"ملف 61/11 IX (D 159) مسائل متنوعة خاصة بالحجاز ونجد" [ظ‎‎٤‎٣] (٣٩١/٩٧)

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part of the letter and those used in the manifesto supported the Saudi theory
that the Amir Abdullah was responsible for the letter. I must confess, however,
that there is in my view no very obvious connexion between them.
4. These matters serve to illustrate and emphasise the Saudi-Hashimite
feud which appears at present to be one of the main preoccupations of the King.
During the recent visit of the Amir Feisal to Jedda I elicited from His Royal
Highness the fact that he felt that one or two questions which had been referred
to His Majesty's Government for decision or for advice had not yet been dealt
with : and when I pressed him for details he said that he was not referring to
such routine questions as Koweit (though he would be very grateful to get these
settled) but that he was thinking more particularly of the letter from His Majesty
which had been communicated to Sir R. Bullard at Taif last June. I imagine
that His Majesty's way of looking at the matter is as follows. He feels that
the Hashimites are being allowed to intrigue against him. The limits of his
patience have been reached. Therefore he wants one of two things ; either that
His Majesty's Government should declare their policy towards him in such a way
as to ward off these attacks (which implies a hint that by appropriate representa
tions to Nuri Pasha, the Amir Abdullah and others we could stop the anti-Saudi
campaign if we tried); or that His Majesty's Government should agree to give
him a free hand in retaliating. But hitherto His Majesty's Government have
not dealt with the King's dilemma. And now the campaign of anti-Saudi
propaganda seems to be gaining strength. The news that Nuri Pasha blocked
the ratification of two of the agreements signed at Rivadh in July, together with
the constant newspaper reports that Abdullah is a most favoured candidate for
the Syrian throne, have irritated His Majesty bevond measure. As an instance
of recent newspaper reports I may cite the Cairo Illustrated paper AI Lataif-al-
Musawara of the 7th August; on its front page was a large picture of the Amir
Abdullah headed ^ The new Arab King." That paper is popular here but I hear
that the issue of 7th August was confiscated by the postal authorities on arrival.
5. Such is, in my opinion, the King's attitude at present, and, though I see
no sign of His Majesty's relaxing his fixed policy of referring to His Majesty's
Government any question in which they are interested or in which he would like
His Majesty's Government's advice (on the contrary I think that policy has been
even more prominent than usual this summer), T am sure that the Kino- would
welcome any help which His Majesty's Government might feel able to give him
with regard to the suppression of anti-Saudi propaganda by anv means which
may be withm His Majesty's Government's power.
^ am sending copies of this despatch to His Majesty's representatives
at Cairo and Bagdad; to the Middle East Intelligence Centre at Cairo; to His
Majesty s High Commissioner at Jerusalem; to His Majesty's consular officers
at Beirut and Damascus To Damascus only I am sending the original cover
of some of the circulars from Bloudane, in case they may help him to trace the
real origin of these pamphlets.
I have, &c
A. C. TROTT.
Enclosure 1.
Summary of a Manifesto entitled: " The Party of the Free Hejazis."
^ ^ n „ . (First Issue.)
0 People ot the Hejaz :
on ti™^ its past history did the Hejaz submit to tyranny and exploitation;
Arabs m their oni ne H ^ az , tilat bore the standard of conquest and led the
Arabs in tneir great career of religious and imperial expansion
would "not' recop-ifi sT '/t' t 'v ^ 0l >f iat }j ers 1 ; but yours is tamer, the glorious past
would not recognise it You have basely submitted to tyrannous regime and
given yourselves up to despair ^ b ie 5 ime dUU
Heia^TnLrtie'ulLtn^nn 0 raak t e , a /. olony of Arabia ln g en «al and of the
costlv in effort and H vm TT that f dlrect . annexation is impossible, being too
reirember with what fl Trlitf ru e " trl ;f ed the b " si nes S to Ibn Sand. You
reinembei with what atrocities Ibn Sand conquered the Hejaz, using English