[10 October 1920] Oct 10 Darling Parents. I have this week a letter of Mother's of Aug 25 and of Father's Sep 1 containing all sorts of family and other news. I don't know what I should do without your weekly letters; they are the only link I have with the outer world. Bless you both. I do sometimes feel dreadfully isolated. Also to have you to whom I can write unreservedly is the greatest blessing.
The Coxes were to have arrived yesterday but they've stayed a extra day in Amarah ['Amarah, Al] and Kut [Kut, Al (Kut al Imara)] and don't get here till tomorrow. The delay was a godsend as far as I was concerned for I was prostrated with a violent cold yesterday and didn't go out of the house. I'm better today and I hope I may be all right tomorrow. I don't know if I told you that Sir P. asked that S. Talib should go to Basrah [Basrah, Al (Basra)] to meet him. No sooner had he left than all the undercurrent of hostility to him began to come to the surface - vide 'Abdul Majid's talk with me. We telegraphed the gist of that conversation to Sir Percy in order to put him on his guard. He is however bringing S. Talib back with him and Baghdad is muttering grimly at the idea of the joint arrival, with S.T., if we know him, doing his best to look as if he were fathering Sir Percy and presenting him under his own aegis to Mesopotamia. You understand the nuance. Of course we don't know at all how far Sir P. has committed himself to S.T. - I should be surprised if he has committed himself at all, but I fancy A.T. Wilson , with cynical indifference, was all for backing S. Talib, acceptable or unacceptable, and it's possible he may have misrepresented the position to Sir Percy. The latter, however, isn't easily taken in by appearances and I think he'll get the measure of S. Talib. We have however telegraped to him again to Kut and suggested that S.T. should be sent on ahead - that's today - in order to be present on the platform as president of the committee of Deputies and present these to Sir Percy on his arrival - a very ingenious device, hit upon by Capt. Clayton to give Sir Percy a loophole if he wants one. We did this because the mutterings had grown so loud that 'Abdul Qadir Pasha Khudhairi - perhaps you remember, Father, he came to my teaparty of notables carrying a large bunch of white flowers - had declared to Mr Tod that if Sir Percy and Saiyid Talib arrived together it would make no more effect than the arrival of an old Jew! Neither I nor any of us have any feeling for or against S. Talib, on the contrary, it would be an immense convenience to us if he had succeeded in imposing himself, or let us say in gaining the suffrage of Mesopotamia. But I feel pretty well convinced not only that he hasn't but that he never can. It would be fatal for us to try and impose him - that's a policy which would have every disadvantage. In fact if we're going to impose anyone it had better, infinitely better, be Sir Percy. The theory is that we're going to set up a government agreeable to all; the drawback, that such a government doesn't exist. They haven't formulated in their minds what it is they really want and if one man did formulate it, the next would disagree. I had a long and interesting talk with Sasun Eff. the other day - I went to call on his sister in law and found all the men there eager to embark on talk. Sasun Eff. said he felt sure that no local man would be acceptable as head of the state because every other local man would be jealous of him. He went on to throw out feelers in different directions - one might think of a son of the Sharif, or a member of the family of the Sultan of Egypt, if there was a suitable individual, or of the family of the Sultan of Turkey? I said I for my part felt sure that Sir Percy didn't and couldn't mind whom they selected except that I thought the Turkish family was ruled out - it ought to be an Arab prince. Sasun Eff. said "If they think you are backing S. Talib they will all agree outwardly to S. Talib, whatever they think of him. I remember when once I happened to be on the same boat with him coming back from Constantinople [Istanbul] - it was when S. Talib was a deputy. Almost without exception the people of Basrah hated and feared him, and if you'll believe me they all came down to Muhammarah to welcome him! and the ones that hated him most gave him the most cordial reception. They were afraid of him. So it would be now." I again insisted that we could find no interest or advantage in backing anyone; it was entirely a matter for the people themselves to decide, but whether he believed me or not I can't say. He had, however, hit on the root of the matter. Anyone they think we're backing they will agree to - and then intrigue against him without intermission. It's not an easy furrow to plough!

These reflections will throw an illumination on what is being said in the English papers from which it would appear that Sir Percy has only to say "Hey Presto" for an Arab Govt to leap onto the stage, like another Athene springing from the forehead of Zeus. You may say, if you like, that Sir Percy will play the role of Zeus but his Athene will find the stage encumbered by such trifles as the Shi'ah problem, the tribal problem and other matters, over which even a goddess might easily stumble. But if he's not a Zeus he is a very skilful physician and one in whom his patient has implicit confidence. That last item is our chief asset and it's clear to me that whatever line he may decide to pursue, it's up to us to follow him with all the strength and ability we may individually possess.

On the whole the papers write egregious nonsense in detail - such as, for instance, that the management of Arab affairs has gone wrong ever since the death of Maude! - Maude! anyone more totally removed from the remotest idea of self-government in Asia it would be impossible to conceive. Keine Ahnung. He indignantly accepted the proclamation drafted at home which is usually attributed to him and published it only under stringent orders. After which Sir Percy spent 6 laborious months in attempting to uphold even the most moderate civil rights for the local population. No one ever chose a more fortunate moment for dying than he. It is also quite ridiculous to call A.T. [Wilson]'s administration terrible and bloody. You know it was nothing of the sort. The underlying truth of all criticism is, however - and it's what makes the critics so difficult to answer - that we had promised self-governing institutions and not only made no step towards them but were busily setting up something entirely different. But let us have criticism impartially distributed. One of the papers says quite rightly, that we had promised an Arab Govt with British advisers and had set up a British Govt with Arab advisers. That's a perfectly fair statement. But let us now turn to another mandated province - Palestine. The same general principles should apply there as here, it seems to me; yet within in the last two months Herbert Samuel has established in Palestine proper exactly what has borne sway here, a British Govt with native advisers. He does it because any sort of native institutions of a really independent kind which might be set up would reject Zionism, but isn't that a sufficient condemnation of Zionism? I personally think so and I believe that sometime or other, probably with the help of Egypt, Arab Palestine will throw off the Zionist yoke. And the fault will be ours for if there's any lesson which Mesopotamia has given us the opportunity of learning it is that you can't safely protest one thing and do another.

Well, there! that's enough and perhaps too much, say you, of our politics. I don't remember if I told you last week that General Ironside passed through on his way to Persia. Sir Aylmer brought him to see me and then asked me to dinner to meet him. I had an interesting talk with him, for he had just come from C'ple. He is a remarkable creature, being in the first place one of the biggest men I've ever seen and in the second having a pretty sound knowledge of affairs from Archangel to the Black Sea. A Major General at 37, a first class interpreter in 7 languages - all that's not nothing. But above all he's a man, a sex for which useful employment can be found in North Persia.

Secondly, did I tell you about Mrs Buchanan? She came here about 3 weeks ago, poor little thing. I hadn't seen her before. She passed through Baghdad in May but I knew nothing of her. You see in the former rÇgime there was never any attempt to bring me into touch with the other members of our service - rather the contrary. This time Major Bullard brought her in to see me when she was coming to see AT. I've had her to tea and taken her out on the river and in a motor. She is very pretty and attractive and helpless, about 25 with a baby at home. As far as I can make out they neither of them had anything in the world and as they "invested" all their savings in jewels for her which were all stolen she hasn't a penny. She is suffering a good deal from nervous shock, and no wonder, but she is getting notably better. The question is what to do for her. I'm convinced in my own mind that she will ultimately marry again, and that will be far the best thing. But meantime she has got to go back to an English winter and a world where everything is exhorbitantly dear and try to earn her living. With no training of any kind - she married at 19. She is not the sort who will learn shorthand, she isn't the least competent and she dreads having to fend for herself. The best thing I can think of for her is that she should get into some shop like the Ladies' Shirt Co where the women are gentlewomen. I don't know what her social status is - class B gentlewoman as Mrs Wilson would say. But she is sweet and attractive. I'm giving her a letter to Marie Mallet thinking that she might help her through her flower makers. Suppose she could be taken on to learn flower making she is the sort of woman who could be sent round as a teacher. Or if Marie thought it possible to get her a job in a high class shop of the sort I mentioned where she could be employed in millinery I think she might be successful. Anyway it's the best I can think of. And will you please give Marie this private explanation for I can't speak quite so clearly in an open letter of introduction.

I've just has a visit from a very different sort of woman, Surma Khanum, the sister of the late Assyrian Patriarch and aunt of his successor - aged 15, the successor. The Patriarchs are all chosen from one family and they're celebate so that a nephew is the natural successor. Surma is celebate too - a very handsome, capable, nut brown woman, with white hair and the complexion of a russet apple. She ran the whole community in her brother's day. She has just come back from England where she has been for the last year. Now she is going to Mosul [Mawsil, Al]. All the Nestorians have been moved from Ba'qubah to a camp under the hills 16 miles or so from Mosul with the idea of getting them back to their own country. But it's now far too late in the year to think of their marching through the hills and as far as I can learn the local Kurds are all determined to oppose them to the death - not being wishful to give up their property which they have meantime annexed. It's not a cheerful prospect. However Surma Khanum seemed to be quite resigned and as she is to spend the winter in a house in Mosul she will be all right.

Your letter of Sept 8 has just arrived, one from Moll and one from Domnul - a good haul.

Yes, it's amazing about Mittie but I do respect her for going. It will be very good for Harald and Dolly to get away even if it's a nuisance for them. As to expenses, you realize that my living expenses here don't include what I get from England, clothes, books etc. The price of everything is really appalling but the best way to remedy that is to get nothing more. Meantime as far as I'm concerned that the course which providence has marked out for nothing has come though I've got bills for tricotine and things, which Elsa kindly bought for me. I shan't pay them till the things arrive.

I had my usual group of colleagues, Major Yetts, Capt. Clayton and  to dine last week and with them Saiyid Husain Afnan, the editor of one of the vernacular papers and a great friend of Capt Clayton and me. His remarkable career is as follows: he is the grandson through his mother of Baha Ullah, the Persian reformer (father of 'Abbas Effendi whom Lisa met in London) who was exiled by the Shah and allowed by the Sultan to live at Acre ['Akko]. There Saiyid Husain was born - a direct descendant of the Prophet through Husain who was killed at Karbala. He was educated at the Quaker school at Brumana in the Lebanon, graduated at the American college at Beyrut [Beyrouth (Beirut)] and at Cambridge. During the war he was in charge of a prisoner's camp in India. You saw him here - he was then in business with Mahmud Shabandar. He is a free thinker, talks English as well as I do, almost, is bi-lingual as far as Persian and Arabic are concerned and has a profound knowledge of the near East coupled with a complete understanding of the European point of view and a great sympathy with it. I think him one of the most interesting people I know. He is not very hopeful about the East. What strikes him - and I must say it strikes me as far as I know about it - is the viciousness of private life and the entire lack of morals. The mode of existence of most of the young and ardent nationalists would surprise you, added to which, says Saiyid Husain "What can you expect of people who never go to bed sober?" Don't for a moment think that it's all due to western contact. Town life has always been the same, and whether they get drunk on champagne or on araq doesn't affect the matter. The fact is I don't think you will ever find - or very very rarely - a Mohammadan who lives a decent existence, but not beginning to be decent. And he pays the price physically, which means mentally also. The remedy I don't know. It's surprising, when you come to think of it that we in Europe should have found out that a reasonable minimum of virtue and honesty are essential concomitants of any successful society. They haven't found it out in Asia, no matter what religion they happen to Bellong to.

Talking of conduct, I'm really quite comforted by Mother's disapproval of A.T.'s. I thought it rather steep myself, but then perhaps I'm not a fair critic.

Tuesday 12 [12 October 1920] A word to say that Sir Percy arrived yesterday, thank Heaven. The office is in rather a turmoil with no one knowing exatly what they ought to do next, so I can't write at length about his reception. I will next week. I'm taking on a sort of temporary Oriental Secretary job till people find their feet. Ever your very affectionate daughter Gertrude