'Memorandum on British Commitments to King Husein' [‎105v] (8/20)

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On the ] 3tli December, 1915, in his third letter to the Sherif, Sir H. McMahon
reserved the details of Great Britain's position in Bagdad vilayet tor future con
sideration :—
" The Government of Great Britain, as 1 have already informed you, are
ready to give ad guarantees of assistance and support within their power to the
Arab Kingdom, but their interests demand, as you yourself have recognised, a
friendly and stable administration in the vilayet of Bagdad, and the adequate
safeguarding of these interests calls for a much fuller and more detailed con
sideration tUan the present situation and urgency of these negotiations permits"
(p. 103).
On the 1st of January, 1916, in his fourth letter to Sir H. McMahon, the Sherif
omitted further discussion of the conditions of British administration, and left the
fixing of the financial compensation (which he had proposed, but to which His Majesty's
Government hnd not committed themselves) to His Majesty's Government's discretion :—
" With regard to what had been stated in your honoured communication
concerning al-Irak, as to the matter of compensation for the period of occupation,
we, in order to strengthen the confidence of Great Britain in our attitude and in
our words and actions, really and veritably, and in order to give her evidence of
our certainty and assurance in trusting her glorious Government, leave the
determination of the amount to the perception of her wisdom and justice " (p. 112).
On the 30th January, 1916, Sir H. McMahon took note of this in his fourth letter
to the Sherif, and promised to " take the question into careful consideration when the
enemy has been defeated and the time for peaceful settlement arrives " (p. 5, Part II).
On the 19th May, 1917, in conversation with Sir Mark Sykes and M. Picot, 14 " King
Husein " admitted the necessity for European advisers to heads of departments, and
referred to Syria and Irak," but he objected to the suggestion that these advisers must
have executive authoriry. In an interview on the following day, a declaration by the
King, in answer to a message from the French Government which had been delivered
to him by M. Picot, was read aloud to the following effect : —
' lhat His Majesty the King of Hejaz learned with satisfaction that the
trench Government approved of Arab national aspirations; and that, as he had
confidence in Great Britain, he would be content if the French Government pursued
the same policy towards Arab aspirations on the Moslem Syrian Littoral as the
British did in Bagdad."
8;niie occasion Sherif iaisal delivered the following message from his father
to Sir Mark Sykes& fe
• i ^ a re ready to co-operate with France in Syria to the fullest extent and
with England in Mesopotamia " ^
,"^ n f Hiisein s \ iew of the results oi these two interviews is given in a report by
Oaptain Lawrence of an illuminating conversation with him on the ^9th July, 1917 16
+V,. f ^ extrei . nel y pleased to have trapped M. Picot into the admission
TrJw V V f satisfied in Syria with the position that Great Britain desires in
• nrl 1 1' U sa y y ' m eans a temporary occupation of the country for strategical
ami ' lca . lea ^ < ' ns (j U ^h probably an annual grant to the Sherif in compensation
wifhn^rKa- Y T concessions in the way of public works. * I was ready
their fl ? S /^-i 0 their interests in the existing railwavs, and assist
and T o it, 5 .1! the IIeJaZ T 1 S ^ ia are lik * the palm and* ringers of one hand,
without Whig the amputate'U of any finger or part of a finger
convers. 1 tiZ C ^ i0, l: remarked on the shortness and informality of
in the situation ^ a,, ' S ? I I Ce wntte . n documents, and the fact that the only change
annexation n r CailSe 1(i '."eeting was the French, renunciation of the ideas of
did not embodv it 11161 !' OCCi 1 1 ^ atlori or suzerainty of any part of Syria—' but this we
my actXnce^t) T" ^ I* th ? war is not finished. I merely r.ad out
since Sir Mark Svk^. urmilla as [ le British m Iraq, proposed to me by M. Picot,
discussion."' assurer me that it would put a satisfactory conclusion to the
w 10-4269/17,
1:1 only, or Irak aucl Jezireh ?
16 174974/17.
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