File 87/1926 Pt 2 'Arabia: Bin Saud: Relations with H.M.G. Revision of Treaty.' [‎559r] (805/840)

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
^^Tecting Nejdi interests. Matters recently came to a head when, in
pril 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 Sa‘ud 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
Ibn 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
52807/22 and 790/23 ; not printed