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Coll 6/43 'Pan Arab Congress 1933. Attitude of H.M.G. to a Pan Arab Movement' [269r] (538/1144)
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.
In ecclesiastical Maronite circles* it expresses itself in
surreptitious attempts to effect a rapprochement with Italy*
Yet the change should not be mistaken for a new manifestation
of the national sentiment. Its main significance is that
it affords another example of the waywardness of the
Christians of the Lebanon who, bo they laymen or clerics,
are primarily guided by self-interest rather than by a
philosophy of adherence to the tenets of a national political
creed*
bo The standard opinion is, I believe, as accurately
represented in the condensations given in paragraph 2
above as may be expected from so compressed a generalisation.
The picture is such as to cause concern to all those who
desire an Anglo-Arab understanding and believe in the
fruitfulness of Anglo**Arab collaboration. The next step must
be to examine the ways and means in which that body of
opinion might be appealed to and influenced in ouch a manner
as to make it of its own accord veer in the direction of an
Anglo-Arab understanding* It is because of ray belief in the
desirability and the feasibility of such a consummation that
I venture to advocate it in the present memorandum, in a form
which must of necessity be somewhat sketchy and tentative.
6* The measures which I would advocate as being
necessary are of three kinds* One would be a public
declaration by the British Government* The other, a series
of political measures to be taken by the Palestine Government*
The third, the creation in some suitable centre in the Arab
world of a British political bureau*
7, With regard to the first, the declaration should
consist of an enunciation of principles defining the
attitude of the British Government towards Arab national alms*
It need not be - in fact, it seems preferable that it should
not be - given out as the result of Anglo-Arab negotiations,
but should rather take the form of a spontaneous and
unilateral declaration* It should mention the fundamental
aims of the Arab national movement - namely Independence and
Unity, end their corollary trends towards Cultural and
Kconomic solidarity - and express as great a measure of
sympathy with and support of those aims as the British Government
may feel and want to give, without however going into questions
affecting the ultimate political structure of the Arab
States, e.g* Federation, Zollvereln, Einplre and so forth*
It should contain some positive assurance that the British
Government realise the harm caused by artificial frontiers
arbitrarily drawn across lines of natural and economic inter
course , and that they would use their influence to secure
their abolition if such be the desire of the populations
concerned. It should avoid all appearance of laying down a
policy for all or any of the Arab States to follow, especially
in regard to those points which might impinge on the
sovereignty of each State; but should rather stress on the
one hand the determination of the British Government to leave
it to the Arabs themeelveo after the war to choose their
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' [269r] (538/1144), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2110, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100047229911.0x00008d> [accessed 14 July 2026]
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- 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
- 266r:272v
- Author
- Antonius, George Habib
- Usage terms
- The copyright status is unknown. Please contact [email protected] with any information you have regarding this item.