Reports and papers of the Egyptian Administration Committee [‎back] (108/108)

2
the representation of Palestinian interests, whether it was or was not supervised
from C airo, would also fall under the charge of the same body, Department, or
organisation in London,
4. Ihere remained the case of Egypt during the war, that is, until such period
as t ; he solution of the larger problems should have assumed.a much clearer and more
definite shape. It was felt that tihe association of administration with diplomacv
111 Egy pt was, and must continue for some time to be, so close that it was out of the
question at this juncture to remove Egyptian affairs from the Foreign Office,
fortunately the latter is peculiarly fortunate in possessing at the present time an
Assistant Under-becretary, Sir R. Graham, with exceptional Egyptian experience ;
and there was a general consensus that it would be a great mistake not to profit by
his services as the Assistant Under-Secretary responsible for Egyptian affairs,
assisted, as he no doubt would be, by a British official of special Egyptian experience.
d. Either now or as soon as the increase of business demanded, it was thought
desirable that this Department should be strengthened by the addition of a limited
number of officials from the Anglq-Egyptian Service, selected because of their
special familiarity with the administrative problems of Egvpt, to which country
they would revert after a few years’ service in the Foreign Office, thus maintaining
n constant flow not only of fresh blood but of recent experience. The diplomatic
side of the work would be performed by Foreign Office clerks or officials similarly
assigned for the purpose. In this way would be constituted a separate department
of the Foreign Office capable of expansion, when circumstances required, either
into a larger and better-equipped body still under the Secretary of State, or
into the more independent organisation which was the ideal of some of the
witnesses.
2, Whitehall Gardens, S.W.,
February 20, 1918.
(Initialled)
C. of K.