His Majesty of a new Constitution, a rule of succession to the
throne, and a system of government; and
(3) An extract from the Mecca Umm-al-Qura" of the 16th September^)
explaining the genesis and execution of what is described as a popular
movement of appeal to the King and giving the text of the four
leading petitions as telegraphed to Riyadh.
2. The " Umm-al-Qura " of the 23rd September publishes the text of a
number of other petitions and avers that Ibn Saud received in all over 700 such
petitions at Riyadh. I will not weary you with them, except to say that they
seem to emanate from all quarters and all classes, also from the guilds, among
them the jewellers, brokers, tax collectors, criers to prayer, tent makers, butter
sellers, butchers, tinsmiths, upholsterers, and eunuchs. The petitions which I
enclose are themselves sufficiently wearying, but I have reproduced them in full
to show their exact nature^ 1 ) The first, and the best reasoned, is signed by
Fuad Hamza and fifteen of the most prominent citizens of Mecca and Jedda:
the second, a short one, by twenty-eight leading personalities of Mecca, including
a few shereefs; the third, equally short, by representatives of six Hejazi tribes
and the town of Tabuk; and the fourth, the most ebullient, by Abdullah Suleiman
and a mixed bag of eighty-two Nejdis, Hejazis and domiciled Indians, Javanese
and Hadjramis.
3. It is of particular interest to note that, according to the "Umm-al-
Qura' 1 of the 23rd September, the sequence of events was as follows: First, a
general conviction was come to throughout the country that the Hejaz and Nejd,
so united in the face of recent events, were brothers; then, the sixteen signatories
of Fuad Hamza's petition met at Taif and elaborated its details; they thereupon
telegraphed to their friends and colleagues throughout the country, requesting
their support; result, "the news spread like lightning, the whole nation arose
and held meetings, and, after long discussions, decided to co-operate, and sent
telegrams to His Majesty the King imploring him .... "—to grant, in short,
the requests formulated by those sixteen.
4. In spite of its widespread nature, the secret of this move was well kept,
and it came as a surprise to the foreign residents and representatives. It can
safely be stated that it was no popular movement, born of impulse, but one
stage-managed either by the King and his officials, or by Fuad Hamza and some
of the latter with the King's knowledge and consent. Before ever the petitions
were sent, it was generally realised that the answers had already been decided
upon. Only that concerning the succession to the throne gave rise to speculation.
This difficult question the King has temporarily shelved for study by the Council
of Ministers. Its outcome is entirely problematical.
[599 m—2]
( l ) Not printed.
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