Baghdad Jan. 9. Dearest Father. Your letter and Mother's of Dec 26 arrived on the same day, the one by air, the other by overland mail. I am answering Mother separately. Yours was a specially good letter - politics and economics and your secret schemes about Hugo which I hope may succeed. I don't, however, think I quite agree as to the possibility of submerging civilization. We're too self-conscious, too analytical and we've got too many means of exposing our views. We've broadcasted civilization in a way the Romans couldn't - I think it has sown too many seeds. Nevertheless your letter was very interesting. I'm not the least sorry that Labour should come in. They'll learn that it's not an easy thing to govern a large empire and they'll learn, I hope, that they don't know the nature of team work and that govt, as far as the inidividual is concerned is always a compromise. No one permanently has things exactly his own way of thinking except the dictator or the tyrant, who is ex hypothesis excluded. But is he? now I come to think of it the extreme left seems always to put up a Lenin. But that only shows how incapable they are of carrying out their own ideals and that's what I mean they must learn.
Well, now, I come down from these reflections to more trivial concerns. It has been a very busy week in the office - I don't know why particularly, but I seem to have had a great number of notes and despatches to draft. On Friday afternoon I went to see some Point to Point races to which I had been specially invited. The King and Sir Henry were there; it was rather amusing. Also I gave an Arab dinner party, Sabih Beg, Yasin Pasha, Rustum Haidar, head of the King's diwan, Rauf Chadirji and Mr Keeling, the Turkish Petroleum Co man. After dinner some of them played Bridge - Mr Keeling lost and Sabih Beg who was in roaring spirits called out "Never mind, Keeling. Unlucky in Bridge, lucky in oil!" Everyone laughed for the concession is a fearfully delicate political issue which is causing great heartburnings.

On Saturday afternoon I rode down to see Haji Naji. He really is a wonderful old thing. His natural good sense and breadth of view are surprising. There has been a silly fuss made by some extreme Shi'ahs, confound their politics, about a house in Kadhimain [(Al Kazimiyah)] belonging to the Bahais, indeed to members of Saiyid Husain Afnan's family. It's all because they're jealous of him, poor dear, but they put it on religious grounds - confound religion - an infidel house in a sacred city and so forth. A deputation came to Haji Naji to ask him to sign a petition in this sense. Said he, relating the episode: "I like Saiyid Husain; he is a good young man. So I said: Look you at India. There are people who worship stones and those who worship men and idols and trees and bits of rag. What do the English? they pay no attention. And why should we trouble as to what others worship. Suppose I wish to worship this ass (that is donk" explained Haji Naji, in parenthesis, in case I shouldn't understand, for he used a colloquial word.) I say it is a very good ass and fit to be worshipped. Does it concern you? And 'Wallah! true' they answered and went away."

I went to tea with Sayid Husain and his wife on the way back. They've a charming little house on the river and seem very happy.

On Sunday I had Nuri to lunch and a heart to heart talk about the best way to tackle a Labour Govt. And then, it being a beautiful day, I went out shooting with Ken Cornwallis in the gardens above Baghdad. We got some black partridge and had great fun. Afterwards a very nice dinner party, Ken and Captain Clayton and Ja'far. We talked nineteen to the dozen at dinner, played Bridge afterwards and Ja'far took 11 rupees off me. Most satisfactory!

On Monday I worked like a nigger from 10 to 5 and dined en famille with Sasun Effendi, which was very nice. And on Tuesday I worked ditto and went to dine with Ken, to discuss a lot of urgent things which had to be settled before he went to Basrah [Basrah, Al (Basra)], which he did this morning. We got them all through and I finished them off today so expeditiously that I got away at 3 and rode out to see the Arab polo. We had a little rain on Sunday night and a dust storm yesterday, but today it's gloriously fine again.

Mr Woolley at Ur has been making wonderful finds and has written urgently to me to go down. So I'm going next Sunday, taking Kish en route - J.M. Wilson will come with me to Kish. And I've a great scheme for visiting some mounds this side of Nasiriyah [Nasiriyah, An] which I hope will come off. Anyhow I shall leave a letter to be posted by next week's mail telling you what I'm up to. Ever, dearest, your very affectionate daughter Gertrude.

I loved reading your letters in the papers and thank you so much for Sir W. Beveredge's which are excellent.

Would you please tell Dennington that I want to increase Marie's wage by £5 a year beginning from Jan. 1.

Oh one thing more - there's a very nice 'Iraqi, Capt Sulaiman Fattah, son of the Mutasarrif of Kirkuk who is doing a year's training at Aldershot. I've told him if he's in London, to telephone and find out if you're there and come and see you. He is a promising lad.