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Coll 6/43 'Pan Arab Congress 1933. Attitude of H.M.G. to a Pan Arab Movement' [‎517r] (1034/1144)

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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. .

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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
EASTERN (Iraq).
March 20, 1933.
^ CONFIDENTIAL.
1933
Section 2.
[E 1469/347/65]
No, 1.
Sir F. Humphrys to Sir John Simon.—(Received March 20.)
(No. 143.)
Sir,
Bagdad, March 9, 1933.
WITH reference to my telegram No. 30 of the 25th February, I have the
honour to report that at a recent audience which I had with King Feisal His
Majesty confirmed the undertaking which he had given me privately, while I was
on a shooting trip with him at Amara, that the Arab Congress would be post
poned, at any rate, until the autumn, and I enclose a translation of a cutting from
the Arabic newspaper the Tariq, which shows that the news of the postponement
has been received locally with considerable regret.
2. His Majesty informed me that he had carefully thought over the
warnings which I had given him that the holding of the congress in Bagdad
might have the effect of antagonising his neighbours, and said that he was most
anxious to avoid doing anything which might cause annoyance or embarrassment
to His Majesty's Government. He asked me, however, to acquaint him with the
general attitude of His Majesty’s Government towards the ideal of Arab unity
which he had so much at heart. Was it the same attitude as that which had
been explained to him in 1921, or had we changed our views since then? For
3. I thanked His Majesty for listening to my advice, and said that
opportunities would no doubt occur during his visit to England and the Continent
next summer for considering this problem from a wider point of view than that
which had been presented to him locally by Palestinian and Syrian extremists. I
recognised, however, that His Majesty had consistently entertained the ambition
of furthering the unity of Arab peoples, particularly in their cultural and
economic development. The danger I foresaw was that the attention of the
congress would almost exclusively be directed towards the realisation of the
political unity of the Arabs at a time when the discussion of such a question
could hardly fail to excite the suspicions of his neighbours. I felt that His
Majesty could best serve the Arab cause by concentrating his energies on the
development of his own country’s resources and institutions, so that the Govern
ment of an independent and enlightened Iraq might serve as a model and an
encouragement to other Arab countries.
4. I am sending copies of this despatch to His Majesty’s representatives at
Cairo, Tehran, Jerusalem, Istanbul, Jedda and Beirut.
(Translation.)
WE learn with deep regret that the Arab Conference, which it had been
decided to hold in Bagdad next month, has been postponed for next autumn. It
is hoped that the reasons for this postponement are not such as will affect the great
hopes cherished by the advocates of independence for the Arabian countries.
himself, he could only say that he had always attempted to follow in the Middle
East the policy which he believed to have the approval of His Majesty's Govern
ment.
I have, &c.
F. H. HUMPHRYS.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Extract f rom the Tariq of March 6, 1933.
Arab Conference Postponed.
[739 u—2]

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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
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Coll 6/43 'Pan Arab Congress 1933. Attitude of H.M.G. to a Pan Arab Movement' [‎517r] (1034/1144), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2110, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100047229914.0x000025> [accessed 15 July 2026]

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