Part 28 (1/2)

38 ”Until now”: Aaronsohn, Diary, December 16, 1916; ZY.

39 ”for autonomy”: ”Jewish Colonies in Palestine,” Arab Bulletin (January 19, 1917): p. 35.

40 ”in charge of the Intelligence”: Aaronsohn, Diary, January 24, 1917; ZY.

41 ”So Absa, the brave”: Ibid., January 26, 1917; ZY.

42 ”So our brave Knight”: Ibid., January 30, 1917; ZY.

43 ”He called me out”: Lawrence, Seven Pillars, p. 152.

44 ”sanitary reasons”: Wemyss report to Secretary of the Admiralty, January 30, 1917; PRO-ADM 137/548, f. 11415.

45 ”ransacked from roof”: Bray, Arab Bulletin no. 41 (February 6, 1917): p. 68.

46 ”The garrison was called”: Lawrence to Wilson, December 19, 1916; PRO-FO 882/6, f. 49.

47 ”is easily frightened”: J. C. Watson, report, January 11, 1917; PRO-WO 158/605, p. 4.

48 ”it is not known”: Vickery, Memorandum on the General Situation in Arabia, February 2, 1917; PRO-FO 882/6, f. 152.

49 ”is most anxious”: Wilson to Arab Bureau, Cairo, January 25, 1917; PRO-FO 141/736.

Chapter 11: A Mist of Deceits.

1 ”A man might clearly”: Lawrence, Seven Pillars (Oxford), chapter 51.

2 With all, he presented: Lawrence, ”Faisal's Order of March,” Arab Bulletin no. 41 (February 6, 1917): 66.

3 ”The circle of Arab”: Lawrence, Seven Pillars, p. 167.

4 ”At the Arab Bureau”: Aaronsohn, Diary, February 1, 1917; ZY.

5 British officers examining: Lloyd to Wingate, November 24, 1916; GLLD 9/8.

6 In fact, Bremond had: Minutes of Conference held at Commander-in-Chief's office, September 5, 1916; SADD Clayton Papers, 694/4/811.

7 In addition to touting: Pearson to Clayton, undated; PRO-WO 158/627, f. 108A.

8 ”In reply to your letter”: Murray to Wingate, January 22, 1917; PRO-WO 158/627, f. 113A.

9 A heedless move: Cited by Wilson, Lawrence of Arabia, p. 294 n. 47.

10 ”You can confidentially inform”: Wingate to Pearson, January 24, 1917; PRO-WO 158/627, f. 114A.

11 ”Faisal afterwards told”: Newcombe to Wilson, February 4, 1917; GLLD 9/9.

12 ”[Bremond] called to felicitate”: Lawrence, Seven Pillars, p. 167.

13 Indeed, by Lawrence's: Ibid., p. 168.

14 ”Now I had not warned”: Lawrence, Seven Pillars (Oxford), chapter 30.

15 ”It seemed we would”: Yale's account of his February 1917 meeting with Djemal Pasha, and subsequent departure from Palestine, is drawn from Yale, It Takes So Long, chapter 6.

16 Even Gilbert Clayton: Clayton ”Appreciation” of Aqaba landing, January 1917; SADD Clayton Papers, 694/5/1721.

17 Yet at some point: In his authorized biography Lawrence of Arabia, Jeremy Wilson makes an extremely convincing case that Lawrence probably imparted details of Sykes-Picot to Faisal within the first few days of his return to Wejh in February 1917. Given Wilson's meticulous research in coming to this conclusion, it's curious why he then concludes that Lawrence's motive in doing so was to ”deal with the French question once and for all.”

As evidenced by the Rabegh episode, French military overtures in the Middle East were wholly dependent on the support-or lack thereof-of their more powerful ally in the region, Great Britain. Besides, at the time of Lawrence's return to Wejh in early February 1917, Faisal's deep distrust of Colonel Bremond was already well established. Consequently, the notion that Lawrence disclosed Sykes-Picot to Faisal out of concern over French intrigues or influence is puzzling. Instead, the most logical explanation is that Lawrence meant to thwart the one power that truly had the capacity to betray the Arabs: Great Britain.

Nevertheless, successive sympathetic Lawrence biographers have accepted this anti-French motive in explaining Lawrence's disclosure. Taking matters a step further, Wilson even a.s.serts that Lawrence made this disclosure because ”in the long run it would surely serve Britain's interests best.” Perhaps in Lawrence's conception of Britain's interests, but most certainly not that of the British government at the time.

18 ”[Bremond] ended his talk”: Lawrence, Seven Pillars, p. 168.

19 ”I had dreamed”: Ibid., p. 661.

20 ”to reply to the guns”: Lawrence, Diary, February 18, 1917; PRO-FO 882/6, f. 180.

21 ”to retire from”: Lawrence, Seven Pillars, p. 169.

22 ”I am still of the opinion”: Joyce to Wilson, April 1, 1917; PRO-FO 882/6, f. 227.

23 ”inestimable value”: Pearson to Clayton, March 4, 1917; PRO-FO 882/6, f. 194.

24 ”The news horrified”: St.i.tt, A Prince of Arabia, pp. 17778.

25 With his usual propensity: Wilson, Lawrence of Arabia, p. 379.

26 ”In spite of General Clayton's”: Lawrence to Wilson, as cited by Wilson, Lawrence of Arabia, p. 380.

27 ”rose, as ever”: Lawrence, Seven Pillars, p. 177.

28 ”I think the weak point”: Lawrence to Wilson, as cited by Wilson, Lawrence of Arabia, p. 380.

29 ”when the more difficult”: Lawrence, Seven Pillars, p. 180.

30 ”An account of profit”: Ibid., p. 176.

31 ”He went on calling”: Ibid., pp. 18182.

32 ”the Eternal One”: 1 Samuel 15:29, as translated in ZY Archives.

33 Reginald Wingate was: Wingate to Balfour, February 7, 1917; PRO-FO 371/3049, File 41442.