Report of the Special Mission to Egypt under Lord Milner, and related papers [‎211r] (424/473)

[6134]
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty s Government.]
n J
Printed for the Cabinet. April 1921.
A—
SECRET
THE SITUATION IN EGYPT.
Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Mr. CHURCHILL has recently circulated to the Cabinet a memorandum on his
conversation at Cairo with the Sultan of Egypt, together with some reflections of his
own on the Egyptian situation.
When the intention of the Colonial Secretary to visit Egypt was first announced,
Lord Allenby telegraphed in some anxiety to ask whether this visit had anything
to do with the Egyptian situation, but was assured by a comforting telegram from
Mr. Churchill and by a message from me that the “ visit was not connected with the
Milner Report nor with the future of Egypt, for which the Colonial Secretary was not
responsible.” Lord Allenby made this known in Egypt, and the assurance had a
pacifying effect.
I have no wish to complain of Mr. Churchill’s audience with the Sultan, which,
in the case of so distinguished a visitor, was natural and inevitable, although in the
conversation that ensued I am far from being clear that the assurance contained in
my telegram quoted above was strictly observed. However that may be, I am clear
as to this—namely, that the Sultan displayed in this interview many of those
characteristics which a closer familiarity with the regions which the Colonial Secretary
has now taken under his sway will teach him are inseparable from the conversations
of Oriental potentates, and, indeed, that His Highness consistently and successfully
“ pulled the leg ” of my colleague. I will proceed to show how thorough and almost
brazen was the operation.
1 . The Sultan’s first complaint was that “ whereas the country was quite quiet
three or four weeks ago, it had now all been disturbed again by the imperious wish of
the British Government to have a delegation on the Milner Report.’’
Would it be believed that the suggestion of this delegation emanated not from
ourselves but from Lord Allenby last summer, and that it was the result of an agree
ment between the Sultan and himself? During his visit to England last autumn
Lord Allenby frequently insisted, at the Cabinet and elsewhere, on the fulfilment of
this promise ; and when the time for fulfilment came, not only did the Sultan choose the
members of the delegation himself, but he fixed the date for their departure. In fact,
when the Sultan remarked with ingenuous candour to Mr. Churchill: “ Why not leave
the initiative in these matters to the men on the spot—to myself and Lord Allenby—with
whom I am in complete accord ? ” he correctly described the exact procedure which
had been followed.
2. The Sultan then went on to denounce his own Prime Minister, Adly Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , and
said he could not understand why we had forced a change of Ministry on him, and not
left the matter to Lord Allenby and himself.
This, it may be remarked, is precisely what we did. It had always been under
stood that the stop-gap Ministry of Xassirn Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. should be superseded when the
future political status of Egypt came under discussion, and, indeed, he had only
accepted office on that condition. Accordingly, when the situation arose, we received
on the 14th March the following telegram from Lord Allenby:—
“ The Sultan, on my advice, is approaching Adly Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. to form Ministry and
delegation.”
Two days later, having offered the post to Adly Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , the Sultan “ assured Lord
Allenby that he would do all he could to help the new Ministry.”
How loyally he has carried out this promise is shown by the diatribes against his
own Prime Minister which he poured into Mr. Churchill’s ear, and which recall the