File 2182/1913 Pt 4 'Persian Gulf: Policy towards Bin Saud (Capt. Shakespear's Mission)' [‎65r] (127/426)

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had previously promised. Added to this volte face on Shaikh Mubarak’s mrt
he understood from Lreutenant-Colonel Grey that His Maiest/s eSvermTuI
S Z fSSaTC SiS £& “s w- 1 " ? = ;
’ LT 1 " 11 •'•''“■J 1 * 1 *!; '"'-'"J.)-'' o«.r of mediation. There ^itt’em
between him and Sir Mubarak-as-Subah which added further to his resentment
with the result that he arranged with Sayyid Talib (one of the TurSsh Dele,
gates) that the negotiations should be kept secret from Mubarak The
negotiations culminated eventually in a series of conditions set down in draft
for the sanction of the Porte and it was this draft which was sent to Constants
nople Several of the conditions were flatly refused at first by “Bin Saud -
but later he agreed to their inclusion on the express assurance of the delegates
that they were required to save the face of the Turkish Government which
however, had no intention of insisting on their execution. Subsequent^ &
Ss C °Stera 17 SramS and letterS Came t0 him from tte^rte and
6 Such was the position-one of complete political detachment from the
British Government and offence with the Turkish—when about the 9 nt>i
October, “Bin Saud’> received the information that Captat shakesp lr
was being despatched to him. He had meanwhile receive^ letters tele
grams and promises innumerable from the Porte, but in the hope that
my deputation meant that the British Government were again considering hfs
old request to come under their protection he continued to fence with the
He , ncst receded at the end of October the letters from Koweit which
o med enclosures to Lieutenant-Colonel Grey’s letter No. C-41 dated 21 st
October 1914, and later, about the middle of November, came the news of
the declaration of war between Turkey and Great Britain and the documents
mentioned m Weit Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. letter No. C.-45, dated 7th November 1914
(Srd^NovembOT^guf 68 !^’- 8 a ® ura “ ces ’ dated 14th Zu-al-Haj 1332
L -November In this last document he was asked to commit himself
to war openly with Turkey and in return the British Government
( 4 ) guaranteed him against reprisals by the Turks.
( 2 ) guaranteed him against attack by sea.
(3) informed him that his de/acfo position in Nejd and Hasa would
roSs w«h him * ^ ^ prei>ared t0 enter into treat y
A ' :,du ' Aziz, who is animated by an intense patriotism for his country
w'fn V 1 ' 1 Teneratl0n J°F , hls religion and a single-minded desire to do his
best for his people by obtaining for them lasting peace and security, now
found tumself m a difficult position. He trusted the British Government
as urnn*! Of V n0 if desired closest relations with them and
as proof of h s sincerity had continued to fence with the Turks with
toToml him^ft ^ With ° Ut f r theri “? aims : ^ was now aSed
f to n ^ ar Wlti i. , hls m0st powerful and bitter enemies
it couM k nnt ^ t b * by th ® , wluch six “ on fts earlier had informed him
in m rT f ne bls bebalf and bad left him free to make his own
the document 16 T “ rl£S ' 14 true . tbat be bad received assurances but
were limited mere? % Ta S ue letter, did not specify whether the assurances
ZZ lhllu 1 “ erel y jhe present war or also included the future, gave no
regarded^a ° tbe , r . condlt wns would be required of himself later and could not be
i ^ binding instrument between two parties for the future ; moreover
were Tnr?- h s ? r , r0 . unded oa w ® st and nort h with those of Turkish vassals and
TMvoFpri^ilfr, intrigue and aid to produce in the future a combination too
Sil if iv, f hlm ?“ e . et alone .> bow far would these assurances apply ? In
v ew of these uneertaintms the risk of laying himself and his country open
‘f * ! 6 P er P et ual hostility of the Ottoman Government and such of their
vassals as they could move against him was too great to be lightly undertaken
but as evidence of his sincere desire to assist the British Government without
hopelessly compromising himself he had kept “ Ibn Rashid ” to his ground and
ac y tive S lv X Tn P ? l “ the Arab world wbat mi S h t have been an
Britai/ h Stl 6 attltude to he one distinctly sympathetic towards Great
.!