Coll 6/16 'Future of: Royal Family. Probable happenings on the death of Ibn Saud.' [‎127r] (254/440)

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERy¥..qB w JIISUBRtTAM||IC MAJESTY^ GOVERNMENT
THE Mecca newspaper Umm-al-Qura of the 21st March reached me too late
to be used in drafting my despatch No. 86 of the following day, relative to the
attack on Ibn Saud in the Great Mosque at Mecca on the 15th March. When
received it proved to contain a great deal of interesting matter besides the two
communiques enclosed in that despatch. The leading article, headed : ‘ ‘ They
Wished Evil for him, but their Intrigue has been Frustrated,” presents few
features of interest. The most salient were perhaps references to the sword by
which this country was conquered and from which the incident would remove the
rust that might gather if it remained long in the sheath; The writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. was reserved
regarding the position which the affair had created.
2. The paper printed twenty telegrams received from heads of States and
other personages, together with the King’s replies. Euad Bey Hamza tells me
that many other telegrams were received, but it must be assumed that, so far as
heads of States are concerned, the list was complete up to date, in which case
several even of those who are in relations with Ibn Saud seem to have neglected to
congratulate him. The heads of States whose telegrams were published were, in
the order of printing, those of Great Britain, &c., Iraq, France, Yemen, Italy,
Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan , Persia, Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Koweit. The other personages,
were M. Mussolini, Prince Omar Toussoun, Nahas Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , “ on behalf of the Wafd
and the Egyptian nation,” the President of the Supreme Moslem Council of
Palestine, Prince Muhammad Ali of Egypt, two Syrian notables, viz., Nasib Bey
A1 Bakri and Hashim Bey A1 Atasi, Hamad Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. A1 Basil of Egypt, Mr.
C. R. Crane of New York, and the Saudi agent in Cairo. The telegram of the.
last-named was presumably included because the abnormal position between
Egypt and Saudi Arabia had been held to preclude any direct official expression
of sympathy and congratulation. The agent reported that visits of congratulation
had been paid to him by the Egyptian Prime Minister, the Governor of Cairo and
other personages, as weir as by foreign representatives. He also mentioned
numerous telegrams, including one from His Majesty’s High Commissioner and
one from Sheikh A1 Maraghi.
3. By far the most interesting telegrams were those exchanged with the
Imam Yahya. There were two telegrams from the Imam. One of these was.
directly inspired by the incident. The other began as an acknowledgment of the
receipt of a letter which his courier had just brought back from Ibn Saud, but
this also was almost entirely devoted to the attempt on the King’s life. Both,
especially the second, abounded in the author’s usual pious rhetoric. The
kindness of the King’s letter almost broke the Imam’s heart. As for the attack, it
had caused that same heart to drip with grief and had filled his eyes with tears.
For the rest, he refused to believe that the crime had been the work of Zeydi
Yemenis. If it was, they must have been set on by an evil hand outside the Yemen,
the hand of enemies disappointed over the conclusion of the Treaty of Taif. He
and his were as innocent of it as was the wolf of the blood of Joseph. He had
instructed Abdullah-al- Wazir Minister. to give every assistance to the Saudi authorities
in their enquiries. Replying to both telegrams at once, Ibn Saud affirmed his
appreciation of the Imam’s feelings in regard to a sorrow common to them both
and his confidence in Abdullah-al- Wazir Minister. . He himself, he said, had dis
countenanced any molestation of Yemeni pilgrims and had charged A1 Wazir Minister. to
quiet and comfort them. The assailants were, however, undoubtedly persons from
the Yemen, and full particulars had. been obtained regarding them. The King
completely exonerated the Imam himself.
4. The Umm-al-Qura published also a telegram from the Imam Yahya to
Abdullah-al- Wazir Minister. expressing his grief at the incident, adjuring him to do all
in his power, and again expressing the belief that, if the assailants were Yemeni,
EASTERN (Arabia).
/
April 23, 1935.
CONFIDENTIAL.
Section 4.
[E 2574/7/25]
No. 1.
(No. 96.)
Sir,
Sir A. Ryan to Sir John Simon.—{Received April 2^.)
Jedda, March 27, 1935.
[381 z—4}