Page 213 - Life of Gertrude Bell

IRAQ *95
certainly never been equalled in intelligence documents, and sel­
dom in any kind of official paper. Her reports sparkled with wit
and irony as well as fact, and they received fulsome praise from
the High Commissioner, Sir Henry McMahon. After his ‘resigna­
tion* on December 20th, 1916 he wrote to the new Foreign
Secretary Balfour, enclosing a summary of the work of the Bureau
from its inception to ‘the date on which I handed over its com­
plete direction to the Sirdar*. ‘The negotiations connected with
this question [the Sharif] have been lengthy and many complex
problems have arisen. It has appeared to me desirable ... that all
the main issues and salient documents (quoted verbatim where
necessary) should be incorporated into one memorandum, which
will serve as a complete record, readily available for future
reference. I welcome the opportunity thus afforded of recording
my high appreciation of the services of the members of the Arab
Bureau ... ’ There follows his testimonial of the services of his
team: Brigadier-General G. F. Clayton, Commander D. G.
Hogarth, Major Kinahan Cornwallis, Captain T. E. Lawrence,
Captain the Hon. W. A. Ormsby-Gore, Lt-Colonel C. E. Wilson,
Mr Ronald Storrs, Lt-Colonel A. C. Parker, Mr A. B. Fforde
(forgotten in McMahon’s first letter but remembered a few days
later) and ‘Miss Gertrude Bell, who gave valuable assistance to me
in the early days of the Arab movement and is now, under the
direction of Sir Percy Cox, acting as correspondent of the Bureau
in Mesopotamia, thereby promoting co-ordination and die con­
stant interchange of information. Her intimate knowledge of
Arabia, ability and energy, have rendered her services of great
value. The manner in which she has so long devoted herself to
the work of the Arab Bureau under the most trying conditions of
country and climate, is deserving of special notice.’ On February
2nd, 1917 Austen Chamberlain wrote to the Viceroy:

My Lord, I forward for the information of Your Excellency in
Council a copy of a letter that has been received from the
Foreign Office regarding the staff of the Arab Bureau ...it
affords me particular pleasure to request Your Excellency—as
desired by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs—to express
to Miss Gertrude Bell the appreciation of His Majesty’s Govern­
ment for her valuable services. I have the honour to be My
Lord, Your Lordship’s most obedient humble servant, Austen
Chamberlain.
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