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investigationofthematterbytheforeignsecretary,Balfour,revealed
thatpossiblyaBritishagenthadmadetheunauthorizedproposalto
theTurks.LloydGeorge,theprimeminister,togetherwithBritain's
militaryintelligence,hadsentanamateuremissary,J.R.Pilling,a
formerBritishrailroadentrepreneurinTurkey,toSwitzerlandto ne-
gotiatewiththePorte,butnottopresenttheproposalthatheappar-
entlydid.^84 WhethersuchfactorsinfluencedBerlintoconcludeon 27
October 1917 a newtreatywithTurkeyinwhichGermanyagreednot
tosignapeacethatcurtailedOttomansovereignty,isuncertain.v
MostBritishleaderscorrectlybelievedtheTurkishapproachesin
Switzerlandinsincereand,accordingtoRumbold,"onlymeantto
try todiscoverwhatisinourmind.t'"Stillotherofficials,including
SykesinLondonandWingate,theHighCommissionerinCairo,re-
actedwithhorrorattheprospectofnegotiatingaseparatepeacewith
Turkey.TheyfeareditwouldjeopardizeBritain'spositionwiththe
Arabs,whoalreadysuspectedtheAnglo-Frenchdealingwiththemto
be lessthanhonest."
OnlyinNovemberdidSykes reversehimself.Hesuggestedtothe
WarCabinetthattheTurks,confrontedwithmilitaryandeconomic
exhaustion,BritishmilitarysuccessesinPalestineandMesopotamia,
andthespreadoftheArabuprising,wouldsoonconcludepeace."
DuringtheweeksthatfollowedtheForeignOfficeauthorized
RumboldtoenterpeacenegotiationswithTurkeythroughMukhtar
Pasha,adelegateto theprisoner-of-warconferenceinSwitzerland.
RumboldwasdirectedtooffertheTurksfavorablefinancialtreat-
ment,abolitionofthecapitulations,andfullrecognitionofTurkey's
positionasanindependentpower.InreturnBritaindemandedthe
openingoftheStraitsandtheindependenceofArmenia,Arabia,
Mesopotamia,Syria,andPalestine."?
RumboldmetMukhtarPashaseveral times.TheForeignOfficeacted
intypicalfashion:publiclyitdeniedthemeetings,whileprivatelyit
urgedRumboldtoacquireacounter-proposalfromtheTurks.?"Inthe
event,theBritishcourtingoftheTurksdraggedonandresultedin
littlebutmeetings.Mukhtar,RumboldtoldtheForeignOffice, was
keptinSwitzerlandtopushforconcessionsintheGerman-Russian
peacetalksatBrestLirovsk.?' Peace intheMiddleEastwouldhave to
awaitthenew yearandfinal Alliedmilitarytriumph.