Reports and papers of the Egyptian Administration Committee [‎38r] (75/108)

nucleus of such a department should
immediately be formed to include one senior
foreign Office Official, assisted by another
of standing and experience in Egypt. The
department could be expanded, if and hhen
required, to take in Mesopotamia, but would,
be for the moment restricted to the affairs
of Egypt, the Sudan and Arabia, including
Aden. He considered it imperative to
support the High-Commissioner wholeheartedly'
during the present times of stress, and
reiterated his conviction that, having regard
to the complex in relations of Foreign inter.,
national and internal affairs in the Near
and Middle East, there could be no question
of the department being separated from
Foreign Office control.
fhe formation of a special department
outside the Foreign Office would mean that
that Department must have its own archives*
Registries, cypher room, etc. and that it
would have to deal by correspondence with
the Foreign Office on all questions, a 2 id the^
are numerous, on which the internal and
diplomatic affairs of Egypt overlap. This
would mean not only a re-duplication of staff
but a quantity of correspondence which could
be entirely avoided if the new Department
forms part of this Office. Quite apart from
other considerations, such a drastic change
would be regarded in Egyptian circles
as evidence of grave