This article is one of a series of articles earlier published or being published in various Russian science journals highlighting the history of relationships between Russia/the Soviet Union and some states in the Arabian Peninsula, primarily Saudi Arabia, the efforts of Soviet diplomats to foster such relationships after WWI and thwart the attempts of Western powers, particularly the UK, and their satellites to prevent the Soviet state from gaining a foothold in the subregion. The article also looks at the prewar period in the history of Western and Central Arabia, including the role played by the Hashemite Sharifs in the system of vilayet governance, likewise over the period during WWI, when local tribes commanded by the Hashemites launched an armed rebellion against the Ottoman rule. On the basis of archival materials, many of which are introduced into the science domain for the first time ever, inter alia the diplomatic correspondence, the initial steps made by the Soviet diplomats dispatched in the region with a view to exploring the domestic political environment in the host country and generating recommendations for Moscow to increase momentum of diplomatic activity are reviewed. The author did not overlook the importance of a personal factor in the evolution of the situation for both Saudi and Soviet (especially the role played by Georgy Chicherin, the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs) sides, and also the impact of the interdepartmental rivalry in the Russian and British capitals upon the shaping of the foreign policy strategy.