ملف ٧٠٥/١٩١٦ الجزء ١ "انتفاضة عربية - تقارير" [و‎‎٢‎٩‎٨] (٤٩٤/١٤٣)

SECRET.
To be Read.
1 i o
APPRECIATION OF THE ATTACHED ARAB REPORT.
Considering the historical magnitude of the events taking place in Hejaz
and the importance of concerted action, this week’s report is decidedly
disappointing.
So far as can be ascertained there is little or no co-ordination of our
political policy, and from reading telegrams one gets a sense of military
isolation as regards Egypt, Mesopotamia and Aden.
In Mesopotamia no notice seems to be taken of events occurring- in
Hejaz, and no attempt appears to have been made to ascertain the attitude
of Ibn Rashid and Ibn Sand towards the Sherif, nor, so far as can be
ascertained, was any attempt made to advance the Sherif’s cause in Koweit.
There is no indication that the Kerbela incident is being used in a racial
sense, but only as a Shia-Sunni quarrel.
In Aden the predominating idea seems rather to be, to lake advantage
of the movement to get control of the hinterland and to prevent the Imam’s
power extending, than to push forward a general Arab rising against the
Turks.
As regards the Idrisi, it would appear that either our Aden political
officers are still as doubtful of the Sherif as they were in November 1915,
or that they have little influence with Idrisi; otherwise it is difficult to
understand what doubts Idrisi can entertain as to the Sherif’s motives.
The Turkish communications appear to indicate that the Turks are
somewhat at a loss to know what line to take. They have made no reference
to the Sherif’s attitude so far, and content themselves with charging Great
Britain with bombarding sacred shrines. Either the Turkish Government
is afraid or intends to keep silence until it has achieved some success.
The difficulty of getting supplies to Jeddah and the shortage thereof
would point to a want of material and transport which requires immediate
attention.
The slowness of the Government of India in despatching the Arab
prisoners to Egypt, and the lack of investigation of their attitude or
antecedents by the Indian Military Authorities, appears to be somewhat
singular. These prisoners of war were isolated from other Turkish
prisoners nearly a year ago for political reasons, in order to facilitate the
Arab movement ; since then nothing has been done, and at the critical
moment punctillio has caused delay, by necessitating telegrams in the
following order : Cairo—Simla, Simla—London, London—Simla, with the
usual lapses of time between receipt and reply.