Papers on British policy and the Arab movement [73v] (150/380)
The record is made up of 1 file (187 folios). It was created in 1 Jul 1916-7 Dec 1918. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
- 2 -
telogram 3 ^ 0 . 689 , The appointnent of a French military v _ r ,
goyernor "by the Commander-in^ Chief ^rill give rise to dissat if ac
tion especially to Sheriff Feisal hut it appears inevitable if
French interests are to he safe guarded. in this connection
assurances given to the Arab leaders in consequence of telegimn
are interpreted hy them as estahlishing
their right hut it may fairly he said that evacuation of Beirut
hy Turkey ‘Was a direct consequence of the Commander-in-Chief f s
capture of Damascus and not due to Arab military action. In
any case it is difficult to appreciate the situation exactly until
Beirut is occupied hy our troops vrhich will not he for some days.
A proportion of Druses from the Hauran co-operated with the* Arab
feroes around Deraa and entered Damascus with them. As far as
can he ascertained however the Druses are more favourably
inclined to the British than to any form of control hy a
They are certainly not pro-Frenoh. As
regards Damascus itself certain amount of looting hy Druses
took place when Arab troops first entered which was suppressed by
the Arab Authorities who employed Shereefian troops to restore
Cons i deri 2 & the size of the city and the great upheaval
hich ito capture from Turkey has occasioned, the situation ie
wonderfully quiet. There is sufficient food for the moment hut
® B 9 f n tial to restore normal conditions as soon as
nDt S ipin« i ?r, 0 m^? r v, that ^ f i? w supplies from the Hauran may
not cease in which case Egyptian danger of famine. The most '
an 8 ?!Jh q ^ 0 ii on v at J ?re9en !. is ^ hat of Turkish paper. It passes
Gariks sanction it hut the hanks are jtow asking
whether it has any value. The alternatives are to fix a value
at approximately that which it has today or to introduce some
other form of currency. In the latter case holders of Turkish
sev ff el y« 1 have brought this question to the
notice of the acting French Commission with a view to his making
fgroup e omitted ) t0 hiS a ° vernmen ' t the matter is an urgent
dM
1 retu f n to I)a maecus in a week’s time when the
situation should have become more clear. At present it is
too confused for a detailed appreciation.
About this item
- Content
This file contains correspondence, memoranda, maps, manuscript notes, and other papers relating to the political and territorial settlement of parts of the Middle East following the First World War. Many of the papers were collected for the attention of the Middle East Committee (later named the Eastern Committee, following the mergence of the Foreign Office's Russia Committee and the interdepartmental Persia Committee) of the War Cabinet. Contributors include officials from the War Office, Foreign Office, Admiralty, and India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , as well as indivduals such as Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence. Correspondence comes from representatives of the French and Italian governments as well as British officials in Cairo and other parts of the Middle East.
The papers deal with plans for the region presuming and following an Allied victory in the First World War and take into consideration the imperial ambitions of the victorious European Powers (France, Italy, Russia, Britain, and the United States) and the multitudinous commitments made by the British to various groups. The plans are based on evolving agreements rooted in the Sykes-Picot, or Asia Minor, Agreement between the British and French of 1916. Regions under consideration include the Hejaz (sometimes written Hedjaz), Syria, Northern Iraq, Southern Iraq, Palestine, Armenia, Turkey, the Idrisi state, Yemen, Persia, and Afghanistan. Various matters are covered in the file, but particular focus is given to plans for the Sherifian family of the Hejaz, led by King Husein [Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī al-Hāshimī], which impacted upon policy in Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, and the Arabian Peninsula. Other matters include the situation between Jews and Arabs in Palestine, wartime commitments to ruling shaikhs in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , the French position in the region, and desiderata of the Government of India for any peace settlement.
- Extent and format
- 1 file (187 folios)
- Arrangement
The file is arranged in chronological order from the front to the back.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front first page with 1, and terminates at the inside back last page with 187; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.
- Written in
- English and French in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Papers on British policy and the Arab movement [73v] (150/380), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, Mss Eur F112/277, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100079857498.0x000097> [accessed 16 June 2026]
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- Mss Eur F112/277
- Title
- Papers on British policy and the Arab movement
- Pages
- 1ar:1av, 1r:14r, 14r:14v, 14v, 22r:59v, 62r:98r, 99v:120v, 125r:133v, 136r:165r, 166r:167r, 167av, 168r:173r, 175r:176v, 178r:187v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence
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