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'File 61/11 V (D 95) Hejaz - Nejd, Miscellaneous' [‎156r] (328/530)

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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

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il
THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOYERNII
EASTERN (Arabia).
CONFIDENTIAL.
r lU8HIR g RE SiDSNC Ma y s, 1933.
"H"
S ection 5.
No. 1.
[E 2292/234/25]
Sir A. Ryan to Sir John Simon.—(Received May 3.)
(No. 101. Confidential.)
Jedda, April 5, 1933.
' WITH reference to my despatch No. 69 of the 28th February, I have the
honour to submit a few further items of information regarding the ex-Khedive's
scheme for a national bank in this country.
2. Abdul Hamid Shedid did not get away on the 1st March as he had
intended, owing to delay over the forwarding of the King's final decision. There
appears to have been no serious hitch, but an eleventh-hour attempt to dissuade
Ibn Saud was made by certain merchants, whose spokesman, young Hussein
Aweyni, made a fruitless journey to Riyadh. The Dutch Financial Adviser has
also shown himself very hostile to the scheme, but I do not think that his
opinion counted for anything. It is probable that M. van Leeuwen's dislike
of the project is quite honest, but it is possible that it may be accentuated by
sympathy with the Netherlands Trading Society.
3. Abdul Hamid Shedid finally left on the 10th March. He gave me to
understand after dinner at Mr. Philby's house on the previous evening that his
agreement with the Saudi Government was quite definite and that it only
remained to organise the bank. He explained that it would not confine itself
to the Hejaz—1 million, he said, was too much for this country—but would
operate in other Near Eastern countries and would have its headquarters in
London, where he himself will be managing director. It is now pretty generally
known that Mr. Philby is likely to be the conseiller of the bank in this country,
but I would ask you to regard this information as strictly confidential until
it reaches you from other sources, as my most definite information was confided
to me in a very personal conversation by Mr. Philby himself.
4. The Umm-al-Qura of the 17th March announced the conclusion of the
agreement and promised full particulars as soon as it should have come into
force. Nothing further was published up to the 30th March, the date of the
last issue I have seen.
5. I know nothing about the latest plans of the promoters of the bank.
The delay in Abdul Hamid Shedid's departure destroyed any prospect of
rushing the matter through in time to start business here on the 1st April.
I have, &c.
ANDREW RYAN.
[795 c—5]

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
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'File 61/11 V (D 95) Hejaz - Nejd, Miscellaneous' [‎156r] (328/530), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/568, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023520517.0x000081> [accessed 1 April 2025]

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