File 705/1916 Pt 2 'Arab revolt: Arab reports; Sir M Sykes' reports' [‎116r] (229/450)

[See “ Arabian Report,” XI, N.S., p. 14], but he felt certain that he would not do it.
If exhortations were confined to general terms he would probably do no more than
continue to worry Ibn Rashid in a desultory way and at a respectful distance from
^lail. The O.P.O. was of opinion that Ibn Sand would be unwilling, and unable, to
"Attack Hail without assistance in money and guns, with men to man them. The C.P.O.
enquired whether, if he were willing to do this, with such assistance, it would be worth
while to give it. Short of that Ibn Sand might be definitely pressed to arm and equip
a contingent of his own tribesmen on camels to join the Sherif.
In regard to this, the Viceroy telegraphed to 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. on the 30th September
[P. 4050] that the Indian Government deprecated any attempt being made to press
Ibn Saud to take specific action, to help either the Sherif or us. Should he do so
spontaneously, well and good ; if not, we should be satisfied with the immense asset; we
have secured in the passive friendship of Nejd. The Indian Government was certainly
unable to spare guns, and the despatch of 1,000 Nejd tribesmen would be of little
material value to Sherif, would weaken Ibn Saud vis-d-vis Ibn Rashid and, perhaps,
would lead subsequently to embarrassing claims by Ibn Saud against the Sherif.
KOWEYT AND THE TRUCIAL COAST A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. .
Some notes from the diary of the A.P.O. at Koweyt, for part of the month of
• August, have been sent from Basra. It is recorded that on the 17th August the
Shaykh left Koweyt to inspect his date gardens, and expressed the intention of calling
on the C.P.O. at Basra before his return. Also that, two days later, some men arrived
from Nejd and retailed gossip about the Sherif and his revolt which they had picked
up there ; among other items was a story of our having landed men at Jeddah and
Rabegh. The A.P.O. did not mention how he had-dealt with this.
BAHREIN.
[Nil.]
MASKAT.
[Nil.]
PART II
POLITICAL EVENTS IN THE FIELDS OF OPERATIONS.
Aden.
Situation unchanged.
The Caucasus.
[Nil]
PART III.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Turkish Propaganda.
An agent reports that a certain Nafilian who is in close touch with, and has been
worW for the Ottoman Legation in Berne, has recently approached two Swiss news-
ZersL Lusanne viz., th e S “ Gazette of Lausanne” and the “Tnbuna of Lausanne,”
^ •?! rvffhr of a larffe sum of money if they would commence a strong propaganda m
fovouTof Turk y He fsTaid to ha/e statel that a sum of 20 000L had been received
in Berne from Turkey for this purpose, and that the bulk of this sum had come from