Aug 23 Darling Father. There's no particularly good news to give you except that the premier mujtahid, Mirza Mhd Taqi, has succumbed to senile decay. He was a mere figurehead but in that capacity very harmful for he was used to justify revolution and murder and religious fanaticism. There's a rumour that his prospective successor who is about of the same value, had died of making the journey from Najaf [Najaf, An] to Karbala in order to read the prayers at Mhd Taqi's funeral. I trust it's true. The next man on the roster takes moderate views and won't be hustled by the extremists into any advocacy of violence - so I hear. The position of the mujtahids is you know one which will always be a difficulty. It's as though you had a number of alien Popes permanently settled at Canterbury and issuing edicts which take precedence of the law of the land. The Turks were always at loggerheads with them and the Arab Govt of the future will find itself in the same case.
I told you last week of the rising at Ba'qubah. According to the military principles now prevailing it wasn't taken in time and consequently it has spread up the whole line from Ba'qubah to Khaniqin [Khanaqin]. Thousands of tribesmen are now out looting and they will need a good deal of putting down - a task we can't turn to till we've made more headway in the Hillah [Hillah, Al] district. The Ba'qubah revolt has been marked by the most savage incident we have had yet - worse even that Tall 'Afar. A lot of scallywag tribesmen with no big man among them to keep them to any sort of decency attacked Shahraban [Miqdadiyah, Al] and killed the whole Political staff, 6 men including an Irrigation Officer and a Captain in charge of Levies. The Levies - all Arabs - behaved splendidly and helped the officers to defend themselves for 3 days. I will enclose the account we had from one who escaped. The others were I think all, or nearly all killed. Mrs Buchanan is still in the house of the mayor who is a reasonable, enlightened man, so she will be all right. But think of the mental anguish she must be going through!

I had a touching interview with an old 'Aqaili whom I've known for a long time. He came to give me news of the movements of Shaikh Dhari of the Zoba who murdered Col. Leachman, to whom Ibrahim Numair, my 'Aqaili, was devoted. He broke down completely when he spoke of "my Sahib Leachman" and sobbed bitterly. I do hope his information will help us to drop on Dhari who has broken every law of Arab hospitality and good faith. Incidentally I hope it will help us to bring in Hasan Suhail - you remember him - the shaikh of the Bani Tamin whom we saw at Aqarquf. Dhari is his neighbour and he sent us in word if we could protect him from reprisals if he moved his camp in to Kadhimain [(Al Kazimiyah)]. Ibrahim Numair got our assurances conveyed to him and he replied that he would come in at once. He has been a good friend to all of us and I should be extremely sorry if anything happened to him.

We have also had the staunchest adherence from Fahad Beg of the 'Anizah - the donor of my dogs. He wrote to AT [Wilson] and me last week saying that nothing would make him budge from his firm allegiance. From first to last he has never wavered and has given us all the help he can. He is now near Fallujah [Fallujah, Al]. All the Dulaim in that part of the world have stood firm also. The real miracle is Nasiriyah [Nasiriyah, An], Suq [Suq ash Shuyukh] and the Hai. Our P.O.s must have handled the tribes very well for though it is one of the wildest parts of Mesopotamia it has remained quiet. All the Tigris tribes have refused to take part - if they had gone out the position at Baghdad would have been serious. Col. Nalder has been most skilful and tactful and there has been no trouble at Mosul [Mawsil, Al].

It has been rather cooler this week - enough cooler to make me catch cold, which doesn't however mean much as I do it easily. It's very difficult not to, for you go to bed in a temp. which makes a sheet too heavy a covering and wake at dawn chilled to the bone by a sudden drop of many degrees. I've not however been at all bad and yesterday I went swimming with the Tods as usual. We are sending away the wives of POs in the provinces. I think it is the only thing to do. They have nearly all come in to Baghdad where we haven't room for them, and the future is so uncertain that it's doubtful whether they will ever be able to go back - or their husbands either in many cases. I don't anticipate that we shall reinstall the political service in the Euphrates area, though what will take its place one can't foresee - some sort of local control with a British adviser, perhaps. It's a sad business to see the whole organization crumble. I find it very comforting to write to you!

Will you tell Domnul that I very much like his American friend Mr Engert who brought me a word of introduction from him. He is a diplomat going up to Tehran [(Teheran)] and I expect he will be detained here some time, the Persian road being cut. He dined with me last week with Capt. Clayton and we both thought him very interesting and pleasant. Ever your very affectionate daughter Gertrude

I'm so sorry about Elsa - I'm writing to her. Aug 23 [23 August 1920] Private. I send you yet another telegram from Edwin together with my answer which I showed to AT [Wilson] before sending it. I am not going to write to Edwin again but if you think fit I wish you would ask him what it is all about and who are the politicians in or out of office whom he thinks I write to. By the special mercy of providence, as I told you, I've never written to any stray people without showing the letters to A.T. What worries me is that Edwin should think that I should want to make mischief. He might safely have assumed the contrary and that is what I should have expected him to do. In fact his telegrams are so surprising that there must have been some suggestion from someone behind them and I can't imagine what it is. If you can clear up the matter I should be very grateful.
All this adds to my general feeling of uncertainty as to the future. In the light of the events of the last 2 months there's no getting out of the conclusion that we have made an immense failure here. The system must have been far more at fault than anything that I or anyone else suspected. It will have to be fundamentally changed and what that may mean exactly I don't know. I suppose we have underestimated the fact that this country is really an inchoate mass of tribes which can't as yet be reduced to any system. The Turks didn't govern and we have tried to govern - and failed. I personally thought we tried to govern too much, but I hoped that things would hold out till Sir Percy came back and that the transition from British to native rule might be made peacefully, in which case much of what we have done might have been made use of. Now I fear that that will be impossible. We must resign ourselves to seeing the clock put back a long long way. It's things like sanitation and the medical service which one will so bitterly regret. I don't care so much for education, about the value of which I'm always rather sceptical.

As far as I personally am concerned, I shall not stay unless I have the confidence of the people I'm working with. Nor shall I stay unless I feel that their programme is the right one, but as you know I always have felt that about H.M.G.'s declarations.

[Note on back of envelope] Your letter of July 21 just come.