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Coll 6/43 'Pan Arab Congress 1933. Attitude of H.M.G. to a Pan Arab Movement' [218v] (437/1144)
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.
(See the "Letters of T.E. Lawrence", page 577).
complicated problems might be reached. There ie much to
■be said for taking the initiative while he is still at the
height of his power.* A second argument in favour of taking
the initiative at present is that we now have in the Middle
East a much stronger military force than v/e can ever hope
to maintain there in time of peace, with the result that,
for the moment at any rate, British influence is greater-
now than it is likely to be after our troops have been
withdrawn* Thirdly, the grant of independence to Syria and
the Lebanon, and *the supercession (to that extent) of the
Syrian Mandate, may be expected to stimulate Arab aspirations
elsewhere, particularly in Palestine and Trans-Jordan, where,
as time goes on, there may be increasing agitation against
the continued maintenance of the Mandatory regime* If it
were practical politics to carry through.some scheme of Arab
federation which would also.comprise a satisfactory solution of
the.Palestine problem, there would be much to be said in favour
of immediate action, without awaiting the end of the waro
5. There are, on the other hand, strong arguments against
an endeavour to promote a political federation of Arab States
at the present moment. In the first place, there is nothing
to show that Arab opinion is not yet prepared for any scheme s
of federation. 35 Secondly, we believe that any scheme would
in practice arouse such contentious issues that its discussion
would inflame political passions throughout the Arab world,
j and probably also throughout the Jev/ish world. Thirdly, we
are convinced that any scheme sponsored by His Majesty‘s
Government would be received with suspicion, and would
. probably arouse much unnecessary anti-British feeling, at
a time when it is essential not to take any incautious step
which might give our enemies in the Arab world an opportunity
1 for exciting agitation against us. It is mainly for these
reasons that our representatives in the Arab countries have
unanimously recommended that the main problem should be
allowed to lie dormant until the present imminent clangers of
war in the Middle East have passed.
6. As regards Arab opinion, we are advised that
u federation 11 has never represented a fixed* or genuine aspiration
on the part of the Arab States or the Arab peoples as a whole,
and must not be taken as one of the fundamental aims of^ the
Arab national movement. So far as we are av/are, there is at * I
x It is interesting to note what Colonel T • ID * Lawrence
wrote on the subject in 1928:-
,r When people talk of Arab confederations or
empires, they talk fantastically* It wil.i. be generations?
I expect — unless the vital tempo of the Last- is much
accelerated - before any two Arabic States join
voluntarily. I agree their only future hope is ^that
they should join but it must be a natural growing-
together. Forced unions are pernicious2 and politics,
! in such things, should come after geography and
economics. Communications and trade must be improved
before provinces can join."
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' [218v] (437/1144), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2110, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100047229911.0x000028> [accessed 16 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