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File 1166/1925 'Arabia: Nejd; negotiations with Ibn Saud regarding Iraq-Nejd question and Trans-Jordan boundary; Sir G Clayton's mission; Bahra agreement, 2nd November, 1925' [166r] (338/769)
The record is made up of 1 volume (378 folios). It was created in 14 Apr 1925-28 Jul 1927. 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.
52807/22 and 790/23 ; not printed.
assistance of which he might stand in need. Copies of I bn Sa'ud’s
letters* are enclosed herewith for your information. The present
Nejdi representative at Damascus, Suleyman ibn Musheiqih, unlike
his predecessors and possibly with the object of enhancing his own
importance locally, has shown himself on more than one occasion
impatient of the control of the British Consul, and the French
authorities have similarly evinced an increasing reluctance to accept
the intervention of the British Consul at Damascus in questions
affecting Nejdi interests. Matters recently came to a head when, in
April of this year, the British Consul intervened with the French
authorities on behalf of Nejd and was informed that, as Ibn Sa‘ud
was already officially represented in Syria, the French authorities
were unable to recognise any right on the part of His Majesty’s
Consular Officers to assume the protection of Nedji interests in that
country.
In order that His Majesty’s Government may have the necessary
information to enable them to decide what attitude to adopt towards
this action on the part of the French authorities, you should seek a
suitable occasion to ascertain and report to His Majesty’s Govern
ment what is the precise function of the Nejdi representative at
Damascus and what are Ibn Sa'ud’s real wishes regarding the pro
tection of his interests in Syria.
9. The second question—that of permanent or semi-permanent
British representation in Nejd—is one which has been engaging the
attention of His Majesty’s Government for some time. The present
arrangement has not proved altogether satisfactory. Written com
munications between His Majesty’s Government and Ibn Sa'ud pass
through the intermediary of 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, but there is at present no representative of His Majesty’s
Government in personal touch with Ibn Sa'ud, and the absence of
such a representative has given rise, in the past, to various mis
understandings and disputes, very largely attributable to the fact
that His Majesty’s Government are frequently unaware of Ibn
Sa'ud’s real wishes or intentions, since he is notably averse from
committing himself in writing. His Majesty’s Government feel that
many of the disputes which have arisen in the past might have been
avoided by prompt and frank discussion of the questions at issue
had this been possible.
Various solutions of the difficulty have been considered. It has
been suggested that the time has now come to station a permanent
representative at Ibn Sa'ud’s capital. This suggestion is open to
objection on the grounds of the extreme discomfort inseparable from
prolonged residence at Ryadh and the dangerously isolated position
which such an officer would occupy. Again it has been suggested
that a representative of Ibn Sa‘ud should be accepted in London or
accredited to King Faisal or the British High Commissioner at
Baghdad ; but, as Ibn SaTid is known to be unwilling to place reli
ance upon the judgment or discretion of his subordinates, such an
arrangement would be unlikely to achieve the desired result.
Another suggestion which has been advanced is that arrangements
should be made for periodical visits to be paid by a British officer to
Tbn Sa'ud. In the existing circumstances, this last suggestion
appears the most likely to commend itself to His Majesty’s Govern
ment, but as circumstances may alter in the near future (e.g., Ibn
About this item
- Content
This volume contains correspondence, reports, telegrams, a memorandum and minutes between Sultan of Nejd Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] and the British Representative regarding the negotiations of the 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 boundary after the First World War. Related matters of discussion include the following: Gilbert Clayton’s mission; a conference agreement with tribunal representation; relations between Iran and Nejd relating to refugee issues; the British mandate; the railway in the southern part of Nejd; Mullah Hafiz; the Bahra agreement; the Hada Agreement; the Jeddah Agreement; and conflicts and riots between Iraq and Nejd around the frontier. The correspondence in the volume is mainly internal correspondence between British officials, although the Sultan of Nejd and officials from the Iraqi Government also feature.
The principal correspondents are: the High Commissioner for Iraq; Under Secretary of States; Sir Gilbert Falkingham Clayton, British Agent and Consul General in Jeddah; and the Government of Iraq. Other items of note include a hand-drawn map showing the 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 (f 223), a draft of the negotiations between Gilbert Clayton and Ibn Saud (ff 287-305); an annotated draft of negotiations by R V Vernon (ff 123-167); a newspaper article about the Anglo-Wahabi Agreement (f 196); and finally a memorandum with a list by the Iraqi Government summited to the Tribunal regarding the damages after the raids (ff 55-57).
The volume includes a divider, which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (378 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume's contents are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 380; 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.A previous foliation sequence between ff 256-378, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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File 1166/1925 'Arabia: Nejd; negotiations with Ibn Saud regarding Iraq-Nejd question and Trans-Jordan boundary; Sir G Clayton's mission; Bahra agreement, 2nd November, 1925' [166r] (338/769), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1144, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100075776572.0x00008b> [accessed 27 July 2026]
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- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/10/1144
- Title
- File 1166/1925 'Arabia: Nejd; negotiations with Ibn Saud regarding Iraq-Nejd question and Trans-Jordan boundary; Sir G Clayton's mission; Bahra agreement, 2nd November, 1925'
- Pages
- front, back, spine, edge, head, tail, front-i, 1r:27v, 30r:54v, 56r:64v, 66r:90v, 93r:195v, 197r:222v, 224r:241v, 243r:314v, 316r:321v, 322ar, 322r:335v, 338r:380v, back-i
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence