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Coll 6/43 'Pan Arab Congress 1933. Attitude of H.M.G. to a Pan Arab Movement' [271r] (542/1144)
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.
to the constitutional and administrative changes on the lines
of the White Paper of May 18, 1939.,
10, With regard to the third, I am of opinion that
there is a pressing need for the creation of a special
British bureau in the Middle East, whose main functions would
be to attend to political and economic problems in the Arabic-
speaking countrieso The most suitable location for the
bureau would seem to be Cairo* but it should have branches in
Jerusalem and Bagdad, and possibly in Jedda and Aden P and a
liaison
agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
in Whitehall., The head of the bureau should
be a personality of seme standing to whom a high military
rank might be given* and he would have to assist him a small
staff of carefully selected men who have experience of Arab
problems and contacts in the Arab world. One of the
functions of the bureau would be to establish close and
y/idespread contact with persons of all shades of opinion in
the Arab world* with a view to keeping its pulse on the
movements of ideas, the reactions to military events and to
Axis propaganda, the hardships caused by economic dislocation
and the underlying grounds of discontent. Another function
would be to put the knowledge thus collected to good use by
studying possible remedies and devising practical
suggestions* Although such functions are as a matter of
course being discharged by the appropriate official agencies
in each of the Arab countries, yet there is need of an ad hoc
agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
specially equipped to attend to the problems as a
whole with single-minded concentration* and to discharge the
essential task of centralising* pooling and collating all the
relevant information with a view to following it up with
comprehensive recommendations as to the.action required.
lie Much could be written in amplification and
justification of the above proposals* But I do not feel
that there is need for me to labour the point 3
Anyone conversant with the real state of feeling
in the Arab world must realise
(a) that* notwithstanding the bitterness and
resentment caused by the errors of the past
and by the policy adopted in Palestine,
there are throughout the Arab world an
underlying preference for Great Britain
as a partner and a willing recognition of
the benefits that have secured to the Arab
countries from their past association with
her;
(b) that the prestige achieved by Nazi successes
and the impression made by the daily blandish
ments of Axis propaganda have gone a long way
towards shaking Arab confidence in the
invincibility of the British Empire, and in
Prance’s and Great Britain's willingness and
capacity to collaborate with the Arabs in
the fulfilment of their remaining national
aspirati ons;
(c) that the silence'maintained by the British
Government and their apparent passivity in
regard to present Arab hopes and anxieties
are being misunderstood by the Arabs end
exploited
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' [271r] (542/1144), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2110, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100047229911.0x000091> [accessed 15 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.