Abstract: The papers relate mainly to a discussion held in July 1940 by the War Cabinet Official Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East on the neutrality of Saudi Arabia under Ibn Saud [Ibn Sa‘ūd, or ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] during the Second World War. The main issue discussed is how the ‘benevolent neutrality’ of the King of Saudi Arabia, Ibn Saud might be maintained. Notable within the file (folio 2) is a telegram dated 28 February 1945 from the Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs informing the governments of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Africa that Ibn Saud will be declaring war on Germany and Japan from 1 March 1945. The principal correspondents are the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and HM Ambassador to Iraq.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 30; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This file contains papers relating to the visit of the Viceroy (Viscount Wavell) to Riyadh and his meeting with Ibn Saud in 1945. Most of the papers relate to the costs of the trip, but some are brief overviews of the meeting of the two leaders in Riyadh. The letters are primarily exchanges between the Government of India and the Foreign Office.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 22; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The file consists of correspondence and other papers mainly relating to the private visit of Colonel Harold Richard Patrick Dickson to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and his three private conversations with King Ibn Saud.It includes correspondence between John Charles Walton, India Office, and Dickson, including a letter from Walton to Dickson of 2 November 1937 enclosing a summary of Dickson’s three private conversations with Ibn Saud, in which the views of Ibn Saud on Palestine and relations with the British Government are quoted (folios 33-44). The file also includes correspondence between Walton and the following concerning the visit: George William Rendel, Foreign Office; Sir Findlater Stewart, India Office; and M J Clauson, India Office.There is also correspondence between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf and the Secretary of State for India, and between H. Lacy Baggallay, Foreign Office, and M J Clauson, India Office.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 48; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: This file contains two telegrams about the use of cypher in messages between Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] and the Political Agent, Bahrain and the Political Resident, Bushire.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 5; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The file mainly consists of correspondence between the India Office and the Foreign Office, and enclosed copies of Foreign Office correspondence, relating to the former Amir [Emir] of Mecca, Sherif Ali Haider.It includes a letter from Kenneth Johnstone, Foreign Office, to John Gilbert Laithwaite, India Office, 31 January 1935 (folios 10-11), enclosing a copy of a letter from Princess Fatma Haider (née Miss Dunn), the wife of Sherif Ali Haider, which she sent to the Prince of Wales, and which was passed on to the Foreign Office by the Prince’s Private Secretary. In her letter, dated 10 January 1935 (folios 13-14), Fatma Haider states that her husband is ‘old and delicate’ and describes his difficult financial situation, stating that he was promised £200 of gold a year by the King of Saoud [Saud] when the latter refused to allow her husband to return to Mecca, but that in the present and previous year the King had sent nothing. Fatma Haider’s letter appeals for help from the Prince of Wales ‘through some Mussulman perhaps’. In the letter from Johnstone to Laithwaite of 31 January 1935, Johnstone asks whether the India Office has any observations to make on the matter, and states how the Foreign Office intends to reply to the Prince’s Private Secretary. A reply from Laithwaite to Johnstone of 5 February 1935 (folio 8) states that the India Office has ‘no comments to offer, but note the course of action which the Foreign Office propose to adopt’.A copy of a letter from the Foreign Office to Sir Godfrey Thomas, the Prince of Wales’s Private Secretary, 12 February 1935 (folios 5-7), gives a brief account of the Sherif, and concludes that ‘we have no political reason for wishing to assist him’, and that ‘unless, therefore, His Royal Highness is personally disposed to assist the Sherif indirectly, we can only suggest that a regretful reply in the negative should be returned to Princess Fatma’s request’.The file also includes a copy of letter sent to the Foreign Office from Godfrey Thomas Havard, Consul General, Beirut, 27 March 1935 (folio 3), informing the Foreign Office of the death of Sherif Ali Haider on 24 March 1935.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 14; these numbers are written in pencil, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The file contains a telegram from Hugh Stonehewer Bird, British Minister at Jedda to the Foreign Office concerning the reactions of the Saudi Arabian government following the decision of Petroleum Developments Western Arabia Limited to terminate operations in Western Arabia.The telegram also refers to the concerns of Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] regarding a possible Italian takeover in Hedjaz and Ibn Saud's desire for the British government to intervene.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 4; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This file mostly consists of copies of Foreign Office correspondence, which have been forwarded by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the Under-Secretary of State for India. The correspondence, most of which is between Foreign Office officials and either the British Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, succeeded by Sir Reader William Bullard) or His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires at Jedda (Cecil Gervase Hope Gill, Albert Spencer Calvert, and Alan Charles Trott), relates to the economic development of the Kingdom of the Hejaz and Nejd (later Saudi Arabia). Other correspondents include the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Trenchard Craven William Fowle) and officials of the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department.The opinion expressed by British correspondents near the beginning of the file is that the unsatisfactory state of the country's finances is a result of its complete dependence on the pilgrimage for income. Much of the file is concerned with various projects (such as water and mineral surveys) sanctioned by Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] in order to explore other sources of revenue.Items of discussion include the following:News that Ibn Saud intends to establish a power station for the purpose of providing Mecca and Jedda with electricity.Ibn Saud's wish to establish a state bank, preferably a British bank, to improve the financial situation in the country.Four reports on the country's water and mineral resources, produced by American engineer and geologist Karl Saben Twitchell in 1932 (copies of three of the four reports are included).The British Minister at Jedda's thoughts on how the economic unification of the newly-formed Saudi Arabia will progress.Proposed improvements to Jedda's water supply.The establishment of an 'Arabian Steam Navigation Company' by the Saudi Government.Details of the Saudi Arabian Mining Syndicate's concession with the Saudi Government for the exploitation of gold and other minerals, which was negotiated by Twitchell, signed in December 1934, and ratified by Ibn Saud in February 1935.Reports of anti-Ibn Saud propaganda in the Indian Muslim press.Details of the Saudi Arabian Mining Syndicate's activities in Saudi Arabia.The history of the Ahrar movement in India, its political party, Majlis-i-Ahrar-i-Islam, and its reported condemnation of the recent Saudi mining concession.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 251; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located at the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-251; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence from British officials concerning the attitude of the Government of Saudi Arabia (specifically that of its king, Ibn Saud [Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd]) toward the rulers of other Gulf states.The correspondents include HM Minister, Jedda (Sir Reader William Bullard), and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Sir Trenchard Craven William Fowle).The comments are made against the background of the discovery of oil, and the increasing influence of Iraq in the region, and particularly concern Kuwait, Bahrain, and Dubai. The correspondence also discusses the issue of popular movements and administrative councils in Kuwait and Dubai, and the need to assure Ibn Saud that there was no British 'forward policy' in the Gulf.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 33; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: This file consists of copies of extracts from (approximately) monthly reports of the proceedings of His Majesty's ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden during the years 1931-1945, which have been forwarded by the Admiralty to the Under-Secretary of State, India Office.Most of the extracts are attributed to the Senior Officer of the Red Sea Sloops, the Commander-in-Chief of Mediterranean Station, or commanding officers of particular British ships. Prominently featured ships include the following: HMS
Lupin, HMS
Penzance, HMS
Londonderry, and HMS
Weston.The extracts vary in their range of subject matter. Some of the extracts are largely concerned with local affairs along the Yemeni coast; others report on matters relating to the region as a whole, such as Saudi-Yemeni relations.Matters discussed in the extracts include the following:The slave trade.The transportation of a British medical mission to Yemen in December 1931, headed by a female doctor named P W R Petrie, for the purpose of treating the Imam of Yemen's [Yaḥyá Muḥammad Ḥamīd al-Dīn's] granddaughter.The passage of pilgrims through Kamaran.A visit by the Chief Commissioner of Aden [Bernard Rawdon Reilly] to Abd el Kuri [Abd al Kuri] and Socotra, on board HMS
Penzance, in 1933.The presence of Saudi forces in Asir.Relations between Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] and the Imam of Yemen.The Saudi-Yemeni conflict of 1934, including details of the evacuation of Yemeni troops from Hodeida [Al Ḩudaydah] and the subsequent entry of Saudi troops.Italian naval posts in the Red Sea.Yemeni concerns that Italy, following on from events in Abyssinia, might also become aggressive towards Yemen.The importance of Kamaran as a Red Sea trading port.Details of a special arms patrol carried out by HMS
Westonin the Gulf of Akaba [Aqaba] in 1938.The correspondence concludes with a copy of an intelligence report of the Red Sea area, dated 17 October 1945 and produced by the Naval Intelligence Centre, Levant and East Mediterranean.In addition to report extracts, the file includes a small sketch map of the Aden Protectorate and the surrounding area.The file includes two dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 246; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An external leather cover wraps around the documents, the front inside of which has been foliated as folio 1. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-245; these numbers are also written in pencil but are not circled.
Abstract: This file discusses plans for the construction of a lighthouse near Jeddah harbour. It includes the following principal correspondents:The British Agent and Consul at Jeddah (Reader William Bullard, succeeded by Hugh Stonehewer Bird).The British Vice-Consul at Jeddah (Stanley R Jordan).His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires to Jeddah (Albert Spencer Calvert).His Majesty's Minister at Jeddah (Sir Andrew Ryan).Officials of the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, the Board of Trade's Mercantile Marine Department, the Admiralty, and the Corporation of Trinity House.Agents and representatives of various shipping companies and associations, including the Bombay and Persia Steam Navigation Company Limited, the Persian Gulf Steam Navigation Company Limited, Alfred Holt and Company, the UK Chamber of Shipping, and the Liverpool Steam Ship Owners' Association.The correspondence discusses the following:The condition of an existing beacon on the Mismari Reef, near Jeddah harbour.Attempts made by the British Agent and Consul at Jeddah (Reader William Bullard) to persuade King Hussein [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī] to agree to the construction of a lighthouse close to Jeddah harbour.Investigations into whether the various reefs cited as suitable locations for the proposed lighthouse are within King Hussein's territorial waters or not.Ownership of the Jeddah-Port Sudan cable.Ibn Saud's [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd's] reported willingness to meet the expenses for the construction of the proposed lighthouse, following his deposition of King Hussein (later in the correspondence it is suggested that Ibn Saud had been misunderstood, since it is reported that he would not be willing to fund the construction of the lighthouse).Details regarding the requirements for the proposed lighthouse (e.g. which kinds of lights are most suitable) and the overall cost of construction.A report by the Commander of HMS
Endeavour, S A Geary Hill, regarding the most suitable location for the proposed lighthouse.Difficulties encountered in appointing an engineer to survey the reefs near Jeddah harbour.Reports that the Saudi Government intends to increase tonnage dues at the port of Jeddah.The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 160; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The file concerns Kuwait affairs.The papers include a report dated 9 May 1944, by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Charles Geoffrey Prior, on a visit to Kuwait. The report includes details of conversations between Prior and the Shaikh of Kuwait [Aḥmad al-Jābir Āl Ṣabāḥ], covering education, the oil industry, Major Frank Holmes, a statement by the Shaikh that Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] had been encouraging him to get rid of his British oil company (the Kuwait Oil Company) and replace it with an American one, the Shaikh's estates in Iraq, his investiture [as Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI)?], the presence of Paiforce (Persia and Iraq Force) in Kuwait, and an attempt by the Shaikh to present Prior with an expensive gift. The file also contains correspondence between the India Office, the Foreign Office, and the Political Resident, concerning the report of Ibn Saud's advice to the Shaikh.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 18; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-17; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The file concerns an incursion into the territory of Koweit [Kuwait] by an armed party of Saudi Arabian subjects in May 1935, their return to Saudi Arabia by the Kuwait authorities, and subsequent diplomatic contacts over the incident between the British Government and the Government of Saudi Arabia.The armed party was said to have entered Kuwait territory in order to collect
zikaton behalf of the Governor of Hasa from members of the Shammar tribe. The papers include discussion of the incident by the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, the British Legation, Jedda, the India Office, and the Foreign Office; a complaint over the incident by the British Government to the Saudi Government; subsequent diplomatic contacts, including the text of letters from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and further discussion by British officials.The King of Saudi Arabia (referred to as Bin Saud [Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd]) was said in extracts from Kuwait intelligence summaries dated July 1935 (folios 25-26) to be 'greatly annoyed' by British protests over the incident, and likely to retaliate against Kuwait. However, in a further incident (folio 6) in August 1935 Saudi citizens pursuing a fugitive were said to have followed procedure by carrying a letter with them. This is said by the Political Resident (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle) in a letter dated 29 October 1935 (folio 5) to show that the previous protests made by the British Government 'had had a good effect'.The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 74; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.