Reports and papers of the Egyptian Administration Committee [‎21r] (41/108)

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LORD CURZON asked whether the Egyptian element would be for or
against the change, and Sir Milne thought that they wduld
be against it as implying a more stringent and less
sympathetic control 0 On the other hand if annexation
took place, a proper department would at once become
necessary, and the High Commissioner^ powers vrould have
to be defined like those of a Colonial Governor. Egypt
was and would be for a long time to a certain extent a
'Foreigners* Country" and should, therefore, be allowed
to develop on its own lines and without a possibly
Opposing Chief" in London. In conclusion -
SIR MILNE repeated his conviction of the necessity of a better
class of adviser, better known in London where he could,
during his three months’ annual leave transact a good
deal of his business,
SIR RONALD GRAHAM who appeared as a witness at 5.10, asked by
the Chairman whether he had anything to add to the terms
of his note said that all seemed to be agreed that a
department of some sort must be formed, and that if we
retained the whole of Mesopotamia, it would eventually
be a large department. But it should remain a Foreign
Office Department. In Egypt, Foreign and internal affairs
were so entwined and intermingled that it was in a great
number of cases impossible to separate them. He gave as
instances the quantity of foreign subjects and interests
in Egypt, the Tripoli Arabs more or less under the Italian
Government yet often closely related to Arabs under the
Egyptian Government, and sometimes even resident in Egypt,
Hejaz problems would also remain chiefly diplomatic in
character. There would be a Turkish Consul who would be
almost certain to intrigue. Even the five Foddans Law had
in the past assumed an international aspect.
THE CHAIRMAN pointed out that the Foreign Office affairs were
in all states somewhat involved with those of the interior.
It was a question of degree; but the proportion
of the diplomatic business in Egypt was admittedly larger
than in other countries. He asked Sir Ronald Graham
how he viewed Lord Edward Cecil’s point of the largely
increased difficulties of Egyptian problems, when at the
end of the war Nationalists were released, the Press
r muzzled and the Assembly in active Session:-
combination of difficulties that could hardly be dealt
ipith unless the existing system were changed,
SIR RONALD GRAHAM thought that if Turkey were left strong at the
conclusion of the war, the position would certainly be
difficult; if not, the extremist forces would have little.
Support and would for the time be quiescent. In any
dase they would hardly b.e stronger than they were at the
end of Lord Cromer’s regime when helped and subsidised
by the Ex-Khedive. There might possibly be, evolved
under the succeeding Sultan, a definitely anti-Turkish
Party.
LORD CIJRZON asked what Sir Ronald Graham proposed to do in the
event (1) of complete success in the war, and the
inclusion of Mesopotamia in the British Empire, and (2)
of things remaining more or less as they were in the
Near and Middle East.