RE: Lawrence of Arabia and the Sykes-Picot Agreement, revisited

From: Lawrence DeBivort (debivort@umd5.umd.edu)
Date: Fri 06 Dec 2002 - 17:59:37 GMT

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    I know this has strayed too far for some on this list from memetics, and want to thank those of you who (rightfully) feel this way for your patience and indulgence. And I also want to thank Scott and Jeremy and others for their informed, probing and thoughtful discussion of these questions.

    I don't recall the movie well enough to know who it depicted entering Damascus first.

    Fromkin's is a fine book, and gives a most useful and detailed look at the events from the PoV of official UK records. His account is not incompatible with the PoV presented by Lawrence in PILLARS, that of the Arab military movements, and we can construct a likely sequence of events from both books. I have not seen this covered before, so we may be contributing a useful and new footnote to history.

    Allenby was Allied commander, which included the ANZAC cavalry and the Arab armies under Sharif Feisal. Fromkin reports that Allenby decided on September 29, (p. 336, Owl Books edition, 2001) that the Arabs would enter Damascus first and raise the Arab Flag there, and that the ANZAC cavalry would circle Damascus to the NW, to cut rail lines and trap the retreating Ottoman army. Lawrence adds that the thinking behind this plan was to assure a positive reception by the Damascenes, which might not have been achieved were European troops to arrive first; Fromkin suggests it was in part motivated by the desire to keep the French, still pushing for the terms of the Sykes-Picot agreement, out of Damascus. The next day, September 30, Lawrence sent the Rualla cavalry in to Damascus (in two groups, totaling 4,000 men), where they found the Ottoman Army and government already withdrawn and in retreat to the north, and the Arab Flag already hoisted by Sharif Feisal's and Hussein's local and until then secret independence committee (PILLARS, pp. 643-4. Doubleday & Doran edition, 1936).

    Lawrence says nothing of an Australian brigade going through Damascus rather than around it to take up station north of the town. Fromkin indicates that the brigade did so on the morning of Oct. 1, the day after the Ottomans retreated and the Damascenes raised the Arab Flag.

    We can reconstruct the events, then, in this way:

    Sept 29: Allenby decides that the Arabs will enter Damascus first, and raise their Flag, and ANZAC cavalry will cut off the Ottoman retreat north from Damascus.

    Sept 30:
            Noon: The Ottoman government and Turkish Army withdraw north from Damascus
            4.00 pm: the Damascus Arab independence committee declares independence and raises the Arab Flag in Sharif Hussein's name
            Early evening: The first units of the Arab Army, the Rualla horse and camel cavalry, enter and occupy Damascus, and are officially welcomed by Shukri al-Ayubi, the head of Hussein's and Feisal's Arab independence committee.

    Oct 1.
            "At first light", the Australian brigade, one of the units ordered by Allenby to move into position to block the Ottoman retreat, passes through Damascus instead of around, and is officially welcomed by leaders of the independence committee.
            "At dawn", Fesial's senior chiefs Sharif Nasir and Nuri Shalaan formally enter Damascus, and begin the challenging process of building the new Arab government.

    In conclusion, it seems clear that the liberation of Damascus was a joint Allied effort, that the populace of Damascus declared its freedom upon the retreat of the Ottomans and in the name of Sharif Hussein, and that Arab Army elements -- the Rualla -- were the first forces to enter Damascus in WWI, where they remained at least until the next day when Sharif Hussein's and Faisal's representatives entered the city.

    Best regards, Lawry

    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf
    > Of Scott Chase
    > Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2002 10:59 PM
    > To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    > Subject: RE: Lawrence of Arabia and the Sykes-Picot Agreement, revisited
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > >From: "Lawrence DeBivort" <debivort@umd5.umd.edu>
    > >Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    > >To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
    > >Subject: RE: Lawrence of Arabia and the Sykes-Picot Agreement, revisited
    > >Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 22:42:07 -0500
    > >
    > >Thanks for the recap, Scott, and the additional quotes.
    > >
    > >In the main, I think the movie was pretty accurate as to political and
    > >military history. Even some of the more dramatic scenes are true to
    > >history: the attack on Aqaba, the massacre of the retreating Turkish
    > >column,
    > >the entry into Jerusalem and Damascus.
    > >
    > Who was the first of the Allies to enter Damascus? According to David
    > Fromkin's _A Peace to End All Peace_ (1989/2001. Henry Holt and
    > Company. New
    > York, p.337) it was the Aussies (cavalry). Was that in the movie?
    > >
    > >Cheers,
    > >Lawry
    > >
    > > > -----Original Message-----
    > > > From: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk
    > [mailto:fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk]On Behalf
    > > > Of Scott Chase
    > > > Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2002 10:17 PM
    > > > To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    > > > Subject: Re: Lawrence of Arabia and the Sykes-Picot
    > Agreement, revisited
    > > >
    > > >
    > > >
    > > >
    > > >
    > > >
    > > >
    > > >
    > > >
    > > >
    > > > >From: "Grant Callaghan" <grantc4@hotmail.com>
    > > > >Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    > > > >To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    > > > >Subject: Re: Lawrence of Arabia and the Sykes-Picot Agreement,
    > >revisited
    > > > >Date: Wed, 04 Dec 2002 17:59:45 -0800
    > > > >
    > > > >>
    > > > >>
    > > > >>Some time ago, Grant (I think) posted an informative post
    > in which as
    > >an
    > > > >>aside he suggested that Lawrence of Arabia had betrayed the Arabs by
    > > > >>inducing them to revolt against the Ottomans for Arab independence,
    > > > >>knowing
    > > > >>that the British and French had signed a secret agreement in which
    > >they
    > > > >>carved up the area for their colonial aims. I posted a reply
    > >indicating
    > > > >>that
    > > > >>Lawrence was innocent of this deception, as he had urged
    > the revolt in
    > > > >>1915
    > > > >
    > > > >
    > > > >Sorry, Lawry, that wasn't mine.
    > > > >
    > > > I was mine. Lawry's been having troubles confusing the two of us.
    > > > Could we
    > > > be Siamese twin seperated at birth? Doppelgangers? I could be
    > > > your sinister
    > > > shadow projected each time you post...
    > > >
    > > > The post Lawry must have in mind:
    > > >
    > > > http://cfpm.org/~majordom/memetics/2000/12972.html
    > > >
    > > > was where I was ranting about contrarian Europe and the U.K. I
    > > > made a couple
    > > > MST3Kish movie references and then quite off the top of my head
    > > > uttered the
    > > > following:
    > > >
    > > > (bq)"If I were Irish reflecting on former English rule over my
    > > > island (minus
    > > > six counties) or an Arab who felt betrayed by T.E. Lawrence
    > et al things
    > > > might be different."(eq)
    > > >
    > > > Notice the "et al* after Lawrence. I was including Lawrence
    > in a group
    > >of
    > > > people responsible for British policy towards the Arabs (aiding
    > > > "The Revolt"
    > > > and also for the behind the scenes maneuvering with France
    > for post war
    > > > spoils). I also said the the Arab might have felt betrayed,
    > which is not
    > > > exactly the same as being betrayed (perception versus reality).
    > > > Lawry helped
    > > > add more depth with his followup:
    > > >
    > > > http://cfpm.org/~majordom/memetics/2000/12973.html
    > > >
    > > > The issue of T.E. Lawrence's involvement in the Arab revolt and how
    > > > Sykes-Picot fits in may be something to pursue. I'm no expert on
    > > > Lawrence's
    > > > bio. Robert Lacey in _The Kingdom: Arabia & the House of Saud_ (1981.
    > > > Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers. New York) offers the
    > > > following, which
    > > > is more provocative than what I said:
    > > >
    > > > (bq) "...But the Sykes-Picot agreement clearly contradicted
    > the spirit
    > >of
    > > > the Arab Revolt- why else had it been kept a secret?- and T. E.
    > > > Lawrence, at
    > > > least, never made any attempt to deny the deception in which he
    > >knowingly
    > > > participated:
    > > >
    > > > 'I risked the fraud', he wrote, 'on my conviction that Arab help was
    > > > necessary to our cheap and speedy victory in the East, and
    > that better
    > >we
    > > > win and break our word than lose.' Lawrence knew from the
    > beginning that
    > > > 'the promises to the Arabs were dead paper:..."(eq)
    > > >
    > > > The part that ends '...than lose.' is attributed by Lacey to
    > page 24 of
    > > > _Seven Pillars_. The part that ends '...were dead paper' appears
    > > > contiguous
    > > > to the following excerpt from _Seven Pillars_ and is attributed
    > > > to page 283
    > > > of _Seven Pillars_:
    > > >
    > > > (bq)"...Had I been an honourable adviser [he wrote] I would have
    > > > sent my men
    > > > home, and not let them risk their lives for such stuff. Yet the Arab
    > > > inspiration was our main tool for winning the Eastern war. So I
    > > > assured them
    > > > that England kept her word in letter and spirit. In this comfort they
    > > > performed their fine things: but, of course, instead of being
    > > > proud of what
    > > > we did together, I was continually and bitterly ashamed." (eq)
    > > >
    > > > Lacey's bibliography includes the 1935 edition of _Seven Pillars
    > > > of Wisdom_
    > > > (London:Cape).
    > > >
    > > > This quote from Lacey's book is from pages 134-5 and is indexed under
    > > > "Lawrence, T. E... attempt to justify betrayal of Arab cause, 134-6"
    > > > >
    > > > >All I know about Lawrence of Arabia I saw on the big screen and I
    > >didn't
    > > > >believe half of it. ;-)
    > > > >
    > > > >
    > > > I have the movie on DVD and wonder how far it departs from actual
    > >history.
    > > >
    > > > _________________________________________________________________
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    > > >
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    > >
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    > >Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
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    > This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
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    =============================================================== This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing) see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit

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