File 756/1917 Pt 2-3 ‘ARAB BULLETIN Nos 66-114’ [‎293r] (594/834)

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term o£ service. Any o£ these who had secured a Turkish rifle—
the most popular—while campaigning in Hejaz would naturally
have sold their British one. Further a certain number of men
possibly only joined in order to get arms which they could sell,
and without any intention of fighting.
Finally, the control of distribution by the Emirs had always
been admittedly ineffective. Tribal contingents, early in the war
particularly, were armed almost indiscriminately on appearance
as soon as they had taken the oath of allegiance.
On the other hand, Colonel Wilson pointed out, King Husein’s
methods of issuing arms—though open to criticism when judged
by our standards—had at least promoted unity among tribes for
merly at variance, and resulted in the Arab army being able to
render us signal service at a critical time.
KING HUSEIN AND MESOPOTAMIA.
King Husein’s recent activities in regard to Mesopotamia
and the neighbouring territories have given rise to difficulties in
more than one direction. The following are worthy of note.
Relations with local Sheikhs.
The British Authorities in Baghdad have been put to incon
venience by his habit of giving personal recommendations or
making irresponsible promises to sheikhs within the occupied
territories under their control. He is, they say, ill-informed
respecting the personalities of Mesopotamia, and appears to think
often that a sheikh has only to write to or visit him to merit
Baghdad’s unstinted confidence. As a result he not infrequently
lends his support to nonentities or undesirables ; and is sowing
the seed of future trouble by exciting a number of unattainable
ambitions.
Feisal ibn Farham of the Shammar Jarba’, for instance,
recently reached Baghdad from Mecca with superlative recom
mendations from the King. As a result he was accorded excep
tional consideration till it was found that he carried no weight
with the Shammar Jarba’ whatsoever. By that time the really
influential man, his nephew, Aziz el Tamar, had been alienated.
Ali Sulaiman, chief of the Dulaim, again, was appointed by
the King his chief representative with the G.O.C. Mesopotamia
in July last, though his record, which is well known to Baghdad,
includes the writing of a friendly letter to the German liaison
officer with the Turks at the end of 1917, after his ostensible
submission to us.
In view of the frequency of such incidents, King Husein is
to be informed that as most of his correspondents from the
remoter parts of Arabia have hitherto proved to be malcontents
or persons desiring financial aid, he would be well advised to confine
his answers to courteous acknowledgements, with perhaps an ex
pression of his interest in the welfare of their tribesmen in general.