Correspondence with A J Balfour, Sir R Wingate, Lord Allenby, Lord Milner and others on Egypt [‎67r] (133/300)

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Lord jurzon:
I had an interesting conversation this
morning with Major-General Sir Henry Ohauvel, the
well-known Australian General, who has only just
returned from Egypt. He had been re guested hy
General ALlen'by to see the Authorities here and
explain the situation to them.
General Jhauvel said that the extent of the
damage done during the recent rioting was very .reat
and would take a long time to make good. Moreover,
'the authorities had been compelled to keep up a
flow of v/ater in the Nile sufficient to allow the
passage of military transport; this water had been
taken from the Assouan Hesevoir and the consequent
shorta e would be felt throughout Egypt in the
coming summer. It was a curious fact that damage
had only been done to machinery, etc., erected
previous to 1914, showing that the attacks had heen
organised before that date and were no doubt part
of the J.U.P. plan of campaign for disturbances in
Egypt when Turkey entered the war.
General Chauvel then referred to General
Alienby T s policy in having allowed Saad Zaglul and
his party to leave Egypt, and he asked what was
felt about it here. I said that we could only
confess to some surprise that such a decision had
been taken. General Jhauvel replied that the
feeling in Cairo on the subject had been one of
blank astonishment. He believed that General
Allenby, although he had said nothing on the
subject, realised that a bad mistake had been made.
General Allenby was, however, in a very difficult