"ملف 8/7 I تقارير الاستخبارات في جدة" [و‎‎١‎١] (٥٣٦/٢١)

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70. On July 7, His Majesty’s Minister tackled Fuad Bey Hamza in
regard to the exact meaning of the last sentence of the Hajazi memorandum
of June 18 (see May-June Report, paragraph 60) . His reply showed clearly
that what they had in mind was a contract of some kind similar to the
one believed to have been made with the Persian Government by Imperial
'Airways. Sir A. Ryan’s impression was that the Hajazi Government
were trying to discover what could be got out of His Majesty’s Government
and/or Imperial Airways before committing themselves. He thought that
Ibn Sa’ud’s recent tendency to conciliate extreme Wahhabi opinion was
probably not without effect on the position, however, for the Nejdi Ulema
might well dislike any truck with foreign aeroplanes in Nejd.
71. At the end of August His Majesty’s Charge d’Affaires was posted
with information as to the latest developments connected with the proposed
Arabian Air Route, in case the matter were pursued with the Hajazi Gov
ernment. The position had been somewhat altered since the beginning of
the year (see January-February Report, paragraph 45) by the proposal of
Imperial Airways to use flying-boats instead of land-planes in the event
of their transferring the Persian Gulf section of their air service to India
to the Arabian coast of the Gulf. The acquisition of facilities for land-
planes on the Hasa coast was therefore no longer of immediate importance,
in so far as Imperial Airways were concerned. No question of a contract
between them and the Hejazi Government was thus likely to arise.
72. British aircraft using the Hasa coast would therefore for the pre
sent be likely to be almost exclusively military. The facilities which His
Majesty’s Government desired to secure for such aircraft remained as
before/namely, the provision of emergency landing grounds on the Hasa
Coast and an" assurance that, if British aircraft were compelled in emer
gency to enter and alight on Nejdi territory or in Nejdi territorial waters,
they would be treated in accordance with the usual rules of international
courtesy and their occupants with ordinary humanity.
V. MILITARY MATTERS.
73. Northern Hejaz .—There was unrest and movement in the North
throughout July and in August. The Beni Atiya, who lay northernmost of
the Hejazi tribes, were apparently given carts blanche by Ibn Sa’ud to pre
vent defections to Trans-Jordan of dissatisfied elements among the Hejazi
tribes further South. Even officials were reported as having deserted, the
Amir of A1 ’Ula, Sheykh Ismail Qauds, and a Nejdi officer of regulars,
named Hamaami (?) amongst them. The Beni Ativa seem to have
interpreted their role in a liberal sense and to have raided the
’Anima, Billi, and Harb to some purpose, while the Amirs of Dhaba and
Tabflk looked on. In early July Mr. Philby tried to make his way as far as
Tabuk with a pair of the new Marconi Mobile stow (?) for testing purposes
and to spy out the land, but he was not allowed further North than A1 ’Ula.
By August Captain Glubb of the Trans-Jordan frontier police considered
that there was a possibility of Ibn Sa ud ordering Ibn Musa id, his Amir of
Rail (?) into the Northern Hejaz with his Shammar (?) to restore ordev,
with probable complications in the shape of a maes (?) Beni Atiya with
drawal into Trans-Jordan for refuge.
74. In the middle of July, however, Ibn Sa’ud sent his kinsman
’Abdullah as-Sudairi as Amir to Tabuk with a dozen cars, Nejdi troops,
and four lossiesfull of arms and ammunition, as well as a camel-gun pro-
baUv the 47a,/m Pocisk (?) presented to Ibn Sa’ud by Poland m August last
tear On arrival he seems to have concerted action with the Amir of Dhaba,
who had a forced of 100 camelmen at his disposal, to overawe the northein
tribes Having apparently succeeded in restoring internal order, e urne
hVs attention to the frontier and carried out motor-patrols near Mudawwara.
Captain Glubb has since reported that the Trans-Jordan police posts are
teing answered post for post on the other side of the frontier by the northern
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