Abstract: The volume consists of letters, telegrams, and reports relating to the affairs of Saudi Arabia. Most of the correspondence is between the British Legation in Jeddah, the Political Residency in Bushire, the Foreign Office in London, the Political Agencies in Kuwait and Bahrain, the India Office in London, and the Government of India.The volume covers the build up to and outbreak of the Second World War and thus much of the correspondence focuses on this subject. Topics include:the activities of the Germans, Italians, and Japanese in the region;Ibn Sa'ud's allegiance to Britain and the Allies;Ibn Sa'ud's anxiety about Hashemite dominance in Syria and potential attack from hostile Arab nations;anti-Allied sentiment in the region;the financial and political contribution of the United States of America.Other subjects covered by the volume are:the maintenance of law and order in the Kingdom;the presence of community feeling and national identity;Captain De Gaury's journeys in Saudi Arabia, including a report on agricultural development at Kharj, and the objection to his proposed tour of all of Arabia;Amir Sa'ud's trip to India for medical treatment;the anti-British activities of St John Philby and his subsequent arrest in India.At the back of the volume (folios 177-186) are internal office notes.Physical description: Foliation: The sequence starts on the first folio and continues through to the inside back cover. The numbering is written in pencil, circled, and located in the top right corner of the recto of each folio. The first three folios are marked 1A, 1B, and 1C respectively, then the sequence continues from 2 as normal. There is one other foliation system, written in pencil and inconsistent.
Abstract: This file contains correspondence relating to the initiation of oil operations in the Neutral Zone. The papers include draft agreements on the proposed territorial division of the Neutral Zone as well as various proposals for the sharing of oil resources drafted between British Foreign Office in London and the Persian Gulf. Of note are numerous letters that discuss Harold Adrian Russell Philby's involvement in negotiations on the future of the Neutral Zone.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 388; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio. Additional irregular foliation sequences are present in parallel; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.
Abstract: The file comprises correspondence exchanged between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior), the Political Agent at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman), the British Government’s representative at Jedda, and officials at the Government of India and India Office in London, in tracking a journey made by Harry St John Bridger Philby from Saudi Arabia, via Dhahran, Bahrain and Karachi, to Bombay. The correspondence focuses on when might be an appropriate moment to apprehend Philby, so that he may be deported back to Britain. Proposals to apprehend Philby, who is believed to be carrying letters and articles of an anti-British bent in his luggage, in Bahrain, are abandoned due to uncertainty over whether the Persian Gulf Defence Regulation contained sufficient legal power to enable the deportation (f 11). Correspondence from the Foreign Department of the Government of India reports Philby’s detention upon his arrival at Karachi (f 16). Included in the file is a notice from J W Stafford, Chief Passport Officer in the Passport Office of the Foreign Office, dated 27 June 1940, which contains details of Philby’s appearance, his background, and instruction to impound his passport (f 20).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1 and terminates at the 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. An additional foliation sequence is also present in parallel between ff 2-20; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence.
Abstract: Correspondence and other papers concerning relations between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and efforts to negotiate the lifting of a trade blockade, imposed upon Kuwait at the orders of the King of Saudi Arabia, ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Sa‘ūd). The volume is a direct chronological continuation of ‘1/1 Volume II Koweit Saudi relations’ (IOR/R/15/5/110), and includes:Correspondence concerning the arrangements and negotiations for a conference between Kuwaiti and Saudi delegates, which was held in Kuwait in June 1935.Harry St John Bridger Philby’s plans to visit Kuwait around the time of the Kuwait conference, and presumptions amongst British officials as to the purpose of Philby’s visit.Copies of correspondence (in Arabic, with English translations) exchanged between the three Kuwaiti and three Saudi conference delegates.Notes on the discussions that took place between Kuwaiti and Saudi delegates at the conference, prepared by the Kuwait Political Agent (ff 137-146, ff 188-204).In May 1935, reports of an armed party of Saudis entering Kuwait territory, and a subsequent protest about the territorial infringement made by British officials.The volume’s principal correspondents are: the Kuwait Political Agent (Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Richard Patrick Dickson); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard William Craven Fowle); the British Government’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (Andrew Ryan).Physical description: Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 235; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.Additional foliation sequences are present in parallel between ff 6-233; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: The volume is entitled
Report on Najd Mission, 1917-1918(Baghdad: Government Press, 1918).The report describes the mission headed by Harry St John Bridger Philby to Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥman bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd (Ibn Sa‘ūd)], ruler of Najd and Imam of the Wahahbi [Wahhabi] sect of Islam, 29 October 1917 - 1 November 1918. The report contains a section on the previous relations between Britain and Najd; describes the personnel, objects and itinerary of the mission; and includes sections on relations between Najd and Kuwait, the Ajman problem, Ibn Saud's operations against Hail [Ha'il], the Wahhabi revival, arms in Najd, and pilgrimage to the Shia Holy Places.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at 1 on the front cover and terminates at 30 on the back cover. These numbers are written in pencil, are enclosed in a circle, and can be found in the top right hand corner of the recto page of each folio. An original printed pagination sequence is also present.
Abstract: The file contains correspondence regarding the conversion to Islam of Harry St John Bridger Philby, former Colonial Office intelligence officer and advisor to Ibn Saud, King of Nejd and Hejaz. The primary correspondents are: British Legation, Jeddah; Foreign Office; India Office; Government of India.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence for this description (used for referencing) commences at f 28, and terminates at f 53, as it is part of a larger physical volume; 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, which largely consists of copies of Foreign Office correspondence, discusses details of appointments in the Government of the Hejaz and Nejd (later Saudi Arabia). Also included are profiles of prominent figures in the Hejazi and Nejdi kingdom. Related matters of discussion include the following:Harry St John Bridger Philby's presence in Jedda.Fuad Bey Hamza's role as Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs for the Hejaz and Nejd.The appointment of Amir Faisal [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd] as Hejazi Minister for Foreign Affairs.The Political Resident in the Persian Gulf's frustration at the Foreign Office's refusal to provide a copy of a publication entitled 'Personalities in Saudi Arabia', on the grounds that such reports should not be distributed to officers who do not serve directly under the Foreign Office.The death of Abdulla bin Jiluwi [‘Abdullāh bin Jilūwī Āl Sa‘ūd], former Governor of Hassa [Hasa].The file features the following principal correspondents: His Majesty's Agent and Consul at Jedda (Hugh Stonehewer Bird, succeeded by William Linskill Bond); His Majesty's Chargé d’Affaires to Jedda (William Linskill Bond, succeeded by Cecil Gervase Hope Gill); His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch); officials of the India Office and Foreign Office; correspondents from the Hejazi/Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Amir Faisal in his new role as Minister for Foreign Affairs.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 (folio 2).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-73; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
Abstract: This file primarily concerns British policy regarding the eastern and south-eastern boundaries of Saudi Arabia, specifically those bordering Qatar, Abu Dhabi, and Muscat (i.e. the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman).Much of the correspondence relates to British concerns that the boundaries should be demarcated prior to the commencement of any oil prospecting in the area. The file's principal correspondents are the following: His Majesty's Minister at Jedda (Sir Andrew Ryan, succeeded by Sir Reader William Bullard); the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven William Fowle); the Political Agent, Bahrain (Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Gordon Loch); the Political Agent, Muscat (Major Ralph Ponsonby Watts); the Secretary of State for the Colonies; the Secretary of State for India; the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; officials of the Foreign Office, the Colonial Office, the India Office, and the Admiralty.Matters discussed in the correspondence include the following:Whether the British should press King Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] for a settlement of the outstanding questions relating to the aforementioned boundaries.Sir Andrew Ryan's meeting with Ibn Saud and the Deputy Minister for Saudi Foreign Affairs, Fuad Bey Hamza, in Riyadh, in November 1935.The disputed territories of Jebel Naksh [Khashm an Nakhsh, Qatar] and Khor-al-Odeid [Khawr al ‘Udayd].Whether or not a territorial agreement between Ibn Saud and Qatar was concluded prior to the Anglo-Qatar Treaty of 1916.The intentions of Petroleum Concessions Limited regarding the development of its oil concession in Qatar.The line proposed by the British for the boundary between Saudi Arabia and the Aden Protectorate.The Kuwait blockade.Leading personalities in Oman.Details of Harry St John Bridger Philby's expedition to Shabwa [Shabwah, Yemen].Four meetings held between Sir Reader Bullard, George Rendel (Head of the Foreign Office's Eastern Department), and Ibn Saud, in Jedda, 20-22 March 1937.Also included are the following:Copies of the minutes of meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence's Standing Official Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East.Copies of correspondence dating from 1906, exchanged between the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf (Major Percy Zachariah Cox), the Government of India's Foreign and Political Department, and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi [Shaikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan], regarding the latter's claim to Khor-al-Odeid.Several maps and sketch maps depicting the proposed boundaries discussed in the correspondence.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 (folio 2).Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 421; 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: Part 7 primarily concerns relations between Bin Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd] and King Hussein of Hedjaz [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī, King of Hejaz].It includes discussion as to whether Britain should provide Bin Saud with military assistance to enable him to take decisive action against Bin Rashid (also referred to as Ibn Rashid) [Saʿūd bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl Rashīd, Emir of Ha'il]. The policy advocated by the Government of India is that Bin Saud should be 'kept in play' by gifts of money but that arms and military instructors should be supplied sparingly. Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Percy Zachariah Cox and Harry St John Bridger Philby, on the other hand, favour an offensive against Hail [Ha'il] by Bin Saud, with British assistance. Also included are the following:a memorandum from the War Cabinet's Middle East Committee, on the position of Bin Rashid in relation to other Arab rulers;a note entitled 'Relations With Ibn Sa'ud', prepared by the Arab Bureau's Irak [Iraq] section, which provides a British perspective on Britain's relations with Bin Saud from 1899 onwards;notes on conversations held between Colonel Cyril Edward Wilson and Major Kinahan Cornwallis of the Arab Bureau, and Emir Abdulla [ʿAbdullāh bin al-Ḥusayn], son of King Hussein, during December 1917;a copy of a report by David George Hogarth on his interviews with King Hussein at Jeddah;a memorandum from the Political Agent at Kuwait, Colonel Robert Edward Archibald Hamilton, which is primarily concerned with relations between Kuwait and Riyadh;notes by Hamilton on Bin Saud, based on conversations with the latter at Riyadh in November 1917;correspondence between British officials regarding King Hussein's attempt to reoccupy Khurma and its impact on his relations with Bin Saud.This item features the following principal correspondents:Viceroy of India [Frederic John Napier Thesiger];Secretary to the India Office's Political Department (John Evelyn Shuckburgh);High Commissioner, Egypt (General Sir Francis Reginald Wingate);War Office;Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Percy Zachariah Cox;Secretary of State for India [Edwin Samuel Montagu];Foreign Office;King Hussein;Bin Saud.Physical description: 1 item (206 folios)
Abstract: The file contains miscellaneous printed correspondence received by the India Office from the Government of India, relating to Arabia and the Persian Gulf.The main correspondents are the Secretary of State for India; the British High Commissioner, Egypt; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Sirdar; the Political Resident, Aden; the Secretary to the Government of India in the Foreign and Political Department; the Viceroy of India; General Officer Commanding, Forces in Egypt; General Officer Commanding, Force D; the Chief of the General Staff; and the Arab Bureau. The file also includes correspondence from Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd], and Emir Abdulla, Minister of Foreign Affairs [ʿAbdullāh bin Ḥusayn al-Hāshimī].The papers include information on: arms; the Mesopotamian Campaign, the Arab Revolt, and the First World War; the activities of Ibn Saud (also referred to as Bin Saud), King Hussain of the Hedjaz [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī, King of the Hejaz [al-Ḥijāz]] (also referred to as the (Grand) Sheriff of Mecca), and Ibn Rashid (also referred to as Bin Rashid) [Saʿūd bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl Rashīd, Emir of Ha'il]; the blockade of Koweit [Kuwait], including statements of imports and exports; the activities of Harry St John Bridger Philby; the dispute over Khurma; and the Akhwan [Ikhwan].The French language content of the papers consists of two items of diplomatic correspondence.The file includes a divider which gives the subject number, the year the subject file was opened, the subject heading, and a list of correspondence references contained 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 inside back cover with 301; 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.