File 705/1916 Pt 2 'Arab revolt: Arab reports; Sir M Sykes' reports' [‎88r] (173/450)

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SECRET.
3D0CT1916)
L lu V
APPRECIATION OF ATTACHED ARABIAN REPORT No. XV Series).
last ™k S Week ’ S rep0rt is bulky 0wing t0 the ““Fixity of our system as described
- SsStSSbtZL Si,“• «-•
1‘ J J , ar \ < 1 ) ^.^ e ^ renc h contingent has started from France.
f rp!j at tl ? e Ha .J has been successfully completed.
. at there has been a little skirmishing near Medina in which the Turks and
ii-rabs nave lost a few men.
thirtf^A ^^ 6 ip Ct t ^ le . above 18 a com plete summary of the events, some
h hid tET 8 T t y - pt ^ re P° rt ’ onl .y ^ of them 7 refer to the business
U; hand the remamder being entirely devoted to questions and answers as to who is
t sponsible for what, and settling channels of communication and methods of procedure
ibe matter under the headings “ The Sirdar’s Position” and “ Babegh ” should
leeiXn m . curablh ^ of tbe P^sent muddle except by an administrative
decision of the War Committee. One example, however, may be cited, since it shows
at goe 6 tW 6 f undaaiental viciousness of the existing system. The standard telegram
is No. 905 Egypt-Military. In it Sir Henry McMahon tells Lord Grey that the
Girdar_ha s_told him (Sir Henry Mc~Mahon) that he (the S irdarrproposes to tell Colonel
Wilson to tell the Sherif c^tMTthh^s, but thTThe (SirH^TTlvicMahcn) has made
certain alterations m the text of the message which the Sirdar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. desires Colonel W ilson
to convey to the Shenf, and that the Sirdar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. concurs m the amendments.
It is very lucky for us that for the moment nothing is happening in Arabia that
requires either thought, decision, or action ; since, if there can be thirty telegrams a
week about nothing, it would require a nice calculation to figure out how many
telegrams would be necessary if something urgent were afoot. Hitherto we have had
an easy time in Arab affairs, but unless we mend our ways we shall presently be
confronted with some emergency, favourable or unfavourable, which will find us so
helplessly entangled in the folds of our own garments as to be unable to either take
advantage of good fortune or avert impending evil. The contingencies of successful
Turkish action, or a spread of Arab disaffection, can be plainly foreseen ; but they
cannot be provided against until an end is made of the present confusion.
TV ith regard to the rest of the report, the following matters are worth
watching :—
(i.) There is a certain tendency to friction and suspicion between the British
and French in Hejaz, with the natural corollary of the Sherif being
tempted to set the two parties by the ears. This can be guarded against
[898 — 14]