Papers on British policy and the Arab movement [‎11r] (23/380)

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THE SHERIF OF MECCA AND THE ARAB MOVEMENT.
1. In April, 1915, the Prime Minister assembled a committee to consider the nature
of British desiderata in Turkey in Asia in the event of a successful conclusion of the
war. This committee was composed of representatives of the Foreign Office, India
Office, War Office, Board of Trade and Admiralty, with Sir Mark Sykes and the
Secretary, Committee of Imperial Defence.
2. Their report, presented on the 30th June, 1915, dealt mainly with the dis
memberment of the Ottoman Empire in Asia and only incidentally with Arabia. In
arriving at their conclusions, the Committee were guided by a desire to restrict as far
as possible the military responsibilities which would be thrown upon the British Empire
owing to the establishment of new frontiers where British, Russian and French
interests might easily come into collision. The future of Arabia, including a statement
of British guarantees to various Sheikhs, was sketched in Appendix 28 to the
Committee’s report. In this document there will be found the important assurance
given by Lord Kitchener to the Sherif of Mecca in November, 1914, to the effect that,
if the Sherif and Arabs assist Great Britain in the war with Turkey, Great Britain will
not intervene in any manner whatsoever, whether in things religious or otherwise, and
will respect the office of the Sherif and guarantee the Sherifate against all external
aggression. Lord Kitchener also suggested the creation of an Arab Khalifate at Mecca
and the freedom of the Arab race. This assurance really formed the starting point of
the Arab movement, whose object was to throw off the Turkish yoke by force of arms,
and to found an Arab state in Arabia and Syria.
3. Negotiations with the Sherif were opened by a letter to Mr. Storrs dated
14th July, 1915. In it the Sherif asked Great Britain to countenance the independence
of all Arab lands and to approve of an Arab Khalifate. Acting on the instructions of
the Foreign Office, the High Commissioner of Egypt, on the 28th August, 1915, sent a
reply to the Sherif expressing general sympathy with the movement. On the
9th September the Sherif wrote to Sir H. McMahon complaining of the lukewarmness
accorded to his overtures, and late in October the latter replied definitely asking for
the exclusion from the Sherif’s plans of certain districts of Cilicia and Northern Syria.
Subject to these modifications and to existing Lritish treaties with Arab chiefs, the
High Commissioner pledged Great Britain to recogmize and support Arab independence
in those portions of the agreed area in which Great Britain is free to act without
detriment to the interests of her ally, France ; to guarantee the inviolability of the
Holy Places ; and to give all possible help and advice towards the establishment of
“ the most suitable forms of government in the various territories,” on the condition
that Great Britain be the sole foreign adviser, and that only her advisers and officials
(if any) be requisitioned in those areas. He made the final reservation that the vilayets
of Baghdad and Basra should necessarily be subject to special measures of British
administrative control.
It is to be observed that this pledge was given by the authority of the Foreign
Office. There is no record in the War Office as to whether, before giving it, the War
Committee or the General Staff were consulted regarding the military commitments
thereby involved.
4. On the 5th November the Sherif agreed to certain, but not to all, of the High
Commissioner’s stipulations, subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions by Great
Britain, the most important being that she should not make peace with her present
enemies without securing Arab independence.
In his reply of the 17th December, the High Commissioner gave, in carefully
guarded language, the desired undertaking regarding peace terms, and discussed
numerous details.
On the 1st January, 1916, the Sherif agreed to some of the British conditions, but
reiterated his claim that the area of Arab independence must include Beirut and
district.
5. It had now become obvious that the agreement with the Sherif involved French
as well as British interests, and accordingly Sir Mark Sykes was authorized by the
Foreign Office to enter into negotiations with M. Picot, representing the French
, (B378) 25 7/16 H&S 3473wo