"ملف 61/11 IX (D 159) مسائل متنوعة خاصة بالحجاز ونجد" [و‎‎١‎٢] (٣٩١/٣٤)

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this DOCUMENT is THE PROPERTY OF his BRITANNIC majesty's GOYERNMENT f ] 1
EASTERN ( Arabia).
CONFIDENTIAL.
[E 2093/177/25]
BUSH IRE R ESIDENCY 1
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No......
Dato
con
March 23, 1939.
Section 1.
Copy No.
Mr. Neville Chamberlain to King Ihn Saud.
\our Majesty, Downing Street, March 23, 1939.
I HAVE had the honour to receive from His Royal Highness the Amir
Faisal the letter addressed to me by your Majesty and dated the 2nd January,
1939.
I have asked His Royal Highness to be good enough to convey to your
Majesty my respectful thanks for this letter and my keen appreciation of your
generous reference to my efforts in the cause of peace.
I am very grateful for the friendliness and frankness with which your
Majesty is always ready to discuss all matters of mutual interest to our two
countries. The Government of the United Kingdom greatly value the friendship
of your Majesty and appreciate the assistance they have always received from
you, more particularly oyer the difficult question of Palestine. They share your
Majesty s view that their community of interests in the Middle East requires
that there should be the closest co-operation between Great Britain and Saudi
Arabia.
Your Majesty mentioned in your letter certain points on which you desired
to ascertain the views of His Majesty's Government.
The first of these points was the question of Palestine. The Government of
the United Kingdom fully realise the importance of this question in its effect
not only on that country, but also on relations between Great Britain and the
whole Arab world. The Government of the United Kingdom are now considering
the question of policy in the light of the conferences on Palestine, which have
just been discussing the problem, and it is not possible at the moment to say more.
But His Royal Highness the Amir Faisal, who has played so large a part in the
conferences, will have realised, I hope, that it is the sincere and earnest desire
of the Government of the United Kingdom to find a final solution which shall da
justice to all parties and which shall conserve the rights of the Arabs in Palestine.
Secondly, your Majesty enquires what attitude this country would adopt if
Saudi Arabia were to be the victim of aggression. As long as relations between
Great Britain and the Arab countries remain as they are at present, it is difficult
to envisage any aggression on Saudi Arabia by her neighbours. Nor can it be
supposed that, leaving aside the possibility of a general war in which the position
of Great Britain as a world Power was being challenged, any European Power
would wantonly attack Saudi Arabia, especially as the Government of the United
Kingdom have made it clear how deep is the interest that they take in the
preservation by Saudi Arabia of her independence and integrity. The declara
tions of the Government on this subject correspond to one of the major interests
of British imperial policy, and I personally think that these declarations are
sufficient by themselves to deter potential aggressors (except, as I say, in the
possible eventuality of a general challenge to Great Britain) since the nature
of this policy and the grounds on which it is based must be apparent to the
Governments of all other States.
With regard to the proposal for mutual consultation on all matters affecting
Arab countries, your Majesty is aware that the Government of the United
Kingdom desire at all times to obtain your views on such matters. They will
welcome every opportunity to consult with your Majesty on all questions involving
the common interests of the two countries.
. I n your fourth point, your Majesty asks that you may be given an oppor
tunity of expressing your views before any change is introduced in the status of
any Arabic-speaking country. So far as the Government of the United Kingdom
can judge, there is no prospect (apart from Palestine—and Syria and the
Lebanon—whose future status is now under discussion) of a change in the status
of any Arabic-speaking country. But should the Arab countries at some future
[555 z—1]