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File 3666/1925 'ARABIA: PRINTED CORRESPONDENCE 1924-28' [‎7r] (24/792)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (388 folios). It was created in 27 Dec 1924-28 Oct 1929. 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. .

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Enclosure of Serial No. (177).
Letter from His Majesty’s Consul, Jeddah, to Foreign Office,
No. 95/(30/2), DATED THE 1ST SEPTEMBER 1927.
I have the honour to transmit herewith my report on the situation in
the Hejaz during the period August 1st to 31st, 1927.
2. Copies of this report are being sent to Egypt, Jerusalem (2),
Jerusalem for transmission to the Royal Air Force Officer Commanding in
Palestine and 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 , Bagdad, Aden, Simla, Beyrout, Damascus,
Khartoum (through Port Sudan), Singapore, Lagos (2).
JEDDAH REPORT.
Period August 1st to August 31st, 1927.
The political situation during the past month has given cause for some
anxiety. Negotiations conducted at Sanaa for an agreement between Ibn
Saud and the Imam Yahya were broken off at the end of July and the
King’s representatives returned to the Hejaz. They arrived with accounts
of Italian interference in the affairs of the Yemen and Italian unfriendli
ness to Ibn Saud. As indications of Italian activity, the King adduces the
following:—
The Italians are pourng into the Yemen such quantities of arms and
ammunition as can only be required in the event of a war of aggression
against the Hejaz. Moreover the Imam is importing guns and aeroplanes ;
he disposes of no men trained in their use and outside (Italian) help must
be called for. i
Italian influence is spreading to all departments of the Yemen admi
nistration and this influence is being exerted to promote anti-Ibn Saud
feeling.
The breakdown of the recent negotiations was due to Italian pressure,
as previous to their inception the Imam was ready to accept Ibn Saud's
terms. As proof of Italian pressure it is alleged that responsible Italians
announced the failure of the negotiations several days before the actual
breakdown.
Italian agents have been active in Asir in promoting pro-Imam and
anti-Saud propaganda among the tribes.
Ibn Saud further alleges that a secret agreement was arrived at
between the Italian Government and the Imam Yehya whereby a special
position should be assured for the former in the Yemen in exchange for
assistance in the pursuance of the latter’s policy of aggrandisement.
That the Italians are taking a very active interest in the acairs of the
Yemen there is no doubt, but that, so shortly after the conclusion of the
agreement with His Majesty’s Government, they should be inciting the
imam to hostile action against Ibn Saud ts hardly credible, and is certainly
difficult if not impossible to prove. That the considerable help in the shape
of supplies of arms and ammunition, guns and aeroplanes afforded by the
Italians causes Ibn Saud anxiety is natural. Theoretically nothing pre
vents Ibn Saud from purchasing a similar supply either in Great Britain or
elsewhere, but he does not dispose of the necessary funds and it is doubtful
whether purchases of large stocks on a credit basis, even if feasible, could
be allowed. The granting of extensive credit for such a purpose is open to
misinterpretation and it is the fact that the Italians are supplying the
Imam with more arms than he can at present pay for which has aroused
Ibn Saud’s suspicion.
2. The situation in Asir generally seems to have improved. On the
Fursan Islands however the Red Sea Petroleum Company are experiencing
difficulties. On August 11th a communication was received from the
Senior Naval Officer, Red Sea Sloops, explaining the present situation. It

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Content

This volume mainly relates to British policy in Arabia, and specifically concerns British relations with Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd, also referred to in the correspondence as Bin Saud]. The papers cover the Hejaz-Nejd War of 1924-25 and political affairs in Ibn Saud's Kingdom of Hejaz and Sultanate of Nejd [Najd] (or the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd, as it became in 1927).

The volume mainly consists of compiled sections of printed correspondence, with each section closing with a report from the British Agent and Consul at Jeddah. The most prominently featured correspondents are as follows: the British Agent and Consul, Jeddah; the Secretary of State for India; the Secretary of State for the Colonies; 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. , Aden; the High Commissioner, Egypt; the High Commissioner, Iraq; the High Commissioner, Palestine; officials of the Colonial Office, the Foreign Office, the Admiralty, 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 Government of India's Foreign and Political Department. Also featured as correspondents are Ibn Saud, King Ali [‘Alī bin Ḥusayn al-Hāshimī], and British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin.

Matters covered in the correspondence include the following:

  • Diplomatic relations between Ibn Saud and Britain, Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Persia [Iran]
  • Information on developments in the Hejaz-Nejd War of 1924-25, mainly in the form of telegrams and letters from the British Agent and Consul at Jeddah, and British policy regarding the conflict
  • British policy in relation to the fate of the ex-King Hussein [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī]
  • Reports of Wahabi forces having damaged or destroyed holy sites in Mecca and Medina
  • The efforts of King Ali [‘Alī bin Ḥusayn al-Hāshimī] to raise money in Jeddah
  • Details of the Hadda Agreement and the Bahra Agreement, concluded between Sir Gilbert Clayton and Ibn Saud in late 1925
  • Details of King Ali's surrender and abdication on 19 December 1925, and arrangements for his passage out of Jeddah
  • Britain's recognition of Ibn Saud as King of the Hejaz in February 1926
  • British concerns regarding the spread of anti-British opinion in the Hejaz
  • Public outrage in the wider Muslim world regarding the desecration of holy sites by the Wahabis, and the British Government's refusal to become involved, owing to its stated policy of non-intervention in Muslim religious affairs
  • British efforts to ensure the Government of Hejaz's participation in the International Sanitary Convention of 1926
  • Arrangements for a private visit to London by Ibn Saud's son Faisal [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd] in September 1926
  • British concerns regarding Ibn Saud's diplomatic relations with Soviet Russia [Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR]
  • A change to Ibn Saud's title in 1927, from 'King of Hejaz and Sultan of Nejd' to 'King of Hejaz and Nejd'
  • The conclusion of the Treaty of Jeddah in June 1927
  • Relations between Ibn Saud and the Imam of Yemen [Yaḥyá Muḥammad Ḥamīd al-Dīn], and the former's suspicions that the Italian Government has been supplying the Imam with arms
  • Profiles of prominent figures in the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd
  • The number of pilgrims arriving each year for Hajj
  • Tense relations between Ibn Saud and the Iraqi Government, particularly concerning the Uqair Protocol.

Also included with the correspondence are the following: minutes of an interdepartmental conference held at the Colonial Office on 20 May 1926, to discuss matters arising out of Clayton's Mission to Ibn Saud (ff 178-179); a Colonial Office memorandum entitled 'British Interests in Arabia', dated 8 December 1926 (ff 111-113).

The volume includes a small amount of correspondence written in French.

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 (f 1).

Extent and format
1 volume (388 folios)
Arrangement

The papers 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 388; 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 118-388, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves.

Pagination: each of the various sections of printed correspondence has its own printed pagination sequence.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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File 3666/1925 'ARABIA: PRINTED CORRESPONDENCE 1924-28' [‎7r] (24/792), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/10/1155, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100145454962.0x000019> [accessed 6 October 2024]

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