File 2182/1913 Pt 5 'Arabia Nejd: Policy Bin Saud' [‎326r] (227/308)

Frenchmen who have died side by side fighting for the Cause of Right and
Liberty.
In this great cause Arabia is now associated and God grant that the
result of our mutual efforts and co-operation will bind us in a lasting
friendship to the mutual welfare and happiness of us all!
We are greatly pleased to hear of the action you are taking to win all
the Arabs over to our joint cause and to dissuade them from giving any
assistance to our enemies, and we leave it to your discretion to seize the
most favourable moment for further and more decided measures.
You will doubtless inform us by the bearer of this letter of any manner
in which we can assist you and your requests will always receive our
immediate consideration.
You will have heard how El Sayed Ahmed el Sherif el Senussi has been
beguiled by evil advice into hostile action, and it will be a great grief to
you to know that he has been so far forgetful of the interests of the Arabs
as to throw in his lot with our enemies. Misfortune has now overtaken
him and we trust that this will show him his error and lead him to peace
for the sake of his poor misguided followers.
We are sending this letter by the hand of your good messenger, who
will also bring to you all our news.
With salaams.
A. H. McMahon..
2b Rabi al Awwal.
18.—Communication from the Grand Sherif of Mecca to the High
Commi ssioner, Cairo.
In the name of the Merciful, the Compassionate, to the most noble His
Excellency the High Commissioner. • May God protect him.
After compliments and respects. We received your Excellency’s letter
dated 25 Rabi al Awwal, and its contents filled us with the utmost pleasure
and satisfaction at the attainment of the required understanding and the
intimacy desired. I ask God to make easy our purposes and prosper our
endeavours. Your Excellency will understand the work that is being done,
and the reasons for it from the following —
Firstly.—We had informed your Excellency that we had sent one of our
sons to Syria to command the operations deemed necessary there. We
have received a detailed report from him stating that the tyrannies of the
Government there have not left of the persons upon whom they could
depend, whether of the different ranks of soldiers or of others, save only a
few, and those of secondary importance; and that he is awaiting the arrival
of the forces announced from different places, especially from the people of
the country and the surrounding Arab regions as Aleppo and the south of
Mosul, whose total number is calculated at not less than 100,000 by their
estimate ; and he intends, if the majority of the forces mentioned are Arab,
to begin the movement by them : and, if otherwise, that is, of the lurks or
others, he will observe their advance to the canal, and when they begin to
fight, his movements upon them will be different to what they expect.
Secondly — We purposed sending our eldest son to Medina with sufficient
forces to strengthen his brother (who is) in Syria, and with every possibility
of occupying the railway line, or carrying out such operations as circum
stances may admit. This is the beginning of the principal movement, and
we are satisfied m its beginning with what we had levied as guaids to keep
the interior of the country quiet; they are of the people of Hijaz only, for
manv reasons, which it would take too long to set foith, chiefly the
difficulties in the way of providing their necessities with secrecy and speed
(although this precaution was not necessary) and to make it easy to bring
reinforcements when needed ; this is the summary of what you wished to
understand. In my opinion it is sufficient, and it is to be taken as a
foundation and a standard as to our actions m the face of all (hanges and
unforeseen events which the sequence of events may show. It remains for
us to state what we need at present.