IOR/L/PS/12/2192

The file consists of correspondence regarding the supply of arms and ammunition to Ibn Sa'ūd and the Imam of Yemen, in the context of the British policy not to favour either side in their territorial dispute. The principal correspondents are the India Office, the War Office, the Foreign Office, the Admiralty, and the Chief Commissioner of Aden (Bernard Reilly).

The file opens with correspondence regarding the policies of HMG and the Government of India, and a confirmation that Ibn Sa'ud had not received arms from Britain since the 1929 Mutair rebellion. The embargo on transporting arms to Yemen is then discussed, as well as the decision that the embargo be lifted in order to maintain British impartiality. Correspondence with the Aden Chief Commissioner concerns the transport of arms, ammunition and troops from Aden to Yemen, and the application of the Indian Arms Act (1878) to Aden waters.

The file contains a small quantity of correspondence with Lloyd's of London (insurance brokers) dated 1936, regarding permission to underwrite arms shipments to Hodeidah [Al Hudaydah] and Jeddah [Jiddah].

The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (folio 1).