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Coll 6/43 'Pan Arab Congress 1933. Attitude of H.M.G. to a Pan Arab Movement' [373r] (746/1144)
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.
THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
EASTERN (General).
CONFIDENTIAL.
[E 1886/381/65]
Sir M. Lampson to Mr. Eden.—(Received April 8.)
(No. 362.)
Sir, Cairo, April 2, 1936.
WITH reference to my despatch No. 223 of the 24th February last, I have
the honour to transmit herewith a copy of a further report prepared in the Sudan
Agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
in Cairo on the “ Pan-Islamic Arab Movement.”
2. Most of this report summarises facts already familiar to you, but the
final paragraphs may be of interest.
3. The reasons of the sudden French yielding to the Syrian claim for treaty
negotiations are given in paragraph 9, i.e., the fear of troubles in Europe, the
Syrian tenacity, and the sympathetic interest of the Mahometan world in the
Syrian effort.
4. It may be argued that there is some similarity in the development of the
Egyptian situation. England’s preoccupation elsewhere encouraged the
Egyptian demand for treaty negotiations and Egyptian tenacity made it difficult
to refuse the demand.
5. The suggestion in paragraph 10 that the French yielded to the Syrians
in order to make negotiations with Egypt difficult for us is too far-fetched.
6. With reference to paragraphs 11 and 12, 1 have, more particularly in
my despatch No. 3 of the 30th March to His Majesty’s Ambassador at Bagdad,
a copy of which was forwarded in my despatch No. 348 of the same date, reported
on recent manifestations of the movement for closer relations between Arabic
speaking peoples, in the Near East. An effort is now being made to constitute a
new moral front of these countries against European encroachment. It is
therefore likely that the results of the treaty negotiations between Syria and
France on the one hand and those between ourselves and Egypt on the other are
likely to produce mutual reactions in the two countries.
I have, &c.
MILES W. LAMPSON,
High Commissioner.
; d o i 4
April 8, 1936. ~| O g
Section 1.
(Secret.)
Enclosure.
Memorandum, respecting the Pan-Islamic Arab Movement.
II.
(The first note was issued on February 14, 1936.)
AFTER a complete strike by the city of Damascus, which lasted more than
fifty days, and a similar strike in most of the leading Syrian towns, the French
Government suddenly gave way to the Syrian demands by declaring its willing
ness to receive in Paris a Syrian delegation representing the Syrian Nationalist
party, and the new Syrian Government which had succeeded the unpopular
Government of Tag-el-Din Hussein, in order to negotiate a Franco-Syrian treaty
which would place the relations of the two countries on a permanent basis. The
terms were to be not less magnanimous than the British-Iraq treaty. This
declaration by the French Government was quickly followed by a general amnesty
to those arrested during the troubles. The political leaders, who had been exiled
only a few weeks before, were recalled; the Government officials as well as the
teachers of the school of law, &c., discharged for political reasons, were
reinstated, and both the French High Commissioner and his staff who had been
only a few days before expressing disdain and contempt for the national demands,
suddenly changed their attitude to one of sympathy and readiness to help in the
achievement of their aims.
[681 h—1]
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' [373r] (746/1144), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2110, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100047229912.0x000095> [accessed 15 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