Summary
Lord Kitchener enters the McMahon–Hussein correspondence only through his earlier message to the Sherif Hussein of Mecca, which Henry McMahon confirms in No. 2 (30 August 1915): the message, which reached the Sherif by the hand of Ali Effendi, stated clearly Britain’s desire for the independence of Arabia and its inhabitants, together with its approval of the Arab Khalifate when it should be proclaimed, and McMahon declares once more that His Majesty’s Government would welcome the resumption of the Khalifate by an Arab of true race (Correspondence between Sir Henry McMahon and the Sherif Hussein of Mecca, July 1915–March 1916, PDF p.4).
Details
-
The message itself is not printed in the paper; only McMahon’s confirmation of its terms is given (PDF p.4).
-
The Sherif’s family had also made a previous declaration through the same intermediary, Ali Effendi, from whose bonds No. 1 says the family will consider itself free if Britain does not answer within thirty days (PDF p.4).
-
Annex A of the 1939 committee report presents his pre-War policy as the background to the pledge: he sought to detach southern Syria as far north as Haifa and Acre from the French claim, instigated Newcombe’s 1913 Sinai survey and the March 1915 committee that reported in June 1915 for detaching southern Syria from French influence, and entered into communication with the Sharif of Mecca when war broke out (Report of a Committee set up to consider certain correspondence between Sir Henry McMahon and the Sharif of Mecca, lines 317-335).
Related pages
Correspondence between Sir Henry McMahon and the Sherif Hussein of Mecca, July 1915–March 1916, Henry McMahon, Sherif Hussein of Mecca, Arab Khalifate