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Coll 6/43 'Pan Arab Congress 1933. Attitude of H.M.G. to a Pan Arab Movement' [52r] (104/1144)
The record is made up of 1 file (570 folios). It was created in 21 Dec 1932-5 Mar 1948. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: 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. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
- 6 -
Stage II *’ Encourage the new State to federate (or #
confederate) with Iraq; if necessary, assist
matters by revising our treaty with Iraq in
the form of a strategic treaty with the whole
bloc; thus create a firm base to out'-flank
Russian advance to the
Persian Gulf
The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.
, and at
*• ‘ «the same time create a strong counter-balance •
/to Egypt in the Arab world.
Then mark time indefinitely for Stage III, viz , the full
Arab Federation.
i
23. Egypt obviously wants Stage III to come first. With the
other Arab countries weak and disunited, she can rule the^roost,
commanding their support for her demands for treaty revision,
the evacuation of troops from the Canal Zone, etc.; and later on
(though not so long hence) in stiffening her terms when the
renewal of the Suez Canal concession comes up. Air routes also
give her a strong card, for although the post-war passenger
plane may be able to fetch Bahrain non-stop from the Mediterranean
it will hardly be possible to avoid the use of Egypt as the
junction for the Far East and the South African lines.
24. Egypt has lately seemed to be at considerable pains to
consult ion Saud. No doubt this partly due to his personal
prestige; but with the extension of Ibn Saud’s influence over
the Imam of Yemen, and of Egypt's interest in the Sudan, one
cannot help wondering whether they are thinking in terms of a
kind of "Red Sea" bloc within the main Federation, If so, it
still more behoves the northern Arab countries to make a conmon
front.
25. Clearly, in dealing with the problem Great Britain and
France will have to keep in consultation with America,
Admittedly, American interests in Arab countries lie rather in
the Arabian peninsula than in the "fertile crescent" countries.
In Saudi Arabia they have their oilfields and their gold mines;
they have insisted on a joint Anglo-American military mission
instead of the British Muslim mission which it was at one time
planned to send; they aim at establishing airfields across the
Arabian peninsula; they have put in an American Consul at
Dhehran opposite Bahrain, and plan to develop the port of
Ras Tanura, in order to break the stranglehold imposed on
Bin Saud's eastern coast by the string of Naboth's vineyards
which we maintain there; they have offered to make up to
Ibn iaud whatever sum Great Britain reduces from the subsidy
granted as compensation for the loss of pilgrim traffic revenue;
and so on.
26. America has only one card of entry into the northern Arab
area in the form of her support of Zionism; but it is a high
card, since that policy is imposed on the u.S. Government by
verybig # business interests. 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.
has little doubt that
Zionism in the U.S.A. is closely linked with the Ickes project
for a pipeline from the Hasa oil-fields to the Mediterranean.
Moreover, it can hardly be doubted that one of the main motives
behind the Balfour Declaration was to secure the support of
American Jewry from the U.S.A.'s entry into the last war. and
America’s interest in the matter has recently been unmistakeably
affirmed. We may, therefore, even if it is agreed that the
French and ourselves should settle the political structure of
the "fertile crescent", have to give certain preliminary
guarantees to America. Direct and active American co-operation
m settling the problems of the mandated areas is hardly a
prospect that can be welcomed. America has neither the tradition
nor the responsibilities in the Middle East which Britain has
r\
About this item
- Content
This file concerns the British Government's response to the Pan-Arab movement during the 1930s and 1940s. Much of the correspondence refers to the prospect of an Arab federation, although the use of the word 'federation' is noted in some of the correspondence as being a mistranslation of the original Arabic expression, which would be more accurately represented by the words 'unification' or 'unity'.
Significant subjects of discussion include:
- Arab party politics in Palestine.
- Iraqi-Egyptian relations.
- Italian propaganda in the Middle East.
- The future of Palestine.
- Britain's post-war policy in the Middle East.
- Whether the Arab states should be induced to make a wartime declaration in favour of the democracies (i.e. the Allies).
- The formation of the Arab League (also referred to as the Arab Federation in the correspondence).
- Details of the Pact (also referred to as Covenant) of the Arab League, signed in Cairo on 22 March 1945.
- Whether representatives of the Arab League should be present at the Palestine Conference in London, in 1947, in addition to representatives of Arab states.
Notable correspondents include the following: the 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. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; the High Commissioner for Iraq; His Majesty's Ambassador in Baghdad; the High Commissioner for Egypt; His Majesty's Ambassador in Cairo; the High Commissioner for Palestine; His Majesty's Minister at Jedda; the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; the Minister of State in the Middle East; officials of the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, 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. , the Commonwealth Relations Office, and the Indian Political Service The branch of the British Government of India with responsibility for managing political relations between British-ruled India and its surrounding states, and by extension the Gulf, during the period 1937-47. 's External Affairs Department; Noury Said [Nūrī al-Sa‘īd], Prime Minister of Iraq; George Antonius, Lebanese-Egyptian author and diplomat.
Also included with the correspondence are the following:
- Extracts from Palestine police summaries dating from 1933 to 1936, produced by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Jerusalem.
- A printed copy of a paper on Arab federation by the Foreign Research and Press Service, dated 20 June 1941.
- Copies of documents produced by the War Cabinet's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East (also referred to as the Middle East (Official) Committee), including minutes of meetings (1941-1942) and a copy of a report on Arab Federation, dated January 1942.
- A copy (in French) of the Protocol of the Preparatory Committee for the Arab Congress, dated 7 October 1944.
- Copies of the Pact/Covenant of the recently formed Arab League (consisting of a printed copy in French, distributed by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and an English translation of the full Arabic text, which includes a passage that was omitted from the French version).
The French material consists of the aforementioned Protocol and Arab League Pact, plus one item of correspondence and a copy of a newspaper extract.
The file includes two dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence (folios 2-3).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (570 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 571; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Two previous foliation sequences, which are also circled, have been superseded and therefore crossed out.
- Written in
- English and French in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Coll 6/43 'Pan Arab Congress 1933. Attitude of H.M.G. to a Pan Arab Movement' [52r] (104/1144), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2110, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100047229909.0x00006b> [accessed 17 July 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2110
- Title
- Coll 6/43 'Pan Arab Congress 1933. Attitude of H.M.G. to a Pan Arab Movement'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 2r:6v, 9r:24v, 27r:59v, 61r:62v, 73r:78v, 82r:93v, 95r:103v, 105r:106v, 111r:111v, 113r:115v, 118r:120v, 122r:132v, 134r:152v, 158r:199v, 201r:265v, 273r:354v, 356r:381v, 384r:394v, 398r:407v, 410r:516v, 518r:565v, 567r:571v, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence