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Coll 6/21(1) 'Hejaz-Nejd: Relations with H.M.G.: Hejaz Legation in London and British Minister in Jeddah.' [144r] (298/914)
The record is made up of 1 volume (453 folios). It was created in 7 Sep 1927-10 Jan 1935. It was written in English. 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.
[206 aa—4]
THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
EASTERN (Arabia).
r — — ■
i } /
< i i r: -> i September 24, 1934.
» v f y'-f >
CONFIDENTIAL.
f 3 j ( j l •
Section 4.
[E 5996/2429/25]
V- \ ; J
No. 1 .
Fourth Meeting with Fuad Bey Hamza, held at the Foreign Office on the
September 24, 1934.
Note by Sir Andrew Ryan.
FUAD BEY, accompanied by Sheikh Hafiz Wahba, came to see me this
morning in accordance with the arrangement made at the third conversation, that
we should discuss separately the question of the Government of India’s
dispensaries in the Hejaz and possibly other minor questions.
2. I explained to Fuad Bey that the question of the dispensaries, though
important, was non-political and concerned the Indian authorities. Mr. Eendel
had therefore asked me to go into the matter with himself and Sheikh Hafiz Wahba.
I reminded Fuad Bey that when he and I last discussed the question in Jedda we
had seemed to be approaching a solution, but the discussion had been interrupted
by his illness. The matter had now taken a new and less favourable turn, as the
Saudi Government had addressed a circular to Mr Calvert, in which they had
asked for separate statements of medical supplies imported for the use of members
of the Legation and those imported for general dispensary use, in order that
customs duty should be levied on the latter. I read to him the main portions of
the telegraphic correspondence, and said that there appeared to be two miscon
ceptions, viz., (a) the Saudi Government seemed to think that medical supplies
not intended for the use of the Legation staff were sold to the public, whereas m
fact, the quantities of medicine supplied in return for payment were negligible,
and (h) they seemed to think that Fuad Bey and I had dealt only with the status
of the Indian medical officers, whereas we had, in fact, dealt with the whole
question of the dispensaries. .
3 1 urged that the Saudi Government should not try to force the issue b>
assuming that stores, other than those for the use of the members of the Legation
were liable to duty. The Jedda dispensary had existed for some fifty years, and
had always enjoyed immunity as part of the British mission.
Turkish Government had exempted from duty supplies imported by foreig
charitable institutions as such, not only those for diplomatic use The branch
dispensary at Mecca had been opened with Ibn Saud s ^ Theie
was, I admitted, no written record of this, as the y^ngement had been made
between the King and the Indian vice-consul, but th ®
King’s attitude at that time was that for the first year he ^
free of rent for the dispensary at Mecca. I was piep > ’ j|| | ut
question on the lines foreshadowed m my discussion w th Fuad ®t Jedda^
I could not admit, pending a settlement, that supp le „ ( • enmle[Jt ti0
liable to customs duty, and I deprecated the attempt of the Sa
enforce their own view in this respect before the ® gouM
out. The case was a unique one, and while not claiming that the
be claimed under general international usage, there were strong
maintaining U^ey ^ no reli couU be placed on ear^
as the Treaty of Jedda had swept away a s P relations were to be
Treaty of Jedda had not done this but law took great account of
based on principles of international law - , | ut]on 0 f t h e whole question,
established custom. I was quite prepared ‘"y^Xd for the supplies for
but I suggested that ou f““rdw’that theUesent situation should be preserved
next pilgrimage season, m ordei tna P
intact, until we could work out the so u i° • , subiect from his Govern-
5. Fuad Bey said that he had had u ° thi y id Lat I was making a definite
ment, and was not in a position to dlS( Y® . seaso n should be exempted from
proposal, i.e., that the stores for next pilgi image seasoi
About this item
- Content
This volume concerns relations between the British Government and the Government of the Hejaz and Nejd (later Saudi Arabia).
The volume largely consists of copies of Foreign Office and Colonial Office correspondence. The correspondence near the beginning of the volume discusses Ibn Saud's [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd's] wish to enter into full diplomatic relations with the British Government. The Hejazi Government's proposal in 1929 to establish a legation in London is accompanied by a request for the British Government to raise the status of its Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. and Consulate in Jedda to the same status.
The subsequent correspondence in the volume discusses the following:
- The British Government's consideration (and acceptance) of Ibn Saud's proposal, and the appointment of Sir Andrew Ryan as His Majesty's Minister at the British Legation in Jedda in May 1930.
- Hafiz Wahba's appointment as Hejazi Minister in London in 1930.
- Complaints made by the Hejazi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regarding Sir Andrew Ryan's attitude and conduct since his arrival in Jedda.
- Details of an Hejazi-Nejdi diplomatic mission to Europe (including visits to Italy, France, Britain, and the Netherlands), undertaken in May 1932 and headed by Amir Feisal [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd], Hejazi Minister for Foreign Affairs (this part of the volume includes detailed accounts of the mission's meetings with Foreign Office officials during its visit to London).
- Sir Andrew Ryan's account of his meeting with Ibn Saud at Taif in July 1934, and their discussion of the 'blue line' (the frontier which marked the Ottoman Government's renunciation of its claims to Bahrain and Qatar, in the Anglo-Ottoman convention of 1913) and the Kuwait blockade.
- Details of several meetings held at the Foreign Office between Fuad Bey Hamza (Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs for Saudi Arabia), Sir Andrew Ryan and George William Rendel (Head of the Foreign Office's Eastern Department), during September 1934, regarding the 'blue line', the Kuwait blockade, and the future of the Treaty of Jedda (the treaty signed between Britain and Ibn Saud in 1927).
- Requests from the Italian Government for information regarding Fuad Bey Hamza's visit to London.
The volume features the following principal correspondents: His Majesty's Agent and Consul at Jedda, a position that was raised to His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires to Jedda in late 1929 (Hugh Stonehewer Bird, William Linskill Bond, Cecil Gervase Hope Gill, and Albert Spencer Calvert successively); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); His Majesty's Ambassador in Rome (Ronald William Graham); Ibn Saud; Amir Faisal; officials of the Hejazi/Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs; officials of the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, and 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. .
In addition to correspondence, the volume contains a copy of the minutes of a meeting of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East. The meeting, which took place in London on 8 November 1934, was primarily concerned with the settlement of the 'blue line' issue, the Saudi- Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan frontier, and the Kuwait blockade.
The volume includes two dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (453 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 first folio with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 449; these numbers are written in pencil 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. The front and back covers, along with the two leading and two ending flyleaves, have not been foliated.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Coll 6/21(1) 'Hejaz-Nejd: Relations with H.M.G.: Hejaz Legation in London and British Minister in Jeddah.' [144r] (298/914), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2087, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100066378256.0x000063> [accessed 13 June 2026]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2087
- Title
- Coll 6/21(1) 'Hejaz-Nejd: Relations with H.M.G.: Hejaz Legation in London and British Minister in Jeddah.'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, i-r:iv-v, 3r:78v, 80r:96v, 100r:151v, 153r:218v, 220r:227v, 229r:238v, 240r:240v, 242r:242v, 244r:247v, 249r:255v, 258r:286v, 288r:293v, 298r:316v, 320r:362v, 364r:366v, 370r:371v, 373r:406v, 409r:422v, 424r:426v, 428r:448v, v-r:vi-v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence