ملف ٤٨٨\ ١٩٢٠ الجزء ٣ "الحجاز:- العلاقات بين الحكومة البريطانية والملك حسين. مسألة الإعانة المالية. مفاوضات لإبرام معاهدة." [و‎‎٨‎١] (٩٤٠/١٦٦)

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COPY.
Your /excellency:
After the official dinner given by Mr. Philby to
”~ n £ Husain and /cur Excellency at Axjsan on the 21st instant,
c.ueikri Fuad al Ahatib told iae tnat /ling Husain was anxious
to have a personal talk with me in view of the fact that I
nad been connected for so long a time with Arab affairs, and
had been one of the first British officers with whom he had
been in coiraaunication in connection with the Arab Rising
against the Turks and their participation with the Allies
in the Great War.
As you are aware# therefore, I regained in Amman after
Your Excellency's departure for that purpose.
I had about three quarters of an hour with King Husain,
and ue began the interview by recapitulating his usual statements
to the effect that he was placed in & very difficult position
in the eyes of Moslems in general, owing to the action which
he had taken and to the fact that His Majesty 1 s Government had
not entirely fulfilled the pledges which they had made to him
and which were the inducement which lad him to declare himself
against the Turks. It was evident that he wished to put his
whole case forward# so jl did not intervene until he had finished
his statement, which was, as usual, exceedingly vague. I then I
pointed ouc to him that after all if we looked back and
remembered his position at the outbreak of war and compared it
with the advance he had now made, it could not be denied that
he had made very considerable progress in the direction of
fulfilling his ends.
me was generally known and recognised as Monarch of
an independent Kingdom in the Mijassj his son Faisul was King
of Iraq, with whom His Majesty's Government had concluded a
Treaty which, if loyally carried out by the Iraq Government,
would lead to practical independence in that country; and his
other son, Abdullah, was installed as ruler in Trans-Jordan
under the British Mandate, with practical independence of
Administration, subject to the conditions of an Agreement
which it was hoped shortly to conclude with him. It was true
that there were certain difficulties in his path&nd that he
was subjected to some criticism, but it seemed to lae obvious
that the greater hie position became the more he would be
faced with troubles and difficulties created by his opponents.
I urged that his difficulty with Ibn Saud was far more likely
to be solved by the conclusion of a reasonable agreement
which would prevent any active hostilities and enable the
situation to develop normally, in which case the strong
economic position which he and his sons held as compared to
Najd could only militate in his favour and lead eventually to
co*»operation and economic connection between the various
States in Arabia.
The King appeared to listen with some attention to
these arguments, and at least they did not arouse his anger
or opposition. Further conversation gave me the impression,
however, that one of his difficulties was connected with
Palestine, and more especially with the suggested Article 9.
of the Draft Treaty with Great Britain. It appeared to me
evident/