Page 238 - Gertrude Bell (H.V.F.Winstone)_Neat

216
GERTRUDE BELL
beg leave to assure the Government that by birth, by training
and by temperament, I am in sympathy with a democratic as
opposed to a bureaucratic conception of Government, and if I
find myself unable to advocate the immediate introduction of
a logical scheme of Arab Government into Mesopotamia it is
because I believe the result would be the antithesis of a demo­
cratic Government and that the creation and maintenance of an
indigenous Arab Government is in consistent with the changes
which we are now endeavouring to introduce into the Govern­
ments of India and Egypt... ’

By now Wilson’s replacement by Cox was agreed in principle,
though the latter showed no particular anxiety to return. Mean­
while, growing personal animosity between the chief and his
distinguished assistant complicated the day-to-day life of the Civil
Commission. In December 1919, Wilson wired Cox: ‘Current
gossip that you are coming here, to be succeeded by Haig in
Tehran.’ And a month before Cox had wired to the effect that he
would not return except as High Commissioner. But that appoint­
ment could not properly be made until the mandate had been
settled and approved by the League of Nations. Clearly, however
Cox and Wilson intended the changeover to take place early in the
new year, for on December 20th AT asked Cox if he should order
furniture for him. Two days later, following the intervention of
Curzon, the return was postponed. By January 1920, Wilson seems
to have been at his wits’ end. On the 2nd he wrote a rambling,
almost incoherent letter to Cox which referred over and over again
to a nameless ‘individual’, and followed it with an even longer
draft telegram: ‘I do not think there will always be room in this
office for activities of the land which I suggest (in telegram).
The telegram will serve to show how the land lies.’ Correspondence
went on for two months, both men referring to an ‘individual’ or
to ‘him’ in the course of which Sir Percy tried to persuade AT to
stay on as his deputy. On March 10th, 1920 Cox wired again:

When your draft telegram of June 4 reached me ... I was
expecting order to proceed home at once and contemplated
asking you to defer decision in regard to individual referred to
until I got home ... I am now instructed to await my successor
expected in the latter part of May. Previous to receipt of your
letter and draft telegram I have received a letter from individual
indicating that there was some rift in the lute. I took it to be a