File 2182/1913 Pt 11 'Arabia: relations with BIN SAUD Hedjaz-Nejd Dispute' [‎313v] (181/678)

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in his view of the passages in Colonel Wilson’s letter to Ibn Sand to which the High
Commissioner had taken exception. They suggested that Colonel Wilson should be
given the opportunity of furnishing some explanation on the subject.
On the 24th January the 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. instructed the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad,
to communicate a message to Ibn Sand, informing him that Hussein was willm^o
meet him at Jeddah and urging him to seize this opportunity of effecting a fnenv.,y
settlement, and to make arrangements to proceed to Jeddah at the earliest possible
On the 26th January the Foreign Office received a copy of a telegram, dated the
the 18th January, from (he Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, m which he reported the
continuous progress of the Akhwan movement 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. , Bahrein, was
inclined to the view that the movement was bound before long to give Ibn baud a
popular hold in Arabia, greater than anything to which the Shenfian family could
hope (to <nj> January t p e Office informed the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad,
that their attention had been called by the Foreign Office to a telegram from the High
Commissioner at Cairo, questioning the expediency of the passage m his letter to
Ibn Saud on the 17th November, which related to the situation in Syria and the state
of Feisal’s troops, and asked him to telegraph his observations. . . ■
On the 31st January the Foreign Office transmitted to the High Commissioner at
Cairo a copy of the note by Captain Bray, which they had received from the India
Office, and called his attention to the denial by the Nejd Mission that the Akhwan
movement countenanced forcible conversions. 1 hey asked whether Bold AMenhy
considered it desirable to inform King Hussein of this statement. 1 he\ also asked tie
opinion of the 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. on this point. . n n , . T
On the 2nd Februarv the Foreign Office received copies of two telegrams ot the
23rd and the 24th January from the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad. In the first ot
these he reported that Ibn Saud had written to him on the 6th January repeating Ins
conviction that Hussein was not to be trusted, and reiterating his earnest desire for
peace. In the second, he stated that 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 Bahrein had received an
urgent letter from Ibn Saud, dated the 15th January, in which he said that he had
decided to set out at once for Hasa, as he had a most important communication o
make concerning His Majesty’s Government and himself of a nature which should not
be delayed or ignored. He asked that the Civil Commissioner should meet turn m
person The Civil Commissioner had authorised 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. , Bahrein, o
proceed to Hasa to meet Ibn Sand, and said that he would, if necessary, arrange tor
the Deputy Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. , Bushire, to proceed to Hasa m February. It was
impossible"for him to go there himself in view of the existing situation in the direction
of Deir-az-zor. This telegram crossed that sent by the 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. on the ^tli
January (see 173984 above). ,
On the 4th February the Foreign Office received a copy of a telegram of the
28th January from the Civil Commissioner, Baghdad, m which he stated that the
Nejd Mission, which was then in Bombay, would reach Hasa about the 20th 1 ebruary.
m proposed to defer the delivery of the message, communicated to him m the India
Office telegram of the 24th January, until Ibn Saud had conferred with the Mission,
and until he had further information himself as to the nature of the communication
referred to by Ibn Saud in his letter of the loth January. He did not think that xbn
Sand would consent to proceed to Jeddah by land, and thought that theie were w0
possible alternatives : either that Hussein should be asked to agree to a mee iDg
in the neighbourhood of Taif, Ashairah or Turaba, or that Ibn Saud shou c e as ~e
visit Hussein at Jeddah by sea. . • n ta •
On the 5th February the 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. , in consultation with the loreign umce
replied approving Colonel Wilson’s proposal. They pointed out that His ± ajes }
Government attached great importance to the meeting between Hussein an n a >
and that the latter’s visit to Hasa afforded an opportunity that was not live y 0 ie ’
not only of influencing him effectively in the desired direction, but also o t mu
that he actually set out on the journey. On the same day they re 4 ues ^j c .
Admiralty to instruct the Naval Commander-in-chief, East Indies Station, to/ende ^
Civil Commissioner such assistance as might be in his power for arranging
transport of Ibn Saud by sea, from Hasa to Jeddah ^
On the 6th February the Foreign Office received Lord Allenbys repoit on ^
visit to Jeddah. King Hussein had been very much excited about the Symn que
and had regarded the Ibn Saud matter as of minor importance. He had agiee
meet Ibn Saud at Jeddah.