مجموعة ٦/ ٩ "تقارير جدة يناير ١٩٣١ -" [ظ‎‎٧‎٤] (٨٠٢/١٤٩)

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Ibn Saud, however, Fuad Bey could still say nothing except that the Saudi
Government wanted more information. His Majesty’s Minister gained the
impression that the Saudis were making, or intended to make, a survey of their
own, but he did not say anything on that point lest the Saudi Government should
think that His Majesty’s Government had anything to fear from such a survey.
414. In the absence of Fuad Bey at Riyadh it became necessary to follow
up the conversations with him about Mr. Philby’s visit to Shabwa (paragraph 382)
by a letter to the Amir Feisal. The reply received was not a good one. It
repeated, unnecessarily, the Saudi disclaimer which had already been accepted
b Y .His Majesty's Government, and advanced several arguments which had
obviously been provided by Mr. Philby in order to minimise his offence—and to
annoy His Majesty’s Government. His Majesty’s Minister has had what he hopes
will be the last word on the subject in a conversation with Fuad Bey, which was
confirmed in writing on the more important points. It has been made quite clear
that Mr. Philby’s excuses about having to enter the Hadhramaut for spares and
stores do not apply to Shabwa, which he obviously set out with the intention to
visit. His Majesty’s Minister represented to Fuad that in securing an armed
force (or escort) from the Saudi Government for the purpose of topographical
work in Najran and stealing off without their knowledge and taking it into the
Aden Protectorate, Mr. Philby was playing a nasty trick on the Saudi Govern
ment, who ought to tell him so. Ibn Saud may be annoyed at the dust kicked
up by Mr. Philby, but he will never understand why we do not ourselves punish
a British subject if we have cause of complaint against him, and he may be
flattered if Mr. Philby reports, as he probably will, that with the aid of Ibn
Saud s name and escort he was able to enter in security a town which it is not
easy to approach from the Aden side. And Mr. Philby will be delighted to have
drawn the fire of His Majesty’s Government, which will enable him to appear
l Jl bis favourite role of martyr. His Majesty’s Minister prophesies that
^ r - * bnby will dramatise himself as Prometheus returning from Shabwa with
archaeological knowledge, with His Majesty’s Government in the part
of /eus, and His Majesty's Minister as the vulture" with nothing better to do
tlian to peck Mr. Philby’s long-suffering liver, already deeply pitted from similar
heroic experiences in India, Iraq and Transjordan.
. , 415 - . T1 ? e . of tlle Yemen complained to Ibn Saud as well as to the
Aden authorities of the entry of Mr. Philby into Yemen territory, viz., Jauf and
Marib, with a Saudi force. According to Fuad Bey the Saudi Government gave
Fn.,i n" 1 “ r j P ' y S m 'lr r to th , at whtch they gave to His Majesty’s Government.
,^ SaK t0 H ,V S s ^mister, however, that perhaps the Imam only
thought the places Mr. Philby went to were parts of Jauf and Marib.
q • • } ^ i e t m r n-ul-Q ura of the 18th December announces the despatch of
i-aiyid Muhammad Zabara, a Councillor of State in the Yemen, by His Majesty
the Imam Yahya, to King Abdul Aziz on a private mission. This is the'man
(paragraph 214) who was said by the Sa last June to have gone to
G h6 adheS1 ? n ° f 1 the y emen t0 the Saudi-Iraq Treaty. Somf colour
is lent to the rumours referred to last month (paragraph 381) about Ibn Saud’s
of X Polie ega h dlng the ^ emen ', b -r t l' e fact that Talat Wafa - the Director-General
of 1 olice, who is m command of the regular Saudi forces in Najran and Abha
has not been allowed to take the leave which had been granted him after a lono’
absence, but was ordered back to his post immediately after his arrival in Mecca'’
nou-sstoT ° f wSr® 1 ar ! ng s application for permission to visit the
mixiefy (paragra P h 434 > can Perhaps be taken as another indication of this
4 ? 4 * * 7 - announced, rather long after the event, that when the Iraqi
Minister for foreign Affairs visited Riyadh recently, he transmitted to His
Majesty King Abdul Aziz the insignia of the Hashim'ite Order which had been
conferred upon the King by His Majesty King Ghazi. The insignia of the Order
which is bestowed only on the heads of States consist of a finely worked gold and
SauTto v it r Tr.f n0t Th r ™ n W enC t° f u the Vi8it 1S a “ invitation 1 ^to the Amir
for Bagdad sion q ,ftI fp inVI i a 011 haS b T een acce P te d, and the Amir is to leave
tor Bagdad soon after the pilgrimage. It is expected that he will go straight
from Iraq to London for the Coronation. S g
418. Muhammad Surur, in his capacity as representative of the Saudi Arab
young men, telegraphed congratulations to Hashim-al-Atasi and Jamil Mardam
on the success of their efforts (in the negotiations with France).