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

FAILEDEXPECTATIONSONBOTHSIDES III

Arableadersoughtto usethemeetingwithOppenheimtopressure
theArabnationalistsevenmoretourgetheshariftoleadarevolt
againsttheTurks.Faysal'saccountofthemeeting-aratheramusing
onegiven in 1917 to T. E.Lawrence-mentionednothingoftheagree-
mentmadeby Faysal for hisfather,emphasizinginsteadOppenheim's
intensepressureonhim"tomakerebellionsofMoslemsagainst
Christians."60
DespitetheFaysal-Oppenheimmeeting,EnverPasha,for hispart,
stillthoroughlymistrustedthesharifand,seekingtodividethelat-
terfromtheBritish,insistedthatHusaynprovideacontingentfrom
his armiesto assistanotherplannedTurkishinvasionofEgypt.
WangenheimhailedtheGermanagreementwiththesharifonpro-
pagandaandpoliticalreportingas agreatsuccessfortheReich, claim-
ing,erroneously,thatitavoidedanattemptbythePorteinthenear
futuretoreplaceHusayn.Itisunlikelythattheagreementdelayed
suchaprospect,butratherthatTurkey'sinvolvementinthewar did.
Removalofthesharif,theambassadorasserted,wouldbeexploited
byGermany'senemiesfortheirowninterests."
Faysal,followinghismonth-longvisitintheTurkishcapital,re-
turnedtoDamascus,wherehecontinuednegotiatingsecretlywith
theArabnationalists.He alsopaidacourtesyvisitinJerusalemto
JemalPasha,towhomheagreedtosendavoluntaryforceoffifteen
hundredcamelryfor anotherOttomanattackonEgypt. Whenhe
returnedto Mecca,on 20 June,hisfamilydecidedtoleadageneral
risingoftheArabsagainsttheTurksandresumenegotiationswith
Britain,despitethepoorshowingofthelatteratGallipoli."
Oppenheim,aftermeetingFaysal, alsoleftforDamascus,toorga-
nize anintelligenceandinformationcenteratthelocalGermancon-
sulatethatwouldestablishmoreeffectivecontactwithArabiaand
Egypt.UsingDamascusas hisheadquarters,hespentthenextfour
monthstravelingin Syria,Palestine,theSinaiPeninsula,andeven
northwesternArabia.Dressedlike aBedouin,carryingaconsiderable
supplyofmoney,andaccompaniedbyPrufer,severalIndianMus-
lims,andawagonloadofpropagandamaterials,hestoppedin cities,
villages,andoases.
Inmosqueshedeliveredinflammatoryspeechesthatemphasized
pan-Islamismandaddedanelementofnationalismtotheholywar