In the Anglo-Arab Labyrinth: The McMahon-Husayn Correspondence and its Interpretations 1914–1939

by Elie Kedourie

The McMahon–Husayn correspondence greatly affected Anglo–Arab relations after the First World War. Written in obscure and ambiguous terms, it aroused great controversy, particularly over the issue of Palestine. Originally published in 1976, this study brought together for the first time all the available evidence from British, French and Arabic sources and elucidated the meaning of the correspondence. The controversy led to many enquiries within the Foreign Office as to the exact meaning and significance of the documents. Even before Palestine became a pressing issue, the formulation of British policy in the Middle East during the war and at the post-war settlement had occasioned other investigations. In the first part of this book Professor Kedourie examines the correspondence in its historical context to determine why its terms were so obscure and what lay in the minds of those who drafted it. The second part is an historiographical enquiry which reviews the widely differing interpretations of the correspondence which were produced in various departments of the Foreign Office from 1916 to 1939, when the correspondence was made public.

Genres: Nonfiction

370 pages, Hardcover

First published February 19, 1976

About the author

Elie Kedourie, CBE, FBA was a British historian of the Middle East. He wrote from a liberal perspective, dissenting from many points of view taken as orthodox in the field. He was at the London School of Economics (LSE) from 1953 to 1990, becoming Professor of Politics.