Abstract: The note was written by Sir Frederic Arthur Hirtzel for the India Office, 30 Nov 1918, and consists of remarks on three points drawn out from the Foreign Office memorandum:The Trucial System - disputing the assumptions made in the original memo that Great Britain effectively kept the peace over a large part of the Arabian Peninsula; and that no treaties had been made with Chief's of inland tribes, that all had been coastal tribes. Stating that the object of the treaties was maritime peace; that His Majesty's Government had always been firmly against interference in the interior of Arabia; the terms of the existing treaty with Bin Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd, Ibn Saud]; and the India Office's opinion that there would be no benefit to extending the trucial system to the interior of Arabia.The Hejaz - detailing the India Office's thoughts on what a treaty with the King of Hejaz should consist of and how diplomatic relations should be handled.Syria - regarding what the alternative approach to Syria should be if the French refuse to give it up, and citing the opinions of Captain Wilson and Gertrude Bell that the French should be persuaded to give up some areas of Syria within their control for Armenia.Mention is also given to the Baghdad Railway and the importance of ensuring that it is British controlled.The appendix to the note contains further details on the British Government's agreement with Bin Saud, setting out the full history of events leading up to the signing of the agreement; later modifications to it; and the definition of the term 'foreign power' within the treaty.Physical description: Foliation: The sequence commences at the first folio and concludes on the last folio. It consists of pencil numbers, enclosed in a circle, located in the top right hand corner of the recto of each folio.Pagination: The booklet also has an original typed pagination sequence, with numbers printed at the centre of the top of each page, excepting page 1.
Abstract: A secret memorandum containing an extract of a letter, received by Edward Ernest Long, former editor of the
Indian Daily Telegraph, and written by an unnamed Indian Muslim. A copy of another letter, written by Long, dated 7 July 1916, precedes the main letter, in which Long describes the views of the Muslim as being ‘pro-Young Turk’, and a ‘fair exposition’ of the views of Indian Muslims. The letter from the Indian Muslim concerns Britain’s policy of non-intervention in the Holy Places of Islam, the Arab Revolt, and the bombardment of Jeddah in the Hedjaz [Hejaz/al-Ḥijāz] by a British naval vessel on 10 June 1916. The correspondent warns that the Arab revolt may hand the Turks a moral and military advantage, and cautions against British and Allied involvement in the Hejaz.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the first folio and terminates at the last folio; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: Second edition of the Handbook of Hejaz. The first edition
was compiled by Lieutenant Commander David George Hogarth, Director of the Arab Bureau,
in June 1916, however the development of events in Hejaz, along with improved knowledge
of the area and a large number of errors in the first edition resulted in a second
edition being produced so soon afterwards.The contents of the handbook include:AreaPhysical Character (Relief, Climate)Population (Oasis Life, Urban Life, Beduin
Life)Districts and Towns (Northern, Central and Southern
Districts)Tribal Notes (Huweitât, 'Atîyah, Moahib, Billi,
Juheinah, Harb, 'Ateibah, Ashrâf, Hudheil, Faham, Juhâdlah, Mahdi; Sa'd,
Thaqif, Mâlik, Nasri)Political (Government, Recent History and
Politics)Personalities (Ruling Family, Others)PilgrimageTrade and Industries (Export and Imports, Currency,
Weights and Measures)Communications (Northern Coastal Routes, Southern
Coastal Routes, Inland Routes, Central Routes)Routes (Akaba-Mâ'an, Akaba-Mecca,
Muweilah-Tebûk, Wejh-El-'Ala, Wejh-Medina, Jiddah-Mecca, Jiddah-Lîth,
Medina-Mecca (Darb-es-Sultâni), Medina-Mecca (Darb esh-Sharqi), Tâ'if-Mecca,
Mâ'an-Medina (Hejaz Railway), Mu'adhdham-Teima; Medina-Mustajiddah
(Hâ'il), Medina-Rass (Qasîm), Mecca-Mustajiddah-Hâ'il, Mecca-Qasîm and
Riyâdh)Folio 4 contains an outline map of Hejaz and Folio 38 of
the handbook contains a genealogical table for the Ruling Sheifial Family of Mecca from
1827 onwards.Physical description: Foliation: The handbook has been foliated from the front to
back covers using a pencil number enclosed in a circle located in the top right hand
corner of the recto of each folio. The folio number for folio 4 has been written on the
verso of the folio.
Abstract: The volume is
Handbook of Hejaz. Prepared by The Arab Bureau, Cairo, 2nd edn, 26 February 1917 (Cairo: Government Press, 1917).The handbook comprises information about Hejaz under the following headings:Area;Physical Character;Population;Districts and Towns;Tribal Notes;Political;Personalities (including Royal Family, and Others);Pilgrimage;Trade and Expenses;Communications;Routes.The prefatory note states that the handbook was originally compiled by Lieutenant Commander D G Howarth, RNVR; and although the information contained in the second edition had been greatly improved, much about Hejaz 'remains uncertain or unknown'.The volume also contains an 'Outline Map of Hejaz' (f 4) and a table of the 'Ruling Sherifial Family of Mecca' (f 38).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 100 on the inside back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle, and appear in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. This is the system used to make reference to the contents of the volume. Folios 4 and 38 need to be folded out to be examined.Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence, numbered 2-179 (ff 8-98).
Abstract: This report was prepared by the General Staff, War Office, 31 Aug 1918. It is a summary of the Hejaz revolt from outbreak in June 1916 to December 1918. Includes account of the attack on the Hejaz railway by Arab forces and T H Lawrence.Appendices on King Hussein; Ibn Saud; Ibn Rashid; the Jemal Pashas; Maurice's report; enemy political activity; Zionist movement; Turkish interposition between main British and Arab forces; Kuwait blockade; attitude of the northern Arabian tribes towards the Hejaz revolt; Fakhri Pasha at Medina; enemy casualties and Turkish troops.Physical description: Foliation: The foliation sequence commences at the front cover and terminates at the inside back cover; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Pagination: The booklet also contains an original printed pagination sequence.
Abstract: The volume consists of letters, telegrams, memoranda, reports, and intelligence reports concerning Ibn Sa'ud and Najd affairs. The bulk of the correspondence is between: Harold Dickson, the Political Agent in Bahrain; Arnold Wilson, the Civil Commissioner in Baghdad; Ibn Sa'ud; King Hussein of the Hijaz; his son, Amir Faisal; the Government of India; the India Office, in London; the Foreign Office, in London; Edmund Allenby, the High Commissioner in Cairo; Arthur Trevor, the Political Resident in Bushire; Siddiq Hassan, the Indian assistant in Bahrain; Colonel Vickery, British Agent in Jeddah; and the Political Agencies in Kuwait and Muscat.The main subject covered by the volume is the dispute between Ibn Saud and King Hussein over territory (the Khurma/Turaba dispute), Bedouin raids near Taif, and the freedom for Najdis to perform the Hajj. Also contained in the volume are reports, memoranda, and letters concerning Siddiq Hassan's mission to Mecca to perform the Hajj and to witness talks between King Hussein and Ibn Sa'ud's deputy, Thanaiyan bin Sa'ud.Other prominent subjects covered by the volume are:intelligence reports and correspondence relating to Ibn Sa'ud and the Ikhwan movement in relation to other tribes and chieftaincies of the Arabian Peninsula, especially al-Rashid (Shammar) and including Ajman and Oman;the border disputes with Kuwait;the spread of Arab Nationalism and socialist thought in Syria and Iraq, including commentary on the 1920 Iraqi Revolt.Other issues covered mainly by correspondence are the appointment of a doctor for Ibn Sa'ud, jurisdiction over Najdi subjects in Bahrain, the subsidy paid to Ibn Sa'ud by the British, the Idrisi statelet in the 'Asir Mountains, Ibn Sa'ud's gift of two oryxes to King George V, and the organisation of a meeting between Percy Cox and Ibn Sa'ud.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation system begins at the front of the volume on the title page (f 1) and ends at the back of the volume on the last page (f 371). The numbers are written in pencil, circled and positioned in the top right corner on the recto of each folio. The inside back cover is irregularly numbered as folios '368-371'. The folios have a secondary and different pencilled number in the same position, from a former and inconsistent foliation system.Condition: the spine cover is detached from the volume and enclosed in a plastic sleeve numbered folio 372, at the back of the volume. The plastic sleeve may cause some loss of sharpness to the digital of the spine cover.
Abstract: The volume consists of letters, telegrams, and memoranda relating to relations between Najd and the Hejaz. The majority of the correspondence is between Reader Bullard, the British Agent in Jeddah, the Political Residency in Bushire, the Political Agency in Bahrain, the Political Agency in Kuwait, the High Commissioner in Baghdad, the Colonial and Foreign Offices, both in London, the High Commissioner in Jerusalem, the Government of India, and Ibn Sa'ud himself, or his representatives.Most of the volume covers events leading up to, and immediately after, the Ikhwan's capture of Taif, including Hussein ibn 'Ali's abdication and his son 'Ali's attempts to retain control of the Hejaz. There is a detailed report of the capture of Taif by Bullard (folios 186-201, 273-281). The documents reflect British concern with the reaction of Indian Muslims, with duplicates of correspondence regularly forwarded to numerous offices back in India. Some papers are about the effort to evacuate British Indian refugees and pilgrims from the region.Other subjects covered in the volume are:the build-up to and ultimate failure of the Kuwait Conference of 1923-24;King Fuad of Egypt's suspected financial backing of Ibn Sa'ud's takeover of the Hejaz;the defining of the Hejaz-Trans-Jordan border;the motivations and movements of St John Philby and Rosita Forbes, both of whom were thought to be trying to gain entryinto Central Arabia.Notable in the volume are a newspaper cutting from
The Times of Mesopotamia, dated 13 July 1923, regarding treaty negotiations between Britain and King Hussein (folio 4), and extracts of letters from Ameen Rihani to Ibn Sa'ud that had been intercepted by the British and which offer advice on foreign policy.Physical description: Main foliation sequence: numbers are written in pencil and circled, in the top right corner on the recto of each folio. The numbering, which starts on the front cover of the volume and ends on the inside back cover, is as follows: 1A-1D, 2-262.Secondary and earlier foliation sequence: the numbers 1 to 322 are written in pencil in the top right corner on the recto of each folio, except for the internal office notes at the back of the volume, which are paginated in pencil from 1 to 23. Published copies of four British Government reports at the front of the volume (renumbered as folios 2-63) also have pencilled page numbers written on them.Condition: broken spine cover.
Abstract: The volume consists of letters, telegrams, and memoranda relating to the situation in the Hejaz at the time, with Ali entrenched in Jeddah and Ibn Sa'ud's Ikhwan in Mecca. The majority of the correspondence is between Reader Bullard, the British Agent in Jeddah, the Political Residency in Bushire, the British Residency in Aden, the Political Agency in Bahrain, the Political Agency in Kuwait, the High Commissioner in Baghdad, the Colonial and Foreign Offices, both in London, the High Commissioner in Jerusalem, the Government of India, and Ibn Sa'ud himself, or his representatives.Running through the volume and forming its backbone are several reports by Bullard about the situation on the ground in Jeddah. Around these, much of the papers relate to the question of who will govern the Holy Places of Mecca and Medina once Ali finally leaves.Other subjects covered in the volume are:The motivations and movements of St John Philby and Rosita Forbes;The actions of the Wahabi attackers;British concern with Indian Muslim opinion on the state of affairs;the prospect of a safe Hajj that year;reports of Soviet influence in the area;what to do about ex-King Hussein.Physical description: Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio of writing and continues through to the inside back cover. The first four folios are marked 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D, and then proceed as normal from 2 onwards. The numbers are written in pencil, in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The volume consists of letters, telegrams and reports concerning events in the Hejaz. The correspondence is between the Colonial Office, the India Office, the Foreign Office, the Political Residency in Bushire, the Political Agencies in Bahrain and Kuwait, the British Consulate in Jeddah, and the Government of India.The subjects covered in the volume are two Indian Muslim delegations that travel to the Hejaz for talks with Ibn Sa'ud, the abdication of 'Ali, Hussein's arrival in Iraq, and new coinage introduced in Najd-Hejaz.Included is a report by S. R. Jordan, the acting Agent in Jeddah, on the activities of one of the Indian delegations (folio 18), and a copy of the regulation for the new coinage (folios 31-34).Physical description: Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio, begins with 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D, and then proceeds as normal from 2 through to 37 on the inside back cover. The numbers are written in pencil in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. It should be noted that there is no f 19, the number 19 is written on the verso side of f 18.
Abstract: The volume contains two original files bound together. The first file (folios 1A-207) has the original reference 61/11 VI (D 102) and covers the period 7 November 1933 to 30 August 1934 and relates to Hejaz-Najd affairs. The second file (folios 208-243) has the original reference 61/6 VII (D 95) and covers the period 2 February 1931 to 5 August 1932 and relates to Najd affairs. Both contain letters, telegrams, memoranda, and reports sent between the British Legation in Jeddah, the Foreign Office in London, the Political Residencies in Bushire and Aden, the Political Agencies in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Muscat, the High Commissioner in Trans-Jordan, the High Commissioner in Baghdad (later the British Embassy following Iraqi independence in 1932), the Colonial Office in London, the Government of India, and Ibn Sa'ud.The main subject of the first file is the territorial dispute between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Contained in the volume are papers concerning Saudi Arabian advances into the territories of 'Asir and Yemen and the subsequent Treaty of Taif that largely settled the dispute. There is also coverage of diplomatic conversations between Italy and Britain regarding the dispute, including secret talks in Rome. Included is the full Arabic text of the Treaty (folios 143-150A) and an English translation (folios 156-177).Other subjects covered in the first file are:the visit of M. Maigret, the French Charge D'Affairs, to Riyadh to speak with Ibn Sa'ud;the visit of Talaat Pasha Harb;a provisional agreement signed by the United States and Saudi Arabia;the prospect of gold in commercial quantities in the Hejaz.Notable documents contained in the volume are a report on the heads of foreign missions in Jeddah, and a revised (June 1934) report on the leading personalities in Saudi Arabia.The subjects covered by the second file are:details and significance of a resurgence in war dancing by the Saudis;the visit of Charles Crane to see Ibn Sa'ud;a request for military assistance made by Saudi Arabia to Turkey;the conditions of entry into Hasa for Hindu merchants.At the end of each file are several pages of internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio and continues through to the inside back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, circled, and located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. There are the following anomalies: 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D; 11A and 11B; 24A; 30A; 132A; 143A; 150A; and 236A. There are two other sequences, both uncircled and incomplete.
Abstract: The volume consists of letters, telegrams, reports, and newspaper cuttings relating to Saudi Arabia. Much of the correspondence is made up of regular reports sent from the British Legation in Jeddah to the Foreign Office in London. The remaining correspondence is between the two aforementioned places and also: the Political Residency in Bushire, the Political Agencies in Bahrain and Kuwait, the India Office in London, the Government of India, Ibn Sa'ud, and Neville Chamberlain, the Prime Minister.There are a range of subjects covered in the volume, including:Saudi Arabian foreign relations, specifically with Egypt, Yemen, Turkey, and Britain;a new customs tariff and the reduction of imports into the Kingdom;Saudi Arabian concerns about the situation in Palestine;the internal financial situation;the acitivities of the Saudi Arabia Mining Syndicate;the prospect of Yemen signing the Treaty of Arab Brotherhood and Alliance;Anglo-Italian relations, including Italian propoganda in the region;religious policing in the country;a visit to Ibn Sa'ud in Riyadh by Harold Dickson, the Political Agent in Kuwait, and the negative reaction to it in the Arab Press;the restoration of the Hejaz Railway;discontent with Saudi rule in the Hejaz due to preceived financial exploitation, including details of the Egyptian-based group 'The Friends of Hejaz';the death of Ibn Sa'ud's nephew Emir Khalid ibn Mohammed in a car accident;new regulations for foreigners living in Saudi Arabia;the deterioration of Ibn Sa'ud's health.Notable in the volume is a report (folios 87-95) on an interview with Ibn Sa'ud by Reader Bullard, the British Minister in Jeddah at the time, a revised report (folios 135-136) on the heads of foreign missions in Jeddah, and the letter exchange (folios 165, 171-180) between Ibn Sa'ud and Neville Chamberlain.Physical description: Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio and continues through to the inside back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, circled and located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. The only irregularities are the first four folios that run 1A through to 1D, then continuing as normal from 2.
Abstract: The volume contains letters, telegrams, reports and memoranda relating to affairs between Najd, Iraq, and Kuwait. The majority of the correspondence is between Harold Dickson, the Political Agent in Kuwait, Cyril Barrett, the Political Resident in Bushire, Charles Prior, the Political Agent in Bahrain, Gilbert Clayton, the High Commissioner in Baghdad, Ibn Sa'ud, the King of Najd and Hejaz, Sheikh Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, the ruler of Kuwait, Robert Brooke-Popham, Air Officer Commanding in Iraq, the British Agency in Jeddah, the Colonial Office in London, and the Government of India.The majority of the volume relates to the continuing rebellion against Ibn Sa'ud's rule by the Ikhwan. Issues and events discussed are:the encampment of rebels at Subaihiyah and the success of persuading them to leave peacefully by Dickson and the Sheikh of Kuwait;the air reconnaissance mission that risked sparking conflict and ruining these efforts;the sale of guns and ammunition to Sheikh Ahmed;intelligence on tribal movements and activities, especially those considered to be rebels;the question of whether to deploy a Special Service Officer in Kuwait;the structure and make-up of Ibn Sa'ud's armed forces;an outbreak of rebel activity in the Hejaz;Barrett's commendations for Dickson and Sheikh Ahmed after their success in getting the rebels to leave Kuwait peacefully, and the responses to them;intelligence and opinion on Ibn Sa'ud's thoughts and activities;alleged communication and cooperation between certain Ikhwan leaders and the Iraq authorities;the planned response to a possible mass influx of rebel refugees into Kuwait.Notable are the reports by Harold Dickson. They cover a wide range of topics and appear regularly throughout the volume.At the back of the volume (folios 215-219) are office notes.Physical description: Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio and continues through to the inside back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, circled, and found in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. There are the following irregularities: 9 and 9A; 82 and 82A; 121 and 121A; and there is no 65. There is a second, inconsistent sequence. It is also written in pencil but is not circled. It is incomplete.