'Summary of the Hejaz revolt' [‎17] (19/32)

17
Page 25.—Talaat on the ex-Khedive. We know he received 300.000Z. to 400,000/. from the Germans,
and we sent him 20,000/. once.
Page. 27.—Midhat Bey : " It was necessary to get the Arabs to understand that the aim of the British
was to divide Islam, and he was prepared to join me in Syria in a propag-nnda campaign to this end."
Page 28.—Mohammed Ali Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , on the troubles in Syria and Arabia: " A great misfortune , . .
asked if Jemal would ever regain the confidence of the Arabs ... or if they could be reconciled if
^kRashid or Izzet Pashas were sent there instead of Jemal."
Page 2$. —Enver Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. : "I am very fond of the Arabs although they are rather stupid, and if my
colleague. Jemal Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , has been rather foolish it was against my principles and wishes.
" You will be going to Damascus iu a few da3's. and I wish you to explain to the great families of the
Beduin and Druse and all the Arabs that 1 am very well disposed to them. , . . V\ T e (Talaat and Enver)
have entrusted Tahsm Bey to carry out this policy (fultilmeiit of Arab aspirations), and when you get to
Damascus you must work hard with him."— Poge <50.
Page 31 , paragraph 3.—Selim. late Kaimakam. of the Ilauran. While he was Kaimakam he was always
receiving letters telling him to be more easeful . . . and to avoid doing anything to disaffect
the Druses.
Page 34.—Kuhlmann asked if it was possible to win over those Arabs who had not yet taken up arms
. . . we have studied this question and the only thing the bedouins care for is money. Turning to
Talaat—" you must look into this business."
Last paragraph. —What do ihe Arabs now want? . . . Supposing the Turkish Government were
now to allow them a measure of liberty . . . and give them plenty of money, would this not satisfy
them ?
Page 35. —Supposing the Government wore to look out the relic of these families, bring them back, and
treat them well, and give plenty of money to the bedouin, would it not be possible to rope them all in on
our side ?
Enver:—" We are not a bit afraid of the bedouin, with a couple of divisions we can settle them very
quickly. Kuhlmann? No, No! the beduius are very dangerous. . . , They have been verv badly
handled in the past."
Page 3().—Said Bey.—" The Arabs would be very well satisfied, because' the chief command in Syria
and Mesopotamia had been given to Kalkenhayn."
Page 44, paragraph 3.—Jemal Pas'ia—"1 have repeatedly written to the Sherif Hussein and his son,
Prince Feisal, proposing to make peace, but I have ne 1 er received any reply." He showed Maurice two
large envelopes with his seal, which he said he was going to send to Kerak, to be forwarded to the Sherif.
The contents were many letters from good families of Damascus and the Bedubis, telling the Sherif that
they did not want, linn to make war as it was faial to Islam. Jemal proposed that Maurice should write to
the Sherif suggesting he should make peace.
Page 45.—Tahsin Bey discusses how to stop the Arab movement and to make peace with the Sherif. Re
the question of money, Tahsin said there would be no difficulty about that as the Porte had authorized any
necessary expenditure an! they had 500,000/. in gold to meet these expenses. He also said they had
enough corn to supply the bedouins with.
Enver quarreling with Jemal— " You have taken unnecessary measures (with the Arabs) and you
see what has happened as a result."
Page 47.—Payment in gold t"> the bedouin Sheikhs.
Page 4H.—General amnesty to all military, political and common law prisoners throughout the whole of
Syria, issued by Jemal
Paragraph 2.—Jemal offers to place 400,000/, at Maurice's disposal to raise an Arab army.
Page 49.—Conference between the Valis of Adana. Aleppo, Beirut and the Governor of the Lebanon to
do everything to form a volunteer army of Beduiu and Druses, and to adopt a conciliatory attitude towards
the population in Syria.
Page 52.—Offer of a free pardon by Jemal to Shukri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. Ayoubi if he will promise to work to get the
Arabs on the Turkish side.
Page 53, paragraph 5.—The Vali of Damascus said that when Emir Abdul Kadr el Jezairli was with
the Sherif he had talked with Peisal and believed he was ready to make peace. He had written a letter for
the Vali the day before to Peisal recommending him to make peace.
Paragraph 7.—There are tolerably regular communications between the Turks and the Sherif vid
Kemk.
Pagt 62.—Maurice's interview with Feisal. the former reproaches the latter with paying too much
money to the tribes. Feisal retorting that he had to give it or be outbid by the Turks.
The Ex-Khedive —Returned from Switzerland to Turkey about October, 1917, All reports received
show his return was brought about by German influence, and the object of his return was his employment to
undermine British influence in Arabia and Egypt.
2,000,000 francs are reported to have been put at his disposal for this object, A report stated his
mission was to act as intermediary between the Porte and tho Sheiif, and he has had a considerable staff
placed at his disposal.
German Arab Bureau. —A German Arab bureau was formed probably in the latter half nf 1917, and
the Officer Commanding Arab Section, Yeldenun group, was in January, 1918, Hauptmann Andrae.
Falkenhayn paid personal attention to the Euphrates Arabs iu the autumn of 1917, when the German
political officer Preusser was despatched down the Euphrates. Exaggerated importance was attached to the
influence of Ajaimi and the German Headquarters do not aj pear, generally speaking, to have been well
informed on the Arab question.
Niedcrmayer. —The well-known German political officer, who was employed in Persia and Afghanistan in
1916, arrived in the neighbourhood of Amman early in 1918. lie had been sent for from Mesopotamia by
Falkeuhayn in the autumn of 1917. He was at Juruf ed Derwish on the 25tb February and later was put
ou the staff of the East Jordan Group.
His assistant, Haase, at Ala Kilissa about the end of March, 1918, according to report would be retained
for permanent service in Palestine.
Turkish propaganda in Hejaz. —General Wingate's telegram No. 560 A. of the 25th March, 1918, reported
that the Turks were spending large sums of money on propaganda among the Hejaz bedouin.
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