Page 190 - Life of Gertrude Bell

172 GERTRUDE BELL
been lighting against us the whole time and have no claim what­
ever upon us. 1 cannot tell you how strongly I feel upon this point.*
Then:

... these expeditions, to East Africa, Mesopotamia, Dardan­
elles, Salonika, and elsewhere ... arc all blunders. The war will
not be won in any of these outlying spots, but in Flanders, and
it is there that we should have concentrated all our strength in
order to give the Germans a smashing blow at die earliest
possible date ... All these diversions mean weakness in the main
theatre, and it seems to me we have been outwitted by Germany
and are literally playing her game ... Hardingc of Penshurst.
The Viceroy’s view was shared at this stage by the Prime Minister,
the C.I.G.S., and a majority of the Cabinet. While Gertrude was
staying at Vice-Regal Lodge, Hardinge sent a secret telegram to
London: ‘We agree scheme as detailed in papers received. We
understand Political Officers will not be called on to act at dicta­
tion of Bureau and that we shall receive copies of important
papers issued and received in this connection. I propose to
depute Mr A. B. Fforde, Indian Civil Service, to represent Indian
Government.’ Gertrude seems to have carried out her mission with
some skill, since two months before the Viceroy had told the
Secretary of State, Austen Chamberlain, that he was entirely
opposed to selecting a liaison officer in India or Mesopotamia.
He would be dangerous ‘unless under close control’. In the mean­
time, Gertrude had agreed to go to Basra, if not to stay, at least
to keep a temporary eye on the Bureau. ‘I’ve just come in from
another dinner at Vice-Regal Lodge. At the beginning of dinner
the V. sent me a scribbled card to say that it was all settled about
my going ... It is interesting, deeply interesting, but oh, it’s an
anxious job. I wish, I wish, I knew more-and was more. And
I am overwhelmed at meeting with so much kindness and
confidence.’ It was agreed that Mr A. Brownlow Fforde should
be paid as though he were a first-grade magistrate and revenue
collector in India, and his appointment was confirmed by Sykes.
He arrived at the Grand Continental, Cairo, in March where no­
body wished to have anything to do with him or to provide him
with useful work. He spent the entire war from then on in a
running fight with the India Office over his pay — ‘I hope you will
defeat the financial purist who wishes to reduce my pay by one
third/ he told the Permanent Under-Secretary on 20th March-