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

BRITAINASWARTIME"REVOLUTIONARY" 189

TheinitialmixedreceptionoftheArabrevoltbyMuslimsinthe
MiddleEastappearedtojustifythedecisionnottolandaBritish
force inArabia.InEgypttherevoltfoundlittlepopularityinthena-
tivepressoramongmilitaryandpoliticalauthorities,includingthe
sultan,HusaynKami1.^92 InIndiaboththegovernmentandtheAll-
IndiaMuslimLeagueviewedtheArabrebellionwithamixtureof
surpriseandhostility."Allclasses,"theviceroydeclaredtotheIndia
Office,"bitterlyresentanyideaof[the]desecrationofHolyPlaces
whetherbyTurk,Arab,orChristian,andcondemn[the]Sheriffor
jeopardisingthem."?'
Inthelastanalysis,however,theArabrevoltdidnotinterestthe
majorityofIndianMuslims.Foronething,therebellionwastoofar
away;manybelievedthatGodhadorderedsuchthingsforreasons
knownonlytoHim.Foranother,theGovernmentofIndiacarefully
guidedinfluentialMuslims,includingprinceswhoowedmuchof
theirauthoritytoBritain,totheproperinterpretationoftheseevents,
emphasizingthatto bepro-Turkishwas to beanti-British.?'Addi-
tionally,thecarefulBritishsurveillanceofIndianportsandfrontiers,
togetherwithtightenedcensorship,screeningofthearrivalofemi-
grantssuspectedofsedition,thebanonIndianscarryingarms,and
thepowertointernpersonswithouttrial,effectivelyfoiledeffortsby
theGermansandTurkstoinfiltrateIndiawithrevolutionarypropa-
gandaandagents."
TheBritishcontinuedtomonitorcarefullyIndianandGerman
revolutionaryactivitiesinAsiaandtheUnitedStates.Britain'sFar
EasternfleetcarefullypatrolledthewatersaroundAsia,seizingfor-
eignshipsinvolvedinshippingarms,ammunition,andrevolution-
aries-bothIndianandGerman-toIndia.Duringthespringandsum-
merof1916,theBritishuncoveredfurtherinformationaboutthe
GermanandIndianconspiracy.ThiscamefromthetrialsinBurma
ofthenumerousGhadriterevolutionariescapturedtheprevioussum-
merthereandin Siam; thedefendants,whoincluded]odhSingh,
admittedtoeverything.s"
LondoncontinuedtopressuretheUnitedStatestohaltthework
inthatcountryofIndianrevolutionaries,whomtheGermanswere
assistingandwho wereproducinganti-Britishpropagandaandagents
forsmugglingintoIndia.Atthebeginningof 1916 Berlinhadsent