In the Anglo-Arab Labyrinth : The Mcmahon-Husayn Correspondence and Its Interpretations 1914-1939

The McMahon-Husayn correspondence has been at the heart of Anglo-Arab relations since the end of World War I. Written in obscure and ambiguous terms, it aroused great controversy, particularly over the issue of Palestine.Here, Professor Kedouri examines the correspondence in 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. This examination throws light on civil servants (among them Harold Nicolson and Arnold Toynbee) as historians, on the relation between knowledge and policy, and on the structure of policy making.Kedourie, Elie is the author of 'In the Anglo-Arab Labyrinth : The Mcmahon-Husayn Correspondence and Its Interpretations 1914-1939' with ISBN 9780608174815 and ISBN 0608174815.