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Coll 6/43 'Pan Arab Congress 1933. Attitude of H.M.G. to a Pan Arab Movement' [569v] (1139/1144)
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.
which were, I believed, far less real than he imagined. I did not myself share
His Majesty s apprehensions that either Turkey or Persia had any designs in
present circumstances on Iraqi territory, and the French clearly had their hands
quite full enough already and had not, I was convinced, the least intention of
endeavouring to add to these difficulties by encroaching on Iraq. At all events,
all these considerations were largely speculative and neither His Majesty nor
the Iraqi Government need gi’eatly concern themselves for the present with what
was likely to happen in ten years' time. For the present their membership of
the League and their alliance with Great Britain gave them a security enjoyed
by few other countries in the world, and as he had himself remarked, the pressing-
need of the moment was to set their own house in order. The best way Iraq
could serve the Arab cause was, through her own economic and cultural progress,
to win back for the Arabs the prestige which they had once enioyed among the
nations of the world.
6. As regards the attitude of His Majesty’s Government towards the Arabs
and towards the proposal for holding an Arab Congress in Bagdad, His Majesty
had, I thought, seen in British policy in Iraq clear evidence of their continued
sincere sympathy with the aspirations of the Arab nation to take their legitimate
place among the free and enlightened nations of the world, and it was
unnecessary for me to say anything more on that point. The idea of holding a
congress was quite natural and such a manifestation of a sentiment, which was
well known to exist, should not give rise to any difficulties if common sense, tact
and restraint were exercised by those who took part. I warned His Majesty,
however, that if it were held in Bagdad the Iraqi Government would necessarily
become responsible if anything were said or done to give offence to their
neighbours, whereas if it were held elsewhere, for example Mecca, the Iraqi
Government would have no responsibility for what occurred. I could not give
any official opinion of how such a congress would be regarded by His Majesty’s
Government without first referring the matter to them, but speaking privately
and without having had an opportunity to consider the proposal in detail, it
seemed to me that if His Majesty wished to avoid embarrassment from the
deliberations of the congress, the following conditions should be imposed on the
organisers if it were held in Bagdad : —
l he agenda of the congress should be restricted to cultural and economic
questions and politics should be excluded from their discussions.
The utmost care should be taken to avoid inciting the Arabs of Syria to resort
to other than peaceful means for reaching agreement with the French; and to
avoid stirring up the Arabs of Palestine against the Jews.
Consideration should be paid to the susceptibilities of King Abdul Aziz-al-
Saud. For example, His Majesty must not be given the impression that his
position was being threatened by any member of the Hashimite family.
7. The King said that he agreed with my views, and while he could not give
a positive assurance that someone might not m a speech commit an indiscretion,
he felt that this was unlikely, as those who would take part were all responsible
men of experience. It was the intention of the organisers to limit, as I had
suggested, the discussions of the congress to cultural and economic questions, and
he was confident that the resolutions adopted, and it was by these that the congress
should be judged, would conform to the conditions which I had laid down.
8. I asked His Majesty when the congress was likely to take place. He
replied that he thought that the preparations would probably be completed by-
March.
9. I consider that King Feisal is unwise to encourage the holding of the
congress in Bagdad, but it is only natural that the proposal should appeal very
strongly to him, and in present circumstances I felt that it was outside my
province to take up a definitely hostile attitude towards it.
10. If the King can so influence the proceedings of the congress that the
stipulations which I have made are observed, little harm will, I think, be done,
and I should accordingly be glad to know whether, in the event of His Majesty
raising the question again, I may inform him that His Majesty’s Government
support the views which I have already given to him privately.
11. I am sending copies of this despatch to His Majesty’s representatives at
Cairo. Tehran, Jerusalem, Istanbul, Jeddah and Beirut.
I have, &c.
F. H. HUMPHRYS.
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' [569v] (1139/1144), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2110, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100047229914.0x00008e> [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
- 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