الملف ٣٠١\١٩٢١ "بلاد الرافدين: تقارير استخباراتية" [و‎‎٩‎٢] (٥٨٦/١٩٤)

ings prevail, though they may be cloaked under adherence to the Naqib.
13. The somewhat tactless urgency exhibited in Basrah by Young Arabs of the Sharifian
party had alijnjgated the sympathies of many people in Basrah who regard this group with the
utmost suspicion; the arrival of the Baghdad deputation, largely Young Arab and extremist in
colour, did not improve matters, but a rapproachment 'was engineered between them and the
responsible Basrah leaders which saved the situation. The reception was good but not
enthusiastic, though Faisal’s bearing and appearance met with general approbation.
14. The Amir arrived on the Northbrook on June 23. The Adviser representing the High
Commissioner, and the Adviser to the Ministry of the Interior, on behalf of that Ministry, had
boarded the ship lower down the river. The Amir was given a guard of honour and lodged in
the house of the Mutasarrif which had been placed at his disposal by the latter. On the follow
ing morning he received notables and guilds and attended the midday prayers in the principal
Sunni mosque. In the afternoon he was entertained by the Baghdad deputation in the
Mutasarrif’s house. On this occasion he delivered an eloquent and judicious speech in which
he described himself as standing before them as a simple individual, as Faisal, and assuured his
audience that he would be the first to pay allegiance to whomsoever the people of the ‘ Iraq chose
as their ruler (reported in the ‘Iraq of June 27). These words produced an admirable effect.
15. On the journey from Basrah to Hillah the Amir was variously received. At Ur
Junction (Nasiriyah) the gathering at the station was small and cold; at Samawah a large
number of shaikhs and tribesmen came to greet him; at Diwaniyah the audience was fair but
unenthusiastic. His train reached Hillah some time before the appointed hour and the official
reception took place when he returned from Najaf. Najaf and Karbala, from which
much had been expected by his supporters, were somewhat of a disappointment.
The Mutasarrif, Hamid Khan, whose belief in Arab Government is slender, had left Najaf the
day before the Amir’s arrival without giving any indication to the people as to the attitude of
the authorities towards Faisal’s visit. At Najaf the people in the streets are reported to have
been urged by curiosity rather than by sympathy, and the ‘ Ulama' were reserved if not definitely
adverse. A speech made in the house of the Naqib of Najaf by Muhammad Baqir Shabibi
(brother of a well-known man of letters, Muhammad Kidha, who has recently returned Horn
Syria) is described as having been dangerously double-edged to the verge,of hostility. At
Karbala things were rather more satisfactory. Hamid Khan, who had meantime seen the High
Commissioner did his best at the last hour to make suitable preparations, but there was little
spontaneity and the ‘Ulama stood rather marked aloof.
16. On his way back to Hillah, the Amir was very cordially received at Tuwairij by Saiyid
Hadi Qazwini, the leading man of the district, well-known for his pro-British sentiments. His
cousin, Saiyid Muhammad ‘Ali, took a prominent part in the reception given to the Amir at
Hillah and in spite of the unavoidable absence of the Adviser, the Amir was well satisfied by
his entertainment there.
17. Nevertheless it was not till he reached Baghdad that Faisal met with the popular
demonstration which he had anticipated. His arrival, which had been arranged for the morning,
was postponed till the evening by a breakdown on the railway, but the delay only enhanced the
excitement of the town. All the notables, including the family of the Naqib, came to the
station to welcome him. The Amir was received by the High Commissioner and the
Commander-in-Chief, and given a royal salute. After he had inspected the guard of honour, the
ministers and officials of the Arab Government were introduced to him and he passed to his
motor through a dense and cheering crowd. The streets, decorated and packed with people,
echoed with cheers and with the shrill cries of the women from the housetops. The Amir’s
personality produced an instant impression; “ the face of a king ” was the comment which
followed him. The town was taken by storm.