File E/8 I Ibn Sa‘ud [‎126r] (266/606)

(Received oo tbe 30th March 19,4 witt Politiea] l8tter No. il, d . M lte , 3tt
TURKEY. M " Cl, 1911 '
[7th March.]
CONFIDENTIAL.
1034! Nol _
Foreign Office to 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. .
Foreign Office,
Sir,
7th March 1914.
relati^s^with^tliT ^ P reT ' ous ^'r^pondcnce respecting Bin Sand and hi,
Setetarv Sie P f O" 0 ™" »»' 1 British Governments, I am directed bv
bH laid before the Secretary of
India, the accompanying copy of a minute by Mr. Parker recording
a conversation with Hakki Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. . ^ x jier recording
^ *f ra J® state tl i afc ' in the opinion of Sir E. Grey, the fact that information
regard ng the recent meeting between British officers and Bin Sand has come
to the knowledge of the Ottoman Government renders it necessary that the
utmost care .should be exercised in regard to any future communications with
that chief, as it is clear from the language of Hakki Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. that such com-
mumcations do in fact tend to give rise to grave suspicion on the part of the
Ottoman Government.
Sir E. Grey is further of opinion that, in view of the language of His
Highness, the utmost caution should be observed at the interviews which are
to take place with Hakki Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. next week, in order that the Or, toman 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. Gov
ernment may be reassured as to the attitude of His Majesty's Government.
Sir E. Grey believes that the Ottoman Government, if treated with frankness,
will show themselves prepared to meet the reasonable requirements of His
Majesty's Government, but he is anxious to dispel any erroneous impression
which may have arisen that British policy is directed towards weakening the
Ottoman authority in Nejd, as such a policy would be inconsistent with" that
of upholding the integrity of the Ottoman Empire to which reference is made
in your letter of the ISth September 1^13.
I am, &c.,
W. L anglet.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Minute by
I called on Hakki Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. to-day with refererce to the Turco-German nego
tiations, and he took the opportunity of saying to me, under instructions, that
it was persistently reported at Basra that His Majesty's Government had,
through their agents in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , entered into direct relations with
Bin Saud. This had created a very painful impression at Constantinople, for
the British Government had solemnly recognised that west of the blue line
attached to the Convention signed on toe 29th July 1913, and to the north of
that line, excepting Kuwait, the territory was Turkish, and formed part of an
Ottoman province ; the Turkish Govornment was, therefore, greatly concerned
to hear that such communication hrd been made by us direct to an Ottoman
subject in territory recognisied as Ottoman, and that any communication should
not have been addressed to the Ottoman Government.
I said that curiously enough this was the very subject about which I
wished to speak to him, and t^at the appointments I had already fixed for him
at the Foreign Office on Aloud ay and Wednesday were in order that he might
have a full and frank interchange of views with Sir Percy Cox who was shortly
going to India, and vvith Sir A. Hirtzel and myself. V\ T e felt that it would be
of great value for such m exchange to take place about our mutual interests
in the Gulf, and about Bin Saud in particular.
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