Papers of the Interdepartmental Conference on Middle Eastern Affairs [‎140v] (280/290)

6
had mentioned the case of Zaghlul, but was there any reason to
suppose that this was the kind of man Colonel Wilson would send ?
We wanted the local Zaghlul, not a packed deputation of obedient
admirers. He was very nervous of leaving the wrong man in
Baghdad.
Mr. Montagu said that we must either leave Colonel Wilson
there or send out someone to take his place. All his officers were as
Wilsonian as he was.
Mr. Garbett said that he was not sure that this was so in the case
of Sir Edgar Bonham Carter, and reminded the Conference that
the latter had dissented from some of the views expressed by Colonel
Wilson.
Sir A. Hirtzel confirmed that Sir Edgar Bonham Carter was a
liberal-minded man, though he did not know how far he was qualified
to deal with the present situation.
Mr. Shuckburgh thought that at a time when our officers were
being killed there would be a great risk in making a change and
putting in a man who would not command the prestige and might
not act with the promptitude and energy of Sir Arnold Wilson.
Sir A. Hirtzel agreed with the Chairman that great harm might
be done if the wrong spirit prevailed at headquarters in Baghdad
during the interregnum, but while Colonel Wilson was no" good
with the extremists, it appeared from private information that he
was becoming more and more popular with the ordinary Arabs.
The Chairman said that it was no doubt an advantage to know
that Colonel Wilson was popular rather than unpopular, but that this
did not, in his opinion, outweigh the disadvantages of the point of
view expressed in paragraph IX of his telegram No. 6948, to which
exception had already been taken. This was a perfectly intelligible
\ iew, but it was not that of His Majesty’s Government.
Sir A. Hirtzel assented, and said that Colonel Wilson would not
be permanently in Mesopotamia to carry out this policy. He added
that even in India it had not been found possible to conciliate
extremists.
The Chairman alluded to the possibility of Sir Percy Cox’s
becoming imbued with Wilsonian principles during his stay in •
Baghdad. He was a man who was not only loyal to his Govern
ment, but at the same time loyal to his own convictions. It was
possible that he might say when he came home that he was not the
man to carry out the policy of His Majesty’s Government. In this
case another candidate would have to be found for the Hio-fi
Commissionership, and this would take time. The result might %e
that, if Colonel Wilson remained in Mesopotamia now, his tenure of
office would drag indefinitely.
Sir A. Hirtzel said that if he could see a possible successor he
would agree to Colonel Wilson being recalled. He could only think
of Mr. . Dobbs, who was at present occupied with the Afofian
Delegation at Mussoorie.
Replying to a question by the Chairman, Mr. Garbett remarked
that General MacMunn, who was now Quartermaster-General in
India, was more W ilsonian than Wilson himself.
Mr. Shuckburgh pointed out the objections to replacing a civilian
by a soldier at the head of the Civil Administration.
. Chairman agreed that it was difficult for the Conference to
decide at that meeting who was to replace Colonel Wilson, but it
was clearly necessary that some instructions should be sent to Sir
Percy Cox.