IOR/L/PS/18/B298

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.