390f.1163 Christian and Missionary Alliance/4

The Secretary of State to Mr. A. C. Snead of the Christian and Missionary Alliance

Sir: The Department believes that you will be interested to learn the substance of a note addressed under date of December 18, 1927, by the Director of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Hejaz and Nejd to the American Chargé d’Affaires at Cairo, Egypt, with respect to two missionary expeditions to the Hejaz alleged to have been undertaken last year by Mr. G. W. Breaden of the Christian and Missionary Alliance of America. On the second of these expeditions [Page 66] Mr. Breaden appears to have been accompanied by Mr. William H. F. Smalley, also a representative of your organization.

With respect to the first of these expeditions, which apparently took place in May 1927, the Director of Foreign Affairs states that Mr. Breaden, having crossed the Hejaz frontier in a motor car, arrived at Teima, some 200 miles southeast of the Trans Jordan border, where he was arrested by the local authorities and sent under guard to Maan in Transjordan. It was added that “the aim of this dangerous and rash venture was for missionary purposes among the Hejaz and Nejd tribes” and that “the Hejaz Government informed the British High Commissioner in Palestine of the matter and requested him to take the necessary steps to prevent foreigners not in possession of permits from crossing the frontiers and advised him that such persons would be in danger of their lives while travelling among the tribes.”

With respect to the second expedition, the Director states that in November 1927 Messrs. Breaden and Smalley having crossed the frontier at El Akaba arrived at El Khrieba (probably Kheibar, some 150 miles beyond Teima)* where they “almost met their death as victims of their unwise and rash attempt, at the hands of the tribes whose members dislike to find any foreigner doing missionary work among them.” It was added that they were, however, rescued by the Government authorities who sent them out of the country via Jedda and who, after giving them clearly to understand the grave danger which they would run should they repeat their previous action, made appropriate notation on their passports that they were not to return to the land of the Hejaz and Nejd.

In commenting further on these two incidents the Director of Foreign Affairs, after referring to the unique position of the Hejaz in the Mohammedan world, stated that his Government would never permit for reasons of public security the use of “the sacred lands of the Hejaz” for the teaching of Christianity nor could it assume any responsibility as to the fate which might befall missionaries entering the country without its knowledge and permission.

The Department would appreciate receiving your comment on this matter in the light of the foregoing, as well as information regarding any instructions in the premises which you may find it desirable to send to your representatives in the Near East. I may add that as this Government has not as yet formally recognized the Government of the Hejaz and Nejd and as the question raised in its note does not appear to involve any discriminatory practice against American citizens [Page 67] or interests, the Department does not perceive at the present time any basis on which the Chargé d’Affaires at Cairo might be instructed to proceed further in the matter.

I am [etc.]

For the Secretary of State:
G. Howland Shaw

Chief, Division of Near Eastern Affairs
  1. El Khraiba—later located on Musil’s map of Northern Hejaz as about 100 miles south of Akaba—on the Red Sea at the bend of the coast line where it turns westward towards the mouth of the Gulf of Akaba. [Footnote in the original.]