Fri. Oct. 18 [18 October 1919] Went to see the Pauls who are in Mme
Koch's house. She was ill in bed and I only saw her for a few
moments. Sir Robin is lent to the Arab Govt for gendarmerie and
police. He says the police are shockingly bad. He used to be able
to do a good deal of executive work, but recently the Arabs have put
in a man whose sentiments are pro-Turkish and who will take no
advice. Sir Robin resigned and was persuaded to return. Haddad
Pasha, whom he praises, reprimanded the Arab official but matters
are no better. Any man whom he wants to remove is a cousin of
someone in office or has other influence too strong for him. He
considers advisory powers useless unless backed by executive or
other authority. The Arabs will never take advice. His gendarmerie
he thinks pretty good. His impression is that the Arabs would be very
glad to see the British and all foreigners so[?] and would welcome
Mustafa Kamal with open arms. He does not believe there will be
massacres here or tribal disturbance. He thinks well of Hachim and
Mijhim. \n\nAfter lunch went to see Dr Altounian and heard the extreme
Armenian programme. He wants a national home for Armenians,
hopes that the French, at any rate, will be[?] take the mandatory
power from Cilicia to Sivas[(Sebastea)] and says that they reckon on
2,000000 Armenians returning from Russia and the Balkans. I think
this also includes the republic of Van where he would have British
troops remain for the present or at least he thinks we should supply
the Armenians there with plentiful ammuniton. Foreign troops would
only be needed for a very short time in any part of Armenia; they
could do it for themsselves after the lapse of a year. Armenian must
be the official language and at first no Moslem, Kurd or other, should
be given office. Kurds if they wish to enter Govt. service must learn
Armenian. He laid stress on the point that most of the Kurds north of
Diyarbekr [Diyarbakir (Amida)] are Qizil Bash and not Moslems. Also
that they are always friendly to the Armenians. He holds that
massacre never occurs without incitement from without. The standard
of cultivation is much higher among Armenians than among Kurds.
Thanks to Mission schools there are few Armenians who cannot read
and write. If there must be a Kurdish province, let it be a strip from
about Urfah [Sanliurfa (Edessa)], S. of Diyarbekr and so east. NB all
the Christian, but not Armenian, districts of the Tur 'Abdin etc. He
brought forward the historical argument that we were responsible for
what had happened in Armenia owing to Lord Salisbury's having set
aside the treaty of San Stefano and substituted for it that of Van.
Otherwise Russian protection would have extended, with Russian
occupation, westward into Asia Minor. Armenians here feel very
bitterly that we have not fulfilled our obligations towards them. When
they return to 'Aintab and Mar'ash they cannot get back their
possessions which are in the hands of Turks, nor have we taken any
steps to punish those who were chiefly responsible for the massacres
though it formed a provision in the treaty of peace that we should do
so. He ended by saying that they wished for any Christian mandate,
however bad or feeble, Italian or Greek, rather than a return to the
Turks. It was forever impossible. He saw no objection to a {Turkish}
French mandate and thought the Arabs would accept the fait
accompli but as his daughter is engaged to a Frenchman he is
perhaps not unbiassed. \n\nWent to tea with Col. Howell who is head
of the railways. He has recently been to Konia [Konya (Iconium)]
which is peacefully shared by 1200 Italians and an indefinite number
of Mustafa Kamal's troops under Shevket Beg. All the Turkish
soldiers whom we are repatriating at once join his army. The French
are very jumpy. The Turks hold the line up to the pass - nothing
beyond. But when we evacuate Urfah they will come in there. Trains
are running to Nisibin [Nusaybin (Nisibis)] but we have never had
troops there. General and Mrs. Harbord came to tea also. Dined with
the Gregorys. Col. Curtis and Major Lucas were the other guests.