War by Revolution. Germany and Great Britain in the Middle East in the Era of World War I

THETHICKENINGPLOTANDHOLYWAR 87

informationonEgyptproducedbytheforeignministry'sagentsin
Turkey(Prufer,Moritz,andtheconsulinHaifa,JuliusLoytved
Hardegg)andtheembassyinConstantinoplewasincorrector par-
tiallycontradictory.Toremedythesituation,Oppenheimproposed
establishinganinformationserviceofGermanandtrustedOriental
officialsstationedatpoststhroughoutTurkey,includingareasoff-
limitstonon-MuslimsinArabia(Maan,Jidda,andHodeida).Also,
theforeignministry,evenbeforeOppenheimhadexpressedhis con-
cern,hadaskedtheembassiesinConstantinople,Rome,andAthens
forreportsonEgypt.7^3
Theseresultingreportsproducedminimalresults.Onlyduring
thelatterpartofDecemberdidtheembassiesproviderelativelyaccu-
ratenews aboutEgypt. Theirinformationindicatedthatbetween
thirty-eightandseventythousandIndiantroopsguardedtheSuez
Canal,thatwarshipspatrolledthewaterway,andthatmoretroops
hadrecentlylandedfromAustraliaandNewZealand.Thereports
alsosuggestedthatArabsalongthewesternEgyptianfrontierwith
LibyaworriedBritishofficials.>'
DespitetheapprovalbytheBerlingovernmentofnearlythree
millionmarksfortheTurkishinvasionofEgyptandfortheother
GermanmissionstotheMiddleEast,thebasicproblemslimiting
theeffectivenessoftheGermanpolicyrernained.»Foronething,
afterTurkey'sentryintothewar,bitterfactionalismexistedatthe
highestlevelsoftheYoungTurkregimeregardingforeignpolicy.
Thedirectionofpolicylay in thehandsofasizablegroupofCUP
officials,chiefamongthemEnver,Talaat,andjemal,butanother
factionincludedthecapablebutanti-interventionistandpro-French
financeminister,javidBey,andthegrandvizier,SaidHalim.javid
resignedfromthegovernmentattheendof 1914 butretainedcon-
siderableinfluenceinthePorte'snegotiationswiththeCentralPow-
ersbeforehisreturntothegovernmentinFebruary1917.Thesedivi-
sionsintheTurkishleadershipcomplicatedtheattemptsbyGermany
to influencethePorte'sforeignpolicy."Also, theverynatureof
Germany'srevolutionarypolicyaimedattheIslamicworldandput-
suedthroughTurkeypresenteddifficulties.In abluntmemorandum
of 6 DecembertoOppenheim,Dr.TheodorWeber,thechiefdrago-
manattheConstantinopleembassy,condemnedtheconfusionat