'File No. II/8 Foreign Dept Memoranda of Information re. affairs in Turkish Arabia. Nov '07 --' [‎16r] (31/110)

r<M E M 0 : for March 1907.
On 21st February , the G: of I: addressed H.M. * s
Secretary of State for India with reference to *the o
overtures made b^ 9 and on behalf of 9 Abdul Aziz bin
Sa’ud , the T fahabi chief , with a view to the establi
shment of a cloa/er connection between himself Sc the
British Govt:. Major Cox , P.R. in the Pers: Gulf,
ad desired to be in a position to give a definite
nswer to these overtures , 3? had recommended that the
present opportunity might be taken to come to terms
ith the Y r ahabi Chief .
Proposals had been made on previous occasions for
Br: intervention in the affairs of TTejd, but it had
been decided on each occasion that it would be
inexpedient to incur the difficulties 8c embarrassment
involved • In pursuance of this poliCyH.M.'s Govt: de
sired in December 1904 that their interest 8c influenc
were to be confined strictly to the coast line of E:
rabia , 3? that nothing should be said or done to conn
ect them even indirectly with warfare in progress in
he interior . Similar instructions were recently recei
ed from the Sec: of State , in a telegram , d/: 9/II/6
The G. of I. had already issued the necessar^ orders
o Major Cox to ensure strict adherence to the line of
%
policy which had been laid down , but in the meanwhile
they thought it their dut^ to point out that there wer
indications in the recent reports that the position of
he Turks in Nejd had become increasingly difficult, 8c
that they were unable to do more than maintain a mere
semblance of power in Hassa where they had recently
sustained a somewhat serious reverse at the hands of
the local Arabs. In view of the rapid aggrandisementof
Bin Sa’ud as indicated by the recent reports they
called attention to the opinion expressed by Sir TT.
O’Connor in May 1904 , that if Bin Sa’ud succeeded in
establishing a Y r ahabi dynasty throughout the centre of
Arabia , the result might render Britishinfluence and
authority at Koweit precarious . They also invited a pr
perusal of their Secret despatch , dated the 11th Jan:
1906 , in which uhey showed that the growing importance